HOW TO BUILD YOUR CAREER

Build Your Career

Career is more than your job, it entails everything you learn and work at during your lifetime. People change jobs or get retrenched all the time. There is more to it than staying in one job or even occupation. It is about careful planning to reach your goals.

Start out by planning your career
Learn to know your weak and strong points. What do you want people to remember when they read something about you in a hundred years time? Do you want to be rich, famous or known for changes made to the workplace, society or any specific field, or do you want to be remembered for a specific skill? Are people more important to you than objects? Do you want to settle at one place or like to move around?

Think about the things you dream about.
What is your passion? What do you like to do in your spare time? What is it that you have wanted to do all of your life? Also consider those things you dread whether it is change or routine, working with your hands, seeking advice, dislike in people, animals, or loads of activity. People differ and knowing what makes you tick and what irritates you will help establish your main interests.


Consider your skills.
Do you have the necessary skills for your career path? If you don't have, will you be able to acquire these skills through work programs, tuition or experience? If you like singing but cannot hold one musical note, then perhaps you should reconsider or decide whether it is worth all the training. Look at other aspects such as your age, gender, community, religion, race and the society. This also includes your family and friends and the importance you place on certain values.

Choose a career path
It doesn't mean that you have to select a particular job and stay with it. Rather look at the broader spectrum of jobs available in a certain career field.

Set a career goal
A career goal helps you to stay focused and motivated. Plan how you will get there and make space for alternative routes. The career journey should be just as rewarding as reaching the goals. You need to enjoy every step of the way even when you start at the bottom. This is not a once of process. Your career goals must be flexible since there will also be disappointments and things out of your control. Your career goals will change with alterations in you environment and personality. Reevaluate your goals every two years and make adjustments as needed. If you don't have any future plans, it means you are drifting and will miss many opportunities along the way to be the best you can be. Your career will always have a learning curve. Make the most of it and when you find that you are not satisfied anymore, sit down and reevaluate your position and career goals.