As a young professional, finishing your studies and diving into the job market opens you up to reality. In most economies around the world today, no job is guaranteed. Your best strategy to increase your salary is to leave that company where you are working. For these reasons, it is so seeking career and self-development is not a choice but rather, a necessity.
As a serious professional who is invested in establishing, preserving and enhancing your career path, focusing on developing yourself should be a top priority since most employers look for individuals who have what other candidates lack when recruiting new employees. Below are five essential tips that you could use to advance yourself in your field of expertise
- Creating your own self- development plan
If you do not have one already, work towards creating your personal development plan. To come up with the best plan, you need to research the current market. When carrying out market research, your goal should be to find out what jobs require from you today and from this; come up with a plan for yourself for half a year, a year and even five years to come. This will ensure that you can identify the steps that you need to take to be the “ideal” employee, and also give you an idea of where you eventually want to end up.
- Become involved
This is a handy tip. Self-development does not only entail of certifications and books that you have read. It involves fun activities too. Network with other professionals and create valuable connections. Networking is essential because you will be able to gain more knowledge in your field. You can also volunteer in your community, and help make a difference in people’s lives. Finally, you could join a professional organization and partake in professional dinners and eat outs.
- Take up a side hustle
You may not be at a level where you can change careers or companies in an instant. However, you can put your skills into important use outside your 8-5 job. By getting a side hustle, you will be able to acquire valuable experience and to increase knowledge. Teaching, coding, graphics designing, and editing are, but a few side hustles that will prove useful in the long run.
- Get into class
Become a student again and enroll yourself in a course. Thanks to technology, you do not have to attend a lecture physically. You can simply look up ‘the best place to take my online class’ and find the best options for studying online. This can positively impact your career journey. There are many options, on places and ways in which you can take your classes. Therefore, it is possible for just about anyone to find a course that will work for them in terms of budget and schedule.
- Do not overindulge
It is essential to know that overindulgence doesn’t work for you. When you are overqualified, employers tend to look over you when it comes to employment opportunities. This is because they don’t want to employ people who are too educated for the position. Therefore you need to do your research on what accreditation or activity will be beneficial for the career path that you desire.
You don’t need a lot of time or interference with your current job for you to improve yourself. The little investments discussed above will impact on your career significantly