Volume 65 December 2026-January 2026 : Career Corner

Cheers to a brand new year, new beginnings. Hope you feel rested and ready to take on 2014. Do declare 2014 as your year of prosperity. Norman Vincent Peale says “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.”

For this issue I would like to focus on those who are thinking of changing jobs. I had a lot of individuals approaching me seeking advise with regards to changing jobs. Many people are unhappy career wise. People get stuck in their jobs especially if they are the source of income for their family or because of fear of uncertainty.

Well, if you are thinking or have been contemplating for a very long time of changing to a new job, today is your lucky day as I would like to share with you a few advice that you can find comfort in and hopefully contribute towards assisting you making informed decisions.

Keneilwe has been working for an auditing firm for the past 7 years with no hope of ever being promoted year in year out. She started feeling demoralized four years into her job when she felt the job was not adding any more value to her personal growth and she was no longer enjoying the long strenuous hours that come with the job. She went for further studies part time but even so she did not do so well in her exams and that discouraged her even more. Keneilwe decided that it might be time for a new environment but it took her almost 2 years to finally pluck enough courage to leave her job. After numerous back and forth consultations with a career coach, she finally left her job with confidence. She was without a job for eight months and this was the most challenging time of her life. Fast forward, after months of actively looking for a job with the help of a career coach she eventually nailed her interview and got the job she always wanted. She now works for a small accounting firm. The company is paying for her to continue her studies and she has already passed some of her exams. She has not been this happy in a long time.

Keneilwe`s story is a typical example of the many more people who are experiencing the same challenges, some even worse. You might be siting there also in the same situation and wondering how your miserable job will get through this year. Well, before you quit your job you should consider the following;

Do some serious evaluation. Think hard about your job, what you like and dislike, the culture of the company, the people whom you work with and so forth. What about your interests, values and skills? The roles you have played, volunteer work or projects undertaken?

You have to also carry out a thorough research. Is there a particular company or field of interest you would like to move to? Go online and learn more about the company, enlist the help of a career councilor or coach and don`t forget to attend as many networking events as possible in the time being to build up your contact list. Share your intentions with your family, as they might be helpful in your search.

Visit your human resource manager with the news or tell your boss of your intentions. They might be in a better position to direct you to more opportunities within the company that you were not aware of.

You can either quit your job once you have found another one, which is highly recommendable as at least there will not be a break in your income provision. However, if you have made up your mind before finding a job, at least make sure that you have enough funds saved up to last you three to four months with the hope that you would be able to find another job within that time. This is like gambling, it might pay off or not but it`s a worthwhile risk to take as long as you have prepared yourself whole-heartedly.

This is just a brief to assist with your decision. There is much more you would need to consider. It is highly advisable to see a career coach or advisor before making decisions of quitting your job. This will be the most frustrating period and you want to ensure that you make well-informed decisions.

You can contact career coaching on ccbotswana@gmail.com for further enquires, job readiness services including CV writing; developing effective interview skills; building and managing an effective networking plan. ENDS

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