Career Strategies for Savvy Professionals!

USA Today claims that “50 percent of Americans are unhappy with their careers, with the number rising as high as 66 percent on the East Coast.” Recent UK research, by recruitment consultancy Badenoch & Clark, also suggests that 24% of all office workers are unhappy - the unhappiest being computer and telecommunications specialists!

So what are the top reasons for career dissatisfaction? Lack of flexibility, poor management style, job instability (due to off-shoring and out-sourcing for instance) poor pay and, believe it or not, boredom. After all we all want to feel challenged by the work we do and it’s been scientifically proven that the human brain needs frequent, varied, stimulation. Once we’ve learnt a particular task, we want to stretch ourselves, learn more and do more. One would have thought that boredom would be less prone in the computer industry, where technology sometimes changes at the speed of light, but apparently this is not the case. Whatever you do for a living, here are top seven ways to quickly and easily make the most of your career.

1. Set Priorities and Goals – First start by defining what you really want out of your career. For instance, years ago, when I suddenly lost a loved one to heart disease, I realised that life was too short to spend on a career my heart wasn’t in. Consequently I left a working arrangement that wasn’t right for me and set up my own consultancy. What’s really important to you; fulfilment and flexibility or money and prestige? Respect those needs by setting specific, measurable, goals and devising strategies that will enable you attain those career goals.

2. Learn Something New – It’s always a good time to pick up new skills and brush up on old ones. Make time to attend training courses, local evening classes, seminars and workshops or at the very least subscribe to leading journals and magazines. You can also learn a lot by job shadowing i.e. spending time observing colleagues at the department you’d love to work in someday.

3. Volunteer Work – Selflessness also pays off career wise. Think about volunteering at local schools and community centres. Volunteering is emotionally rewarding and looks great on your resume too.

4. Teach Someone – They say the best way to learn is by teaching so why not get in contact with local schools or training institutes and teach what you know on a full or part time basis. You can also present lectures at professional gatherings relevant to your industry.

5. Write Stuff – Writing is a fun way to share your interests and expertise so why not write your own career classic and publish it via print or online media? Whilst a lot of people feel that writing a book is hard work, remember that it’s hard work you have to do once in order to reap a lifetime of reward. You could also write for national, regional or local newsletters, journals and magazines.

6. Consult – There are many small firms out there who cannot afford to employ in-house experts. Consider offering your expertise (whatever it is) to firms like these on a ‘pay as you go’ or ‘retainer’ basis.

7. Deliver the Goods – Technology is progressing at lightning speed these days and as a result new inventions are emerging on a daily basis. Contact leading manufacturers within your industry and offer to demonstrate their products at trade shows and other industry specific gatherings. This will enable you to network with fellow career professionals, brush up on softer skills (e.g. marketing, presentation and sales skills) as well as earn some extra income too.

As you can see there a lot of opportunities to use your career related skills out there. Give the above ideas a try and you’ll be sure to make the most of your corporate career.

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Ogo Ogbata is a multi talented writer, speaker and consultant. Founder of the Creativity and Sense Network, she empowers people to create financially rewarding work that allows time and energy for what matters most in life.

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