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violent:

I've been thinking for several hours on an appropriate way to begin this thread. None of my thoughts makes any sense. . . . I have no idea what i wanted to say or why i wanted to say it, but there's something that had to be said, i just, at the moment, couldn't figure it out.

Don't curse me yet!  As a matter of fact, this isn't the first time i find myself on this spot.  A few years ago, I was lying down on an empty bed in a hostel room, the event of my graduation was only a couple of days away. I had worked hard and spent 4 years obtaining a degree that i had absolutely no idea why i wanted it.  Half of the world wanted for me to be a surgeon--a dream I never had-- the other half couldn't care what the little rascal does with his life. . . .I on the other hand just wanted to make money, lots of it, and immediately too. . . .the nice part of that is that, i have no idea how!

At that moment on my bed, a few thousand thoughts came rushing through my mind:

. . ."maybe i'd submit job application to some banks".  I was sure i wouldn't have been the only one thinking this.  Popsy knows someone whose Uncle has a good family friend whose neighbor's cousin has a girlfriend whose momsy works as the head of operation at a well known Nigerian bank.  Yipeee! i can now go outside and drink with my mates and forget about the the frightful future saddled with loads of uncertainties. 

. . ."then, maybe I'd start a fish farm". . .****long story***. . . .

. . . "then, maybe I'd start an IT consulting firm and build clinical software database for hospitals." .  I figured since most hospitals make use of papers and files, this would be an easy market to penetrate.  The capital involved isn't massive, my dad is a surgeon, definitely my first client, he'd likely provide me access to the network of his peers and i could then sit back and watch my income grow.  Perfect plan eh?  well, the one problem i had then, similar to the one i'm having at the moment starting this topic, is that i have no idea how to begin. . .

. , "then maybe I'd be an Investment Analyst.".  This was probably the funniest and the wildest of my thoughts. I knew about stocks, because i had a few holdings in a few companies, and that was all i knew about finance.  The first time i read about bonds, i immediately remembered my mfm pastor's prayer against all forms of 'bondage' . . .and i became somewhat perplexed to think some people could actually spend valuable resources on something called "bond" 

Now many years down the line and some roller-coaster rides, i have since tried each and everything, many times laughing at my idiocy each step of the way.  In all of this, i was so young, so bold and so free to challenge my ultimate limits. 

Out there, there are people doing ordinary things extraordinarily for a purpose bigger than themselves. They can take the simplest act of moving their body and turn it into a show of art that lifts everyone’s spirits.  This thread is meant for these people.

1)  Tell us about your biggest career moves till date, and the unusual decisions you've taken towards achieving those moves

2)  If you are an entrepreneur, kindly tell us what has inspired you to start your business, and the biggest challenge you've faced or currently facing till date.

3)  If you have questions about everyday finance, financial intelligence, business funding, please feel free to put your questions across.

There's been an ongoing discussion with some very experienced people in business and finance who will be happy to provide some very useful insights into some of this questions and hopefully make this place a lot more interesting.

[size=3pt]now i finally know what i wanted to say[/size]

nice. . .I'll be watching this thread

I'm still on the first track. . .engineering, plan to move to engineering management soon. I don tire to dey climb like monkey and baff dust and grease er'day. . .lol

seriously speaking though, over time I began to slowly lose interest in core engineering and I've come to realize any tom, dick and harry can hold a spanner, but the more valuable dude is the one that tells the wrench-fellow where and what to do with the spanner.

Started out as a programmer/dba.

Also worked in applications support.

Currently working as a business/system analyst.

Will soon start looking for a new job.

Currently getting some high end professional certifications and a masters to aid my move.

I hope to gradually transition into senior management.

Do you guys have any advice for me ?

Interesting post.
My career progression has been over-documented on Nairaland, so no point rehashing it here.
But I do want to say something here: The days of noble pursuit is long dead, career-wise.
I mean, in my 30s, I already feel like I've been there and done that, and am no more interested in any career progression, promotion, or whatever. I just need to make money to live, period.

One of my young nephews told me yesterday that he was interested in studying psychology in uni. I asked him 'So what do you want to do after?'. He said 'I have no idea.'. I thought to myself . . . and replied 'That's cool actually. Afterwards will figure itself out.'. The old me would have gone into analysis paralysis of his career options post-uni, and he is just 16. But today, I think about guys like Zuckerberg and wonder what the heck.

It's much better to be creative nowadays. And that's what I plan to encourage my kids to do. None of this engineering or medicine nonsense.

AjanleKoko:

Sounds like a dinner of water and spices

Anyway, this is is a good talk by Seth Godin on 2012. It kind of rhymes with the topic.

[flash=640,390]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJj_WHCdLtQ?version=3&hl=en_US"[/flash]

This video has helped alot!

If I had read the title of this thread, I would not have bothered to contribute.
I'm not young, I'm not sure if I am bold, and I am pretty sure I ain't free!

AjanleKoko: If I had read the title of this thread, I would not have bothered to contribute.
I'm not young, I'm not sure if I am bold, and I am pretty sure I ain't free!

