How Young Professionals can Define and Communicate Purpose

It’s official. A whopping 85% of employees worldwide are actively disengaged from
the work they do. The financial implication of this disengagement on organizations
is $7 trillion lost in productivity.

Workplace disengagement is often caused by a host of factors such as poor pay, bad
managers and toxic work cultures. But interestingly, researchers also find that young
professionals are mostly productive when the work they do aligns with their purpose.
This implies career fulfilment goes beyond a monthly paycheck. It requires making a
tangible difference in a world seemingly pregnant with problems waiting to be
solved.

What’s Your Purpose?

Nigeria is currently grappling with a ‘take what you get’ situation in the job market.
This is fuelled by the staggering unemployment rate, which Statista projects will hit
32.5% before the close of this year. This dire statistic obviously breeds bankers,
architects, communication specialists, financial planners and other professionals
practising their craft just to pay the bills. But sooner or later, they are unable to
sustain this mismatch, flounder to keep their jobs or resort to an unending cycle of
job-hopping. This doesn’t have to be.
Civil rights activist, writer and poet Maya Angelou did say,

“You can only become  truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead
pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t
take their eyes off of you.”

I can attest to this on a personal level. My bachelor’s degree prepared me for a career
as a Political Scientist. But I made the switch to Marketing, having found my calling
working as a rookie PR executive right out of university. Eighteen years later, I’m still
glad I made that switch. I’m a Brand and Marketing Communication Strategist and I
love my job. I help tell the story of my organization in impactful ways that resonate
with our target audience, converting them to loyal customers. Have you found
yours?

 

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