5 easy steps to break free and get unstuck in your career!

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Last week I talked about five reasons you feel stuck in your career. In my opinion, one spends considerable time developing their career and then working the job. And it is far from ideal if one keeps feeling stuck and unhappy in their jobs. Now, every problem has a solution. So here I present to you five easy steps to break free and get unstuck in your career:

1. Introspect, revaluate, and develop new skillsets

There is new competition and talent added to the job market every day. Fresh graduates and experienced professionals with unique skills dominate the workspace. It is but natural to feel that your skillsets have become outdated. Now is the time to do some introspection and reassess your skillsets. Start by writing down your skills, even those you use in your personal life. You may be surprised to discover that those skills you never thought could be helpful in the professional diaspora are actually useful. Also, keep learning and adding the latest qualifications to keep abreast of the competition. You can also upgrade your education to a Master’s degree by studying online with RKC.

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2. Move past the fear

You must come out of the shadow of fear. If talking to your supervisor about your career growth, new opportunities, or searching for new jobs instils fear of the unknown, then you are not pushing yourself and limiting your potential.

Learn to be outgoing and gather feedback from trustworthy colleagues about yourself. Make lists of pros and cons and identify the top things you fear most.

3. Evaluate your priorities

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Money could have been your priority before. But when you have reached a point where the job does not offer any challenges and has become monotonous. Yes, we work to pay our bills. However, it might make better sense to be in a job that might pay slightly less but the one that you enjoy doing every day.

4. Better late than never

Often you might be given some promises by the management of an upcoming raise or promotion. You end up waiting for that performance review, bonus, or annual increment. Because you are comfortable and used to working in that position, you might want to wait for the decision and what’s in store for you. But instead of waiting (sometimes in vain), you should keep planning for the change and look for better opportunities.

5. Create a roadmap and manifest

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You might be feeling stuck in your job because you don’t know what you want to do in the future. Without a goal, you might just be wasting your efforts. Try to channel your focus on what you want to do and grow your career. Invest sometime in yourself and research what areas might interest you. It might be time-consuming, but once you have a clear understanding, you will have a clear path and purpose.

I hope these five simple steps will help change your thought process and help actualise your dream career! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

5 ways to develop Self-Discipline!

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Over the years, I have developed a lot of bad habits. It is not difficult to develop bad habits, and I have collected them since my university days.

I have worked hard to get rid of some of these habits and have failed more often than not, and it has been my experience that the single biggest reason for my failures has been the lack of self-discipline.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash.

So, I figured the first thing I had to do was work on my self-discipline. Of course, developing self-discipline will benefit all aspects of your life, not just helping in kicking your bad habits. I imagined my self-discipline to be that aspect of my willpower that blocked temptation from removing logic from my mind.

My thinking was simple. Why am I tempted to do something that is not beneficial to me? The answer – is because I enjoyed doing it. I had experienced that thing that tempted me many times before, and I wanted to experience it again. I needed a shield that blocked the temptation with logic and reason.

The following are five tips that I followed to help me develop my self-discipline. Hopefully, it will help you get started as well. 

1. Give yourself a purpose

Figure out why you are doing what you are doing! Photo by Austin Chan on Unsplash.

The worst habit I developed during my university days was smoking cigarettes. Over the years, I tried several times to kick this habit, and I succeeded many times. Try as I might, I just could not kick the habit.

When my wife and I decided to have our first child, I decided to quit smoking, not for my health but the health of my child. And that was the purpose I needed to quit smoking finally. Every time I felt the need to smoke, I thought about my purpose and stopped myself.

Find your purpose, and it will give you the reason and strength to persevere.

2. Information to drive the purpose

Following up on the previous point, once you have your purpose, it might not be enough. For the mind to accept the purpose, there have to be reasons. So do your research on what you intend to achieve and back up your purpose with facts. For example, when I decided to quit smoking cigarettes, the purpose or reason for me to quit smoking was my child, but I also backed it up with facts on the benefits of quitting smoking cigarettes. On how smoking had a detrimental effect on not only my health but also the health of my family.

