How to Achieve Your Career Potential

By Barigye Doreen 

 

Let's talk about how to plunge into the career of your dreams. 

According to the Career Development Institute (CDI), a career refers primarily to the sequence and variety of work roles, paid or unpaid, that individuals undertake throughout their lives. It is also the theory which allows one to make meaning of the work opportunities and how their work roles relate to their wider life roles. Whereas a job is simply a position or role that is paid whether on a regular or contract basis. From the above definitions, I need you to realize that you can assume multiple jobs within one career in your life time. This makes the career building process a life-long one that involves forming and transforming oneself to full potential. 

So, at this point, let's pause and ask this question, 'What level are you at building the career of your dreams?’ Did you in the first place have a career of your dreams? If so, I am glad about your decisiveness because I understand that clarity comes easily only to those that seek diligently after it. I know it took you hard work, thought and lots of inquiry to get yourself into a definite career path. I understand there is someone who is still lost in a sea of searching their placement in this job market. I wish to encourage you not to give up. I know that the process of career clarity is full of ups and downs. One commentary from the previous blog indicated there is privilege attached to every career success. He also implied that individuals from developing countries in particular have more difficulty to reaching their full career potential for different reasons. Well, I am from a developing country and I will write this piece with this perceived underprivilege in mind. 

After my last article that dwelt on preparing your career stance for the fast-changing job market, today we are examining the success strategies to help achieve the requisite career potential.  Before we can go any further, one must develop a self-stoic character of overcoming the daunting nature of self and surroundings. Cultivate positive thinking and behavior, build visualizations into where you think you want to be, practice positive self-talk, yes, the affirmation self-talk, have dynamic goal setting and then poise into positive action, develop assertive behavior, self-esteem, and most definitely proactive habits. These are life principles with which, no matter where you are from, success becomes inevitable. 

I admit that building my career was a long rough road. Looking back in time I have many things that I would have changed only if I had the power to. Regardless of all that, I gladly say that I have now found a path along which I am dedicating my entire efforts. I politely won't tolerate inferiority complexes and wishful thinking from anyone that is accustomed to marginalizing themselves. I have realized that whether you are in my home country Uganda, or the fastest paced developed world, the rules are quite similar. We have people leaving the fast-paced developed world to achieve their career dreams in the developing world and vice versa. The major career enhancers that help transform goals into realizations are the same. 

Lets now mention some ideas that may provide ranging benefits for career potential realization. Every career success story is unique. In addition, I know that there arent any magical answers for taking your career to the top. However, the following steps might get you headed on the corporate ladder within your dream career. 

1. Self-assessment: Whatever you choose to do depends on who you are. This is the most important consideration that you must not take for granted no matter how obvious it looks. There is no way that youll be absolutely sure that a given career path can meet all your needs, but there is a way you can consider certain prime interests in your life and improve your satisfaction. This self-check can be repeated throughout your life. 

2. Make up your mind about a specific career path: You might be right at the beginning of your career and/or might have taken several strides into it. Nonetheless, it is high time you made up your mind about the specifics of your career path. It's quite a rare occurrence for one to be the master of everything. I will not also discourage diversified knowledge but strongly encourage expertise in something. Name your career path, name your career enhancers, and name your skills. Remember to do simple things and do them well. Good luck.

3. Make a plan and strive to achieve it: This plan can consist of time lines with in which you will study, work and eventually retire. Yes, I mentioned retirement, its part of it. Manage your schedules well, in this way you are preparing yourself for the future. No matter which stage you are at in your career, every second, minute, hour, days, months and years count, use them well.  Quoting your precious commentaries in the previous blog, schedule management is crucial. How well you manage ‘now’ will determine how prepared you will be for the future. Are you the kind of person who owns a diary or daily schedule book? If not, how do you track your activities or where do you write your plans and how do you follow them up? Are you so much into the business of postponing; I will do it tomorrow? If you can, do it today, please do the task and complete it. Again if you require more research and perfection for a particular task, dont rush to submit sub-standard work. Your Image is attached to the value of your work. Keep a professional balance between timeline and quality work. 

4. Find a career mentor: In your life, there are people that inspire you according to how they have built their career lives. These can be your career mentors. A career mentor is someone who shares their knowledge and expertise with you in order to help you set goals, fix problems and make good choices along your career path. 

5. Have basic awareness of the relevant career: Take time to explore and get information about the specific career that you are considering. You might be in school or already finished, regardless you still have decisions to take to enhance your career. It is impossible to make a rational decision without specific information. Along my career path, I had to change quickly from one route to the other due some circumstances. When I started off on my new journey, it was difficult because I found people that already had expertise and at some point I felt incompetent. This feeling of inadequacy pushed me to seek for knowledge in every way that by the end of two years I had successfully obtained the knowledge, skills and attitude that I needed. From now I concentrate on rooting myself and getting narrower with my interests. Therefore, get information and prepare yourself accordingly. 

6. Prepare yourself with relevant skills in advance: During your career time, you will take up different jobs or will need to be an entrepreneur in a given specific field. Prepare yourself with relevant skills in advance. These skills include computer literacy in basic computing or even other computer skills like job specific softwares and programs, learn different languages, cultivate interpersonal skills, take short course certifications and above all get mentally prepared for the challenges in the world of work. Remember you will need critical thinking skills and an innovative mind to solve different challenges arising in the workplace. 

Go the extra mile! Napoleon Hill, the famous self-help author, advised everyone to go the extra mile in everything that they do. According to Hill, when you spend an hour doing something you dont have to do for the benefit of someone else, that one hour can be worth more than the rest of your day. Over time, a policy of going the extra mile will provide you untold benefits and will do wonders for your career development. The employment and business scene are changing worldwide in a major ongoing way. Prepare for your career with both analytical skills as well as psychological preparation thoroughly.

Kindly leave your thoughts in the comment section.