Photo by Icons8 Team on Unsplash

Before You Jump Ship

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After I completed my postgraduate degree, I landed a role that I loved in data analytics. Everything was going well, and I had a great manager that was super helpful. It felt like a wonderland. I got the opportunity to work on exciting projects too!

What more could I ask for?

Anyway, after 4-5 months on the job, I got approached with an offer. It had a nice job title, and I Imagine it would pay much more than I was earning at my current job.

Oh Wow! Was my initial reaction? So, what’s next? Inform my boss I was leaving and jump ship immediately? While it sounded good, something in me felt like I wasn’t ready. I felt inadequate and unsettled.

I decided not to accept the offer and instead chose to focus on my current job

It was probably one of the best decisions of my career.

Here’s why.

Don’t Move Prematurely

man holding book on road during daytime
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

We are in a time where things move very fast at the speed of light. It happens with careers too. We want to become the CEO of a new company in the first year of our career. We want to be the best we can be and be at the top of our careers.

It’s actually not a terrible idea.

While this sounds good and what we should all want, in most cases, you can’t become the CEO overnight. It requires time, commitment, hard work and, most importantly, career capital.

Build Enough Capital

low-angle photography of man in the middle of buidligns
Photo by Razvan Chisu on Unsplash

Jumping from job to job without building career capital can hurt your career progress.

You might find yourself landing a new role and struggling a lot. This is mostly because you didn’t build enough skills, knowledge, confidence and motivation to help and prepare you for the task ahead. You didn’t build enough capital.

Yes, you can learn on the job, but not when you have to learn everything afresh. It’s a backwards step that might lead to frustration and exhaustion.

Successful professionals moving from one job to another have solid career capital. They know the rules of the game. They probably know 50-60% of the tasks involved in the new role.

They know what they need to focus on to keep growing. They plan their career and their learning and development plans such that they can settle into jobs without issues

Not building enough career capital can have its impacts too:

  • It might affect your career growth.
  • It can affect how much you can earn
  • It can affect your skills
  • It can affect your relationships with teammates and managers.
  • It can affect your self-confidence

Wrapping Up

woman sitting around table holding tablet
Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

You want to be the CEO within the first 12 months at your first-ever job. Or perhaps you want to land three promotions in six months, whether in the same company or by moving to a new role.

These are nice, but sometimes quick moves aren’t the ones for you and your career. You want to ensure you build enough capital and confidence before moving.

Think critically about any new opportunity to see if it’s the right step.

Don’t jump too soon.

Thank you for reading Career Digest from Banji Alo. This post is public so feel free to share it with someone you care about.

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