3. Make it a habit

Once you have achieved the self-discipline required to achieve your goal, you must constantly work on maintaining this self-discipline. It is very easy to lose focus once you have achieved your goals, and then you will lose all the hard work and effort you put into developing the self-discipline required to achieve your goals. And then you will have to start all over again to achieve the same goal. So, once you have reached your goal, maintain the self-discipline required. Develop it into a habit.

4. Teamwork

Teamwork works. Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash.

My wife and a group of her friends wake up very early in the morning and go for a long fast walk. They all do this six days a week (weather and health permitting). She can do this because of the strength, motivation, and competition she can get from her friends. They wear smartwatches that track the group activity and can push each other to achieve their goals. When she started, she was alone and did not have the drive to get up every day in the wee hours of the morning to go for a walk, and she used to give up constantly. But now, because of this group, it is possible.

So, don’t live on an island with a population of one, and take the support from friends, colleagues and mentors when possible.

5. Reward yourself

It is essential to acknowledge your victories, even if no one else does. So, celebrate it, pat yourself on the back and maybe even reward yourself when you achieve a milestone in developing your self-discipline.

Hopefully, these five tips will help you develop your self-discipline and achieve your goals. If you have any other tips that might help our readers improve their self-discipline, please share them here.   

If you have been thinking about doing a master’s degree, and are ready to challenge yourself, look at our list of programmes and see if we have anything you are interested in doing.

You can also chat LIVE on WhatsApp with one of our Education Advisors for more information on the programme that is right for you, the application process, and details on discounts we might be offering at this time.

5 reasons you feel stuck in your career

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From early childhood, we start idolising people – our parents, grandparents, teachers, aunts and uncles, pop stars, a pilot, cops or firefighters. As soon as we are old enough to understand what each person around us does for a living, we start either liking or disliking it. Subconsciously, our minds begin making choices about which ‘profession’ we would like to venture into and which we dislike. We are also groomed (or maybe forced in some cases) to choose a career path that is traditionally high paying and secure.

But eventually, I guess we all choose something that we like doing or that we are good at.

I know I could just end the blog here and say ‘happily ever after’ went our careers. But sometimes, no matter how wisely we choose a career or job for ourselves, there may arise a standpoint when you start feeling stuck in that job. In simple words, feeling stuck in a situation where you seem not to be able to leave your present job but feel highly dissatisfied with work. The same mundane tasks you have mastered over the years do not offer any more learning or excitement, and you do not look forward to going to work.

While there can be numerous reasons why you may be feeling stuck at work, in my opinion, here are the top 5 reasons that might resonate with you:

1. Accepting a job role without understanding it entirely

At the time, you may have felt this job role was appropriate for you, something you always dreamt of doing. But eventually, you realise the position is much more or much less than you expected. The role does not fit like a glove but, in actuality, feels like a noose.

2.  $$$$ ruled

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When you signed on for the job, it offered a lucrative signing bonus with stock options and an unbelievable year-end bonus! It was too good to be true, and it was irresistible. It’s only when you started the job and over time that you realised the downside of all the ‘extra’ money you received. You might not feel that the money is not worth the time and effort you must put in. The work-life balance has only become a topic for discussion as you have not experienced a day without stress and pressure at work.

3. Outdated skillset

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Many people will agree that they achieve job satisfaction from not just the salaries and bonuses they receive, but greater satisfaction is realised when they see their meaningful contributions resulting in higher profits, efficiency, or global expansions. A continuous learning curve is a high point for many people to feel happy in their careers. If this is lacking and you think your skills are becoming redundant, dissatisfaction starts sinking in. You may feel worthless and lose confidence eventually in your skillset.

4. Not enough recognition at work

This is another factor that makes you feel stuck at work. Your work is not recognised, and your boss has been fending the next promotion and increment questions you have been asking for. Even after mastering the work and putting in time and effort, your job does not seem rewarding anymore.

