7 Career Lessons Most People Learn Too Late In Life

By Lilian Wamaitha
How do you envision your life when you think about 10 or 20 years from now? Do you see yourself in the same position of something more?
Whether you are in your twenties, thirties, starting your first job or are in your third, you must agree with me that there is something we all strive for.
The problem with a majority of us is that we have lived our entire lives seeking instant gratification. We want to get to a place where life is comfortable without putting in the hours or the effort to make that happen.
It’s the reason we fall for job scams and pyramid schemes that promise instant riches. Unless you want to bet your career on odds that you are not sure about, you must be willing to take a risk and even fail at some point to achieve success.
You need to learn that sometimes being stuck does not necessarily mean that you are falling behind in life. Your friends or colleagues may seem way ahead of you but you are still within your own timeline.
Here are lessons that you need to learn that will have an impact on your career starting today;
1. Learn to be a visionary
You cannot get to where you want in life if you don’t have a plan for it.
You career success will begin when you make a decision about what you want to be or to do with your life, goals that you want to achieve, short-term, mid-term, long-term.
One thing I like to tell people is that, live your life for yourself and not others. Let your vision in life not be your parent’s friends or society.
For instance are you working that job, because you want to or it’s what fell in your laps?
Without a vision for your life you will easily drift through life, resentful and feeling as if you are simply existing and life has short-changed you.
2. In all you do, be resourceful
Can you remember when you were looking for that job? What were your plans then? What were your dreams? You probably wanted to grow and one day take on a management position. How far along are you with those plans?
Are you still working towards that or have you given up and are looking for next opportunity out?
It is possible to grow wherever you are, even though you think that you are not making a difference. Whether you are an intern or a senior manager, embrace your role and own it.
The grass is not always greener on the other side, so learn to water your own grass, right where you are.
Make the most of every opportunity that life gives you to gather the knowledge, skills and experience that the position offers.
Don’t just exist for the sake of a salary at the end of the month because I can assure you that you are not doing justice to your career.
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3. Life is about taking risks, so take them
Life is all about the unknown. It’s about having faith and courage to follow your dreams no matter how crazy they seem.
How about rather than seeking to be employed, you make a choice of taking the risk to start that business that you have been dreaming of.
You have everything you need to succeed in life, if only you chose to see it. You have what it takes to get that promotion like that colleague.
4. You don’t need to be an A student to succeed
Career success is not all about the grades you got in school. All you need is to work hard and to diligently pursue your dreams with unwavering courage, fortitude, steadfastness and tenacity.
You see there is a big crowd of enemies waiting to see you fail and sometimes actively working to pull you down.
If you are not tenacious you may easily give up. Let no one despise you on account of your age, gender, tribe, race or any other stereotype out there.
5. In everything you do strive for excellence
What legacy do you want to leave behind?
The likes of Chris Kirubi, James Mworia, and Caroline Mutoko have all made names for themselves in their careers and it’s that legacy that they are proud of.
If you want to leave your mark in life you cannot afford to settle for mediocrity.
Do not do something simply because “everybody does it” or do it a certain way just because “that’s the way everybody does it.”
Play to your own tune and only then will you succeed in your career.
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6. Focus on what matters most
Landing a job nowadays is not easy and a majority of the time, we will find ourselves taking any job that is offered to us. Because let’s face it, at the end of the day you have bills and I have bills to pay.
But one important thing that you should know in life is that, money is not everything. There are other aspects like job satisfaction and career growth that you should consider before accepting a job offer.
It doesn’t make sense to be miserable every day at a job you have no passion for no matter how well you are paid.
While we all long for well-paying jobs, you must accept that you may have to start with humble beginnings and that instead, the skills and experience you acquire from this seemingly poor-paying job are priceless! Money is good but the danger of making money your objective is that after a while, it will surely choke and overtake your dream and vision.
7. Life is never fair, be resilient
Sometimes things will happen to you that you have no control over. You will face rejection and failure and even be turned down for a job that you know you are qualified for.
Never let this dim your light because good things are coming your way. Where you are now is not where you will be in five years. As long as you are willing to put in the effort, I don’t see a reason why you should remain in the same place.
In the end,
Career success will not happen in a day. It is a gradual journey that takes time and dedication. You will endure a lot before you get to where you are but at the end of it all, you will stop and be thankful for all those setbacks. Because it is those small failures that will prepare you to handle what is coming next.
Lilian is a Communication Officer at Career Point Kenya. Reach out to me through lilian@www.careerpointkenya.co.ke.