You’ve been nursing an ambition right from childhood, and you’ve gone through several pieces of training in the formal (elementary, post-secondary, and tertiary) and informal (people and society) educational sectors, all in preparation for the pursuit of your dream career. Now it’s time to take that bold step of starting, and you’re getting cold feet, unsure of how to go about things? Well, it’s normal. It’s a stage that many have passed and many more are going through.
Starting a career is a big step in an individual’s life, a defining moment for many. It’s a decision that follows years of dreaming, planning and preparing. However, no matter how long it takes, you can’t ever be truly prepared for what lies ahead.
While it’s pertinent to kick off a career at an early, productive age, it is of utmost importance to start on the right note. So many factors come into play in an individual’s career. These factors more often than not influence and determine the course of a profession.
To jumpstart your life career, here are some tips to guide you in making informed decisions along your chosen path –
1. Set a Career Goal
Having an objective or aim is the first step towards jumpstarting a career. Goals are meant to guide our actions, and without setting them, a profession will not have a direction. A career goal defines what you want to accomplish, the duration you wish to attain it, and how you intend to achieve it. There are short-term and long-term goals; you must be aware of the differences.
Several things are involved in setting a career goal; defining the purpose is merely one of them. Staying committed to achieving that goal is of utmost importance, which is why you must develop them adequately. An improperly mapped-out purpose is usually challenging to achieve. When setting a career goal, it’s essential to tailor it to certain specifications, and they are discussed below.
- It must be specific; you need to define your goal correctly. There must be a clarity of purpose and should not be ambiguous. Doing this will guide you towards effective planning.
- Measurable; you must set a career goal in a way that allows you to measure its progress or otherwise. You must define factors or evidence that will let you know if you’re on course and show when you need to reevaluate.
- Attainable; create goals that you can achieve within a specific period. Before you set a career goal, check your current status, and estimate where you’re likely to be at a particular time in the future. Don’t be overzealous when setting goals; be realistic. That way, you can achieve your goal within a specified time.
- Relevant; when starting a career, set goals that are relevant to the success of your chosen career path. It’s essential to set goals that won’t derail you from your lifelong dream.
- Time-based; for a career goal to have a meaning, you must set a timeline with it. That way, you can adequately monitor your progress and be committed to it. Allot a period for every activity that would be instrumental in the attainment of your goal.
2. Get a Mentor
Mentorship is essential in jumpstarting a life career. As an individual just starting a particular endeavour, you need the guidance and support of an experienced person who has seen it all to achieve success. People who are mentored have a higher chance of succeeding than those who aren’t because they know what to do and what not to do, which guides their decision-making process.
3. Build and Expand a Relevant Professional Network
Whatever career you’re planning on going into, some people are there already, and some others, just like you, are also planning on starting. There’s no doubt that we all have different social networks, some more sophisticated than others.
Building a professional network gives you access to career-boosting opportunities and information that you would ordinarily find challenging to get. A relevant professional network helps you make great career moves and is pivotal to attaining your career goals.
4. Expand Your Knowledge Base
Before starting a life career, you need to arm yourself with adequate knowledge of your dream career. The learning process never stops; every day, new pieces of important information surface. The need to stay up-to-date is, therefore, of great essence.
Learning helps expand your perspective and horizon, opens you to diverse opportunities around, and ultimately advances your career. However, there’s the need to design learning around your career path for growth.
The Jobberman soft skills training helps you achieve this by equipping you with soft skills like communication, personal effectiveness, emotional intelligence, etc., required to have a smooth career. To take these courses for free, visit www.jobberman.com/softskills.
5. Develop the Spirit of Commitment
Jumpstarting a career is a significant step that requires a lot of commitment to be successful. Your enthusiasm and passion for achieving your goals determine how great of a life you would have.
Commitment is not taught; it is developed. You have to be disciplined and willing to put in the work to achieve your purpose. A career without obligation will end up failing. Developing the spirit of commitment early in your career will go a long way in ensuring you have a beautiful life.
6. Maintain a Positive Online Presence
As an individual looking to start a career, maintaining an impressive online presence will ensure you access information and opportunities instrumental to your growth.
Several social media platforms like Linkedin, Jobberman, etc., provide opportunities for people newly getting into a career to learn. These days, virtually every job career has an online presence where aspiring and people already in that sector get to socialize and brainstorm.
7. Be Humble
In starting a life career, you will encounter diverse challenges. The need to be confident in your ability is very crucial as it’s what would push you on even in your worst moments. However, don’t forget that you don’t know it all. You’ll most likely be requiring counsel from experienced folks, and this is where humility comes in.
You have to be humble to learn. So many exploits will come through learning.
Conclusion
While there are no clear-cut ways to achieving success in a career, there’s no doubt that the few tips examined above, if adopted, would go a long way in ensuring you have a great profession, and ultimately a good life.
In addition to the above, enrolling for the Jobberman soft skills training is an ideal way to prepare yourself for all that lies on your path to an illustrious career. Visit www.jobberman.com/softskills today to get equipped with the necessary soft skills you’ll be needing on this journey.