5. Fear factor

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Change is not everyone’s cup of tea. Everyone is afraid of the unknown. Stagnation happens when you are fearful of making a move. You may be applying for a new job, but inside, you know you are stuck in the current job and unable to move. Not receiving any favourable response from job search also reinstates the lingering fear.

Our career is one of the most important aspects of our lives. Most of us spend the majority of our time, say 8-10 hours, at our jobs out of the 24 hours. You can follow a few simple steps to overcome this situation of feeling stuck at work. Stay tuned and check out this space for my next blog, five easy steps to break free and get unstuck in your career!

6 questions to ask before deciding to do an online Master’s Degree programme

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Deciding whether to do a master’s degree is a tough decision, and in some cases, it might even be an inevitable decision.

It is a tough decision if you have been out of the school environment for a few years – getting back to school can be challenging. You might have a family of your own, and from experience, I know it is a significant financial and time commitment. Then there are the pressures and deadlines you have to meet at your job, and I am sure there are many other personal obstacles unique to the individual. And the decision becomes inevitable as it is one of the options available to help you continue to grow – as a person and in your career.

Photo by Joan Kwamboka on Unsplash.

So, when is the right time to do a master’s degree programme? I can’t answer that for you, but the following are six points to consider that might help you make an informed decision.

1. Passion for the subject

With so many distractions and commitments vying for your attention, if you choose to do a programme that you have little interest in studying, chances are, it will be pushed right to the bottom of the list of your priorities. You will end up taking very little away from the programme and might end up performing poorly in your evaluations and even failing the course.

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I suggest you choose a subject you are passionate about, something you want to learn. Your interest will naturally result in you putting in the effort to learn and will result in better overall performance in your evaluations.

2. Relevance of the subject

For most working professionals, time is precious. So, there has to be a reason for every extra calicular thing you plan on doing. If you intend to do a master’s degree and are not passionate about the subject, then the next best option (or even the primary option) is choosing a programme that will benefit you professionally. Something that adds knowledge to what you are already doing professionally or, at the very least, helps your growth in your career.

3. Are you a self-starter?

Unlike an on-campus programme where you are physically present in class on a daily basis, guided every step of the way by a professor and closely interact with other students. In an online programme, you are in the driver’s seat; the onus is up to you to complete assignments on time, put time aside to study regularly, and take the initiative to do all you can to complete the programme successfully.  

But this does not mean you will not have any support. At least in the case of Robert Kennedy College, with our online campus and library, online forums, live classroom sessions, student care and last but not least, the online residency, you will have lots of support in completing the programme!

4. Accreditation and Recognition

If you are going to do an online master’s degree, then make sure the degree you earn has value. Find out:

  • Which university will award the degree?
  • What is the reputation of the university?
  • How is the university accredited?

These are just three questions to help you get started. Think of more relevant questions, and don’t be afraid to ask.

Want to know more about the universities we have an exclusive partnership with? Click here to learn more!

5. Is it all a façade?

You have to know what you are signing up for? Is the college just going to give you some online study material and then wash their hands off you? Ask:

  • Who are going to be your teachers?
  • Is there trial access you can have to get a feel of how the programme is run?
  • Can you talk with current students or alumni to get feedback?
  • How are the evaluations done?
  • What are the modules involved in the programme?

Again, these are just a few questions to help you get started.

At Robert Kennedy College, you can Chat Live on WhatsApp with our Education Advisors and ask all your questions, ask them about our programmes and our key faculty members, open a trial account to access our OnlineCampus or request to connect with our alumni.

6. Fees

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Finally, the fees – is the programme something that you can financially handle? What are the payment terms? Does the company you are employed with have a sponsorship programme?

These points are just six simple tips to help you ask the right questions before joining an online master’s degree programme. Please share any other questions you deemed necessary to help you make an informed decision.

If you are ready to apply for one of our programmes, click here.