Pursuing any career

When one listens to famous musicians share their story of how they started out, you hear them say that at a very young age they were already performing for their parents or interested in musical instruments. Lucky for them, they had parents who recognized their talents early and encouraged them to grow. In Nigeria, because the […]

When one listens to famous musicians share their story of how they started out, you hear them say that at a very young age they were already performing for their parents or interested in musical instruments. Lucky for them, they had parents who recognized their talents early and encouraged them to grow.
 In Nigeria, because the labour market is very saturated and there is the impression that some particular professions are lucrative, parents are quick to impress it on children that choosing these careers would help them live comfortable lives so talent or interests take a back seat.
Again there is so much hype about certification as against competence or passion for the job and so people are hired based on what the paper says not how much of an interest they really have and how far they are willing to go in that career.
So it is a case of people pursuing careers without feeling any passion and just living day by day earning salaries. The result: people are unhappy, work becomes a bore, productivity suffers and visions and objectives of companies are not met.
But these prevailing circumstances can be circumvented with the necessary ingredients: doggedness, resourcefulness and built competence.
Having established that it is important to build a career on what you are fundamentally passionate about or talented in, the first step to take is to try to learn what there is to learn about your skill–formally and informally.
The general complaint among employers of labour is that most Nigerian graduates cannot readily fit into to the workforce upon graduation from tertiary institutions.  Asides offering training on the culture, vision and objectives of their organisations and companies, employers still expend resources for on the job training. One can therefore begin to imagine that if an employer can find someone who looks good on paper and can begin work the next day such a person would have an employment letter immediately.
So to get that edge, acquire any training you can outside of your formal education. Attend seminars and workshops, do short courses and become a member of your professional body and take advantage of trainings offered. Informally you can read up on the literature available on your profession (whether online or books), stay up to date with the current trends in your profession, explore the opportunities available for people in your profession that are not obvious and experiment with the latest technology tailored for your career.
You also need to build your competence in your chosen career. Again now that jobs are not easy to come by it would be fool hardy to wait for the ‘perfect job’. Employers do not want to employ people who have graduated school three years ago and have no work experience. How is that different from a fresh graduate? No matter how poor the pay is, the advantage is that you are learning something on the job and the experience would count to make you progress further in your career.
Also be ready to work for free–if you can. This is why it is important to pursue a career not motivated  solely by the monetary benefits but genuine passion. Some of the world’s most successful people failed at the beginning. Some people thought their ideas were crazy, others thought they were way ahead of their time and many looked them in the face and told them they would fail.  But doggedness and a strong desire to make an impact and a difference kept them going.
So if you are unemployed and find an opportunity to work in a place that could enhance your skills without pay take it and embrace the experience whilst you wait for your promised land.
It is also important to surround yourself with people that can build you professionally. Seek out people who have excelled in that career and learn from them. These role models know what works and what doesn’t. They can offer guidance on steps to take to build yourself and warn you of pitfalls to avoid. Your job is to build on their successes and learn from their mistakes.
In the event that there is no one around you who can be a role model then read and follow the activities of the trend setters in your career. Understand their history, the struggles and sacrifices they made to enjoy the spotlight, what gave them their breakthrough and how they are managing to stay relevant.
Look for what would set you apart from the crowd and improve your skills in it. This is where expertise counts! It is not enough to have a general knowledge of your profession but in what area can you be above your contemporaries? Become a specialist or authority in that area. You especially have an extra advantage if that area is still an unfamiliar terrain in your profession.  This would make you highly sought after.
Have I mentioned networking? Join professional networking sites, join professional groups, take part in discussions or forums, be visible among your contemporaries and exchange ideas. Many professionals want to stick with the traditional. I have heard many people dismiss invitations from professional colleagues to join a site like LinkedIn with comments like, “how many would somebody join?” That is an ignorant statement, the world has become knowledge and technology driven, if people find a technology that makes life better  for them, what was the in-thing becomes old news and they move on. It is also important to move with the trends.
I can share personal experiences of people who have gotten better job offers by merely updating their skills on LinkedIn.
The truth is as much as many Nigerians like to say that only those who have god fathers get jobs, there are many Nigerians getting jobs everyday purely based on merit and even many more switching from one dream job to the other. So instead of joining the bandwagon of complaining Nigerians, seek to become the best in your career.
How do you do that? This is where we begin from next week.