When we are starting out in our careers we are mostly grateful to have a job – an opportunity to start on the career ladder. If we have been fortunate, our early career may seem to fully align with our ambition. Sometimes, it may not be the case. Yet no opportunity is wasted – I will talk more about this in my upcoming post ‘Navigate the workplace’.

The most important external factor for our careers is understanding what is going on in the world around us. There are a whole host of relevant data points for the future. You need to understand which of these are relevant to your ambition. The list may change over time. It is important that you make these part of your planning; that you keep abreast with trends.

For instance, in your country, what are the demographic trends? The whole world is looking at Africa’s burgeoning young population. Today there are over 1 billion Africans. By 2050 there will be 2 billion Africans with the youngest population in the world. What are the current needs of this population? What will will be the newly emerging needs? Or in your country today, which sectors are growing? Which sectors are over subscribed? Which sectors need to be developed?

Employment Trends in Ghana

GDP Contributions by Sector

How does all this information align with your ambition?

Building a sustainably successful career means making choices today that will pay off in future. It means being prepared for the future. It means developing skills today that you will need tomorrow.

What opportunities do you see on the horizon for your career? What will you start doing today to prepare for the future? Please share your thoughts with us.

#TheBoldNewNormal – A Millennial Career Interaction
#realisingpotential