Career Ladders are fading
Dear Leader,
Happy Id el Kabir.
I trust this letter meets you in a peaceful state.
I want to start this letter by stating that the goal of my letters is not to talk about myself but to spotlight certain career and leadership realities we all face, and share my perspectives.
One of the most panicked questions from graduating students and recent graduates is “What should I do now to get a Job”?
Let us fix this.
By the time I was graduating as well, I had no idea what “specifically” I should do. I only had an idea of a few things I would like to try out. It was during my NYSC I figured what kind of Job I should be looking for, and by the time I was done with NYSC, I went straight to do a Masters in Managerial Psychology. This choice of M.Sc wasn’t well thought out. It was out of my curiosity in Psychology. It was in the last semester of my M.Sc Programme I landed my first Job opportunity which came from a colleague in my classroom (I’ll write more details about this soonest).
But here is this gist:
It is very rare to find people who have it all figured out in their lives. Most times, we get clarity as we proceed in the journey and we connect the dot backwards. Right now, you may be studying a course in the university or even have a job that is totally out of context from what you studied or planned to do. That is a reality called LIFE.
The problem is that you have always expected life to be one smooth sailing ride but it’s painfully a messy one, and you have to come to terms with that fast.
As we transition from being students to graduates, job seekers and workers, we need to first accept the truth that your life, career and leadership journey is not a smooth straight move.
There are no “dream jobs”, “perfect next steps” waiting for you. You have to learn to trust your spirit. That is the compass.
If you get into a job that you end up not liking, you are not a failure. You have just learnt something about yourself.
Career ladders are fading away. Most jobs you used to know in the past no longer exist, new jobs are gaining significance. There is no single path - follow your spirit. Don’t be fixated by what you used to know, keep discovering yourself and keep evolving.
I’m rooting for you.
Great Owete