Have you been on social media lately? It seems like every 5 mins a post pops up on your feed about preparing for Q4 and smashing goals before the end of the year. Some posts even have questions like “Are you on track?”, “What have you achieved this year?”. We know this may be scary for some of you, especially if you have a list of goals you planned to achieve this year and right now, you’ve barely gone half way.
Whether you have a long list or short list of goals, this blog post is for you! But first, we hope you’re ready to roll up your sleeves and smash some goals before 31st December, 2023.
1. Visualize your success
Imagine a post on I4G’s social media page dedicated to sharing your success story! The world is celebrating you for pushing through and refusing to give up on your dreams despite the challenges you’ve faced this year. You’ve earned a certificate and you’ve also gotten a paid job. Maybe even your dream job! The time, resources and effort you’ve put it is now paying off!
Feels good right? Hold on to that feeling of success and keep visualizing it whenever you feel like giving up.
2. Up! Up! and Upskill
To succeed in any career, you need to be willing to learn. Learning is your superpower. Identify the skills you need to learn to help you achieve the goals you have. If one of your goals is to become a certified Data Analyst, this will mean you’d need to take your online course seriously or be on the lookout for opportunities to learn. Participate in boot camps and read articles that will expand your knowledge.
3. Grow your network
There’s a reason why LinkedIn has the “connection” feature. Building a successful career means you’d also need to connect with people. You can build connections by attending virtual and physical tech events, webinars, conferences. Its not enough to just join, you need to actively participate. If you belong to a community of techies, you can start from there too. Be an active participant. Looking for a community of like-minded techies, join the I4G community here. We also wrote a blog post to teach you how to network effectively, you can read it here
4. Update your assets
Your assets now are your CV and your portfolio. You need to dust off your CV and portfolio, make sure they are updated with the latest skills, experiences and accomplishments you’ve gained. When you need to apply for an opportunity, be sure to customize them for each application. If you need a guide to building your portfolio, we’ve got you covered. Read this blog post to learn more about building a portfolio.
5. Qualified or not, shoot your shot!
Whether you meet all the requirements or not, you need to give yourself a chance. If you meet at least 40% of the requirements, you should definitely apply. It means the job will give you an opportunity to add value to the company with your skills and you’d also be able to learn new things. Sounds good right?
6. Rejections are part of success
Don’t give up if you get a rejection mail, it’s all a part of the process. Instead, use the feedback you’ve gotten from the rejection mail to improve yourself. If you were not given, you can ask for one to help in your next application. Whatever you do, don’t reject yourself too.
7. Stay Updated
Sign up to newsletters, attend Twitter spaces, read articles that keep you up to date with the ever evolving tech ecosystem. There are new things to learn and being on top of your game makes you more valuable.
8. Plan
Set up a schedule that creates a system to help you stay on track. Setting goals is one thing, being consistent is another. If your goal is to post more on social media to build your online presence, you can become consistent with this by planning your content with a content calendar ahead of time. This will help you always have something to post consistently without feeling under pressure.
9. Channel your inner SuperHero
Be resilient and persistent. The path of achieving your goals will be filled with some learning experiences. Some may be pleasant and others, not so pleasant but don’t give up. It’s all part of the process.
With a clear vision, continuous learning, networking, and a daily dose of resilience, you’re well on your way to conquering the tech galaxy. Remember, every expert you admire today was once a rookie!
Don’t give up just yet. Let’s make the most of the time left in the year and smash those goals!
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