By Ayobami Oladejo
This article was first shared on Ayobami’s facebook timeline, here
So, what career should you pursue?
We need to be realistic and have frank discussions especially going into a new year.
I guess it is no longer news that most career paths you knew are no longer viable. Why? Technology has improved and is improving at a rate that ensures that most tasks today can be automated.
We are also in a period where degrees are most crucial for giving you a foundation to learn, unlearn and relearn. Apart from core science, medicine, law and a few other careers, you can pivot to most job roles from various backgrounds.
I have predicted before that we will have generalist first degrees that will teach critical thinking, communication, philosophy, project, fundamentals of finance, research methodology, self-leadership, analytics, and product management in the future. Folks will then enter the workplace in various roles. Why? Things change quickly, and the most important ability I want from a fresh graduate is adaptability and some foundational skills.
There are many openings in software development, business analysis, product management, digital marketing, designers, project management (business and co including agile project management), etc. Most people are still looking for traditional roles and therefore miss out on the new career shifts. Why? I believe many don’t even know how to start when it comes to these new roles. Many are scared of step 1.
Think about this: how long does it take someone with a degree who starts a civil service job in Nigeria to get a salary of 180K Naira per month? But a young graduate who is serious can earn 180K after learning UI/UX software development in just about one year as their first salary. It can become 1M per month (about 2200 USD) if they can get a remote role in just another year.
And these roles are available everywhere. Sadly, not many are ready to put in the work needed to get to that level. There are other routes for those who are not very technical and won’t want to become software developers. In fact, those routes can pay much more, but they also need guidance and a lot of work and concentration. Again, many are not disciplined enough to go this route.
I have a significant testimony of one of our graduates from the Databreed data science programme. His first ever job was the one he got after the programme, and the salary was mind-blowing. Note again, he put in more work than most.
We are going into another year, and it does not have to be very tough to succeed. But the question is – how big do you want to make it in the new year? And what are you willing to sacrifice?
You can be 20, 30, 40 or more. But it is never late to change careers. I know someone who worked hard in the last 2 years and today has a career as a scrum master. He is in his 40s and didn’t have an IT career to start with.
Call to action!
I know I am overstretched from a commitment perspective, but I also know that there may be one person whose life can change if they have the right information and guidance. I am willing to help a few individuals have a career pivot or a new career totally. If you have the right background (to be determined in a call), please DM me and we will have a chat before Dec 31 2021.
I am hoping to finally select a few people and help them over the next 12 months. But please don’t bother if you can’t put in real effort.
Cheers.
