Discover The 4 Steps To Designing Your Dream Career No One Tells You

By Lilian Wamaitha
When Edith graduated in 2009 from Moi University, with a degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication, she was lucky to get a job immediately. Unable to contain her excitement, she ended up accepting it. It was a HR assistant role at a newly established recruitment firm.
Though she didn’t have a degree in Human Resource, that job launched her career in HR. Within one and a half years, she became an account manager. She would four years later take up a permanent role as a HR consultant for a well-established recruitment firm.
Everything seemed to be going well for her. The stability and paycheck was appealing but three years ago, she started to realize that she was made for more. The job she had come to love so much no longer gave her that kind of excitement.
Suddenly she wished she could do something different. In a span of six months, she had gone from the fulfilled employee with big career dreams to not knowing what she wanted. She was stuck. Her job was limiting her creativity and she knew that she needed a way out. But with so many years of experience in HR, it was unimaginable to throw it all away.
But deep down, she knew that she would regret not taking the leap of faith whether it meant starting from the bottom. One day after the Monday morning meeting she approached her bosses and asked them to allow her to take up a role in the newly created communication department promising them more business than ever.
Though shocked that she no longer found fulfillment in her job, they decided to give her a chance. Her strong work ethics and commitment couple with the fact that she was finally doing what she loved resulted in the company having one of the best communication departments.
She has since been poached several times by even big companies like Coca cola and Toyota Kenya and she owes her success to the fact that she went after what she wanted. She says that she doesn’t regret the years she ‘wasted’ in HR because to her it wasn’t a waste. This years as she says, prepared her for the career she is currently building now.
A lot of us are in our current situations because we don’t know how to go for what we want. We don’t know how to create our dream jobs. You have been doing the same thing over and over again, that you have lost sight of what is important. You know you want to move on, but to what exactly?

How do you create your dream job and even career?

1. Write down your skills and passions
No one is ever great in everything. Before you even apply for another job, reflect on your current and even past experiences.
Based on the jobs that you have held in the past, what are you great at? What are your strengths and passions?
The goal of this exercise is to identify those roles that not only play to you strengths but also interest you.
It’s very easy to leave one job for another and end up being just as miserable because a majority of the time you never get to think about what you are good at.
At the end of it’s not about getting a new job and assuming that you will now be happy. As long as you don’t define what you are good at – your skills and passions, no job will ever be satisfying no matter how much you earn.
2. Create your own job description
Maybe you are thinking about changing your career entirely to something that you love. Like Edith, you just want to move from HR to communication or sales to customer service.
But if you could create your own position, what would it look like? What would your day look like? In short, how would you describe your perfect job?
What skills would you have to utilize to succeed? For most people the perfect job would be a blend of what they do on a day to day basis and what they are passionate about.
And while at it, don’t forget to describe your dream company as well. Think about the corporate culture, the industry, the size of the organization, and where it may be located. Write these details down as well. The more specific you can get the better.
3. Be clear on what you want right from the beginning
Naturally, every time you want to get somewhere, you first have to decide on your destination.
This also applies to finding and building a successful career.  Don’t just take a job because you want to make more money at the end of the day.
I agree that the job market is a bit tough right now and one cannot afford to be choosy. However, if you are looking to build a career that you love, there is no need taking a job that you know two years down the line you will want to give up on.
4. Lastly, commit to finding out everything about your career choice
Once you identify what you want to do, you should now focus on finding out all you need to know about it. This will prepare you for the time when you eventually venture into that line of career.
In the job market, nothing gives you an edge like to appear prepared and knowledgeable. Make sure to learn at least one new thing every day that relates to your dream career. This will go a long way in ensuring that you keep up with current trends.
With this in mind
That career you want to build will not happen overnight and it certainly won‘t happen without struggle. After all, good things do not come by easily. Realize what you what to do and go after it. Let go of that assumption that any job is better than none at all.
Your turn
What does it take to find a better job, earn a higher salary and advance in your career?
Maybe you are not satisfied with the pace your career is growing. You keep thinking about your job and career and how you could be in a better place.
Get to define your career direction, plan your next move and discover strategies of getting a new and better job with the CSS 7 Week Career Mentorship Program.