According to Wikipedia, career development is a lifelong process of managing learning, work, leisure and transitions. This assists one in moving towards a personally determined and evolving preferred future.
Below are 15 habits that you and I can develop today that can change our career:-
Develop the spirit of continuous improvement
Embracing a love for learning is necessary especially nowadays where with the introduction of technology, processes are constantly changing.
Keeping abreast with the latest improvements in your industry can greatly enhance your career progression.
Udemy is an affordable platform that you can use to develop new skills in a vast number of subject matters. There are several online free and budget-friendly websites where you can access learning resources.
Keep up to date with global trends
There are always hot trends globally that professionals should be following. This is applicable whether you are in that particular industry or in an alternative industry.
For example, today cryptocurrency is one of the hottest global trends that all professionals at this time should be following.
One should understand how they work even if they decide not to purchase same. Even though you decide not to buy any currency or maintain a digital wallet, having a knowledge of cryptocurrency is paramount.
Keep up to date on industry trend
In addition to staying up to speed on global trends, know what is going on within your industry. Information technology is quickly changing the landscape of each industry.
Having an understanding of the challenges and changes within the industry could determine what actionable steps you need to take. Do you need to upskill? Should you consider changing fields as industry trends anticipate massive decline in your field?
Embrace repetition
From my personal experience, in order to truly understand a process from A to Z, repetition must be embraced.
By repeating the same process or revisiting the same material over and over, it is easier to develop expert knowledge and understanding on the subject matter.
Repetition highlights information that you did not glean while consuming the knowledge the first time. It also assists you in seeing the same material from a new perspective.
Maintain an up to date resume
Job opportunities can show up anytime and in the most unusual places and situations. It is therefore essential to be prepared. Have a resume always available and on hand in order to jump on an opportunity as it present itself.
There is a saying that states that the early bird catches the worm. At times, showing immediate interest could demonstrate your seriousness and go getter spirit which is a selling point.
Create a career vision
Without a career vision, it is challenging to maintain direction in any area of your life. It is important that we are constantly examining ourselves and creating a vision that can evolve as we grow.
Writing the vision down gives us clarity and focus so that we have clear timelines on what we will like to accomplish.
Exposure to new environments
Exposing yourself to different environments is a habit that we can all develop. Growth in new environments can be exponential when compared to growth in situations or environments where we are familiar.
New environments can be excellent opportunities to learn new things and see concepts that we have known in a new light.
Furthermore, new environments can be the catalyst to force us to be creative and innovative which usually have positive impacts on our lives. Travelling is one medium which can immediately expose you to a new environment.
Read
In order to gain a vast amount of knowledge developing a love for reading is crucial. Historic leader Malcolm X dropped out of school but spent his time reading at Norfolk Prison Colony.
Reading transformed his life and his thinking. It gave him the tools that he needed to be one of the leading voices in the civil rights movement in America.
Nowadays content is more accessible now more than ever. So consume as much content as you can and in other forms such as audio and video.
Exercise
A trait among several persons who achieved greatness in their respective life callings maintained exercising as part of their daily routine.
Nelson Mandela was an amateur boxer and explained how he jogged in his prison cell and in the yard at Robben Island.
Gandhi also walked miles per day and emphasised the importance of exercise for his physical and mental wellbeing. Therefore incorporating some type of physical activity is an essential habit to cultivate.
Journaling
Keeping a journal is habit which allows you to reflect. Writing can be a tool that you can use to complete regular brain dumps, creating plans and expressing gratitude to God.
A journal also provides a document that you can go back to as so often we can get carried away with a situation that we may be facing in the present.
However, revisiting previous journal entries can enable us to be thankful. Reflect on how far we have come and the giants that we have conquered which can build our faith and motivate us as we look ahead.
Planning
Planning provides you with a roadmap to ensure that you are meeting all your objectives.
Without a plan it is easy to lose focus and things could tend to take much longer than they really need to. An effective plan keeps you focus.
Hobbies
There are several advantages of cultivating a hobby from having an outlet to enjoy an activity to connecting with like-minded people.
Hobbies can also assist in career exploration. It gives you an informal environment to try your hands at things that you are interested in.
You can decide through a hobby whether you like an activity or not which can help determine a career path that you should pursue.
Think before responding
No work environment is ever perfect. There will be instances that cause us to get upset. It is important even in those times to respond professionally. One thing that I try not to do is respond to an email if I am upset.
If I get an email that drives me up a wall, I may choose to respond the following day. Responding when you are upset could spark a conflict that you could avoid if you sleep on the matter.
Rising early
Benjamin Franklin has coined the famous quote ‘early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.’
Rising early does not necessarily make you more productive but scientific evidence states that rising early has significant advantages over rising later as reduces stress and happier.
Communication skills
Excellent communication skills both orally and in writing can make or break your career. Being able to eloquently express your opinions is a necessary skill to acquire.
Final Thoughts
Habit formation is a process and that happens by actively performing the action consistently over time. Hope this blog post helps you and I sharpen habits that we can use to develop our career.
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