Graduation feels like the final achievement that a graduate needs to conquer the world of work that they are about to join. This cannot be further than the truth because your certificate is the minimum requirement in matters of career life.

This is why the graduate needs to acquire career lessons to maneuver the workplace successfully. These will put you in a more advantageous position than your colleagues who only join the workforce armed with a degree. These career lessons will push you up the career ladder and open more opportunities to you. Above all, they will help you get a job in a highly competitive job place. Delve in below and learn these crucial career lessons.

1. Seize opportunities when they arise – You should not wait for the right time to take up opportunities. The moment someone offers to do something for you follow up with them. Don’t be too busy to take up opportunities when they are still available otherwise, they might not always be there when you become ready.
2. Life is short – Do not keep postponing the ideas that you have because time will still be moving as you do so. Learn to speak your mind and say the things you need to. If you think you need a promotion, go to your boss and convince him why you are qualified for it. If you want to change your job or career, the right time to start is right away. Time does not wait for anyone, and you shouldn’t take your career dreams to your grave or retirement home.
3. Networking is crucial – You will not get very far if you decide to go it alone. Relating with other people by making friends is what will take you far in your career. Go to networking events to grow your contact list since you never know when they will become handy. Networking will help your career since you will learn new things, which might also open new job opportunities.
4. Success takes time – Very few things that you attempt in your life will become successful overnight. Given this, you should, therefore, have the resilience to keep trying. Don’t expect things to always work according to your timeline. Instead, you should be resilient and work until you succeed. Setting a goal to be accomplished by a specific date is ok but you should also make room for deviations and delays along the way.
5. Diversify – Yes, you might have graduated with first-class honors in your area of study which is very commendable. However, remember there are also other A students like you and the only thing that will set you apart is thinking outside the box. One way you can do is to diversify by adding more skills to your certificate. You can do another course that supports what you have done, or you can do something entirely different. This will give you an advantage over your colleagues who have only one certificate and are trained in only one field.
6. Get a hobby – The importance of hobbies cannot be overemphasized. Hobbies are a must-have because they open new avenues for networking. Similarly, you might be surprised when your hobby turns into your primary source of income or a great innovation. You don’t have to start big since hobbies also come in handy to give us much deserved rest after work. You can have simple indoor hobbies like writing, painting, drawing, and gardening. You can write and make cards with messages for special occasions like birthday wishes for husband, friends and kids or paint your house a different color. Whatever you choose, the idea is to have fun and interact while at it.
7. Get out of your comfort zone – A critical career lesson you should learn as you join the career world is that you should be a risk-taker. You should be active and make yourself noticeable at work rather than playing it safe and being irrelevant. Ask to be given more responsibilities, ask for a pay rise and not wait until an increment, if any, is due, ask and answer questions. This ensures you become more valuable at the workplace and you will be considered when a promotion comes up.
8. Being innovative can take you places-open new doors – We all love the inspiring stories of now super successful people who started out in their garages or house. This means the source of their success is a one-person show, and other people came in the picture when success hit home. What does that teach you? That you should be inventive and try out those ideas you have in your head and not just sit on them. You can never tell what you might discover for humanity and make life easier and better.
9. The bottom line – You don’t have to approach the working world with fear because of all the joblessness stories you have heard. You can become overly successful if you learn the career lessons we have discussed above beforehand. Armed with the above knowledge, diligence, and hard work, nothing can stop you from going to the top.
   Go ahead and put the above lessons into action because just knowing them will leave you at the same spot you were before you learnt them. Why don’t you pick one that best resonates with you and get to work right away? You will be glad you did.