When it comes to career development, there are many stages ranging from education and training to promotions and skills-building. To be able to enhance your career, career experts and mentors believe that there are numerous activities a person might undertake, including taking part in workshops and training opportunities, and networking, to mention a few. What to do When it comes to taking charge of your career, Joan Mugenzi, a life coach, says it is always important to look at it from a broader perspective. She explains that one should focus on jobs rather than looking for ways to prepare for future opportunities. She says this can be achieved by taking courses to boost your skills and seeking networking opportunities, as well as taking time to consider what you really want to accomplish over the course of your career. As a mentor, Mugenzi says there is a greater benefit in looking for a mentor or someone to guide you on how to take charge of your career. She says that this is a productive way to connect with colleagues and peers who can both inspire and challenge you to grow and improve. “It also goes beyond this as having a mentor can be a vital resource to help you set career goals that push you outside of your comfort zone,” she says. In addition to this, Mugenzi says there is a need to also find out what is relevant to your career, this could be someone senior to you, in your field or not. Faustin Mutabazi, an entrepreneur with a consultant business in Kigali, says it’s also ideal to stay up-to-date when it comes to taking charge of your career development. This, he says, will help you grab opportunities that don’t find you in your comfort zone. Also, Mutabazi adds, take a moment to ask yourself what your ideal career path looks like and set specific goals. He believes that it is important to visualise the bigger picture behind achieving your career goals. “This also goes hand-in-hand with determining where you are at present, and what you want to accomplish in your current role. It will also mean that one will be able to know if they really need to acquire new skills,” he says. Mugenzi says always ask for feedback as it can help you take charge of your career, and boost development. She explains that this is an important part of career development because it will help one understand their strengths and weaknesses better and enable them to grow in general. In addition to this, she says, one should also be willing to keep learning in different areas to ensure they have all it takes to develop career-wise. This, Mugenzi says, could also mean looking for opportunities to learn, whether formal or informal.