But we all wish we were, no?

Maybe op'd change it?

^^
Nah, I'm just taking a piss, actually.

^ Ok then!

@house: contributions/comments/questions welcome!

In whatever form.

AjanleKoko: Interesting post.
My career progression has been over-documented on Nairaland, so no point rehashing it here.
But I do want to say something here: The days of noble pursuit is long dead, career-wise.
I mean, in my 30s, I already feel like I've been there and done that, and am no more interested in any career progression, promotion, or whatever. I just need to make money to live, period.

One of my young nephews told me yesterday that he was interested in studying psychology in uni. I asked him 'So what do you want to do after?'. He said 'I have no idea.'. I thought to myself . . . and replied 'That's cool actually. Afterwards will figure itself out.'. The old me would have gone into analysis paralysis of his career options post-uni, and he is just 16. But today, I think about guys like Zuckerberg and wonder what the heck.

It's much better to be creative nowadays. And that's what I plan to encourage my kids to do. None of this engineering or medicine nonsense.

Nice one Ajalekoko. Why is it, each time i read your post, i get the impression that you must be in your early 50s?

I found this somewhere.

[size=15pt]
22 Executives Share The Best Advice They Ever Received[/size]

1) Terry J. Lundgren, CEO, Macy's

Gene Ross, the man who recruited Lundgren at Bullock, told him:
"You’re not going to do this forever. There’s a finite amount of time you’re going to be doing this. Do this really, really well. And if you do this really, really well, everybody will see that, and they’ll move you onto the next thing. And you do that well, and then you’ll move."

2)Richard Branson, founder and chairman, Virgin Group

"My mother always taught me never to look back in regret but to move on to the next thing. The amount of time people waste dwelling on failures rather than putting that energy into another project, always amazes me. I have fun running ALL the Virgin businesses — so a setback is never a bad experience, just a learning curve."

3) Marissa Mayer, VP, Google

“My friend Andre said to me, ‘You know, Marissa, you’re putting a lot of pressure on yourself to pick the right choice, and I’ve gotta be honest: That’s not what I see here. I see a bunch of good choices, and there’s the one that you pick and make great. I think that’s one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever gotten.”

4) Lloyd Blankfein, chairman and CEO, Goldman Sachs


His boss at Goldman during the 1980s told him:
"First, it's good to solicit your people's opinions before you give them yours. And second, your people will be very influenced by how you carry yourself under stress."

5) Maureen Chiquet, Global CEO, Chanel


Mickey Drexler, CEO of Gap at the time, told Chiquet:
“I’m going to give you some important advice. You’re a terrific merchant. But you’ve gotta learn to listen!”

5) Eric Schmidt, executive chairman, Google

Find a way to say yes to things. Say yes to invitations to a new country, say yes to meet new friends, say yes to learn something new. Yes is how you get your first job, and your next job, and your spouse, and even your kids."

6) Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO, Berkshire Hathaway



Berkshire Hathaway director Thomas Murphy told him:
"Never forget Warren, you can tell a guy to go to hell tomorrow — you don't give up the right. So just keep your mouth shut today, and see if you feel the same way tomorrow."

7) Larry Page, co-founder, Google

"In graduate school at Stanford University, I had about ten different ideas of things I wanted to do, and one of them was to look at the link structure of the web. My advisor, Terry Winograd, picked that one out and said, 'Well, that one seems like a really good idea.' So I give him credit for that.

Bill Gates, chairman, Microsoft

Warren Buffett has taught me a lot of things, but he got me thinking very early on that at some point I'd have the opportunity and responsibility to give the wealth back.
"And so, literally decades before the foundation got started I was reading about philanthropists from the past … what they'd done and how it worked."

Howard Schultz, CEO, Starbucks

"Jim Sinegal, the founder of Costco, gave me fantastic advice because we were going down the wrong track. We brought him in to look at our plan and he said, 'You know, I don’t want to be rude but this is exactly the wrong thing to do.' This was my idea, and he was right.
"His advice was the cost of losing your core customers and trying to get them back post-recession would be much greater than trying to find new customers, so we completely shifted.

Jim Rogers, chairman, Rogers Holdings and Beeland Interests


"Buy low and sell high. When I went to Wall Street. Actually all the old guys used to say 'Figure out the money and you’ll figure out what’s going on.'"

Richard Parsons, former chairman, Citigroup

Steve Ross, the former CEO of Time Warner, told him:
"Just remember, it's a small business and a long life. You're going to see all these people again."

Jennifer Hyman, CEO and co-founder, Rent The Runway


"Just do it. There's no benefit to saying, 'I'm just doing this because it will get me to this new place,' or 'I'm just going to go into this analyst program because it will prep me for X.'
"If you're passionate about something, go for it, because people are great at what they love and when they're the happiest."

Mohamed El-Erian, CEO and co-chief investment officer, PIMCO




"I remember asking my father, 'Why do we need four newspapers?' He said to me, 'Unless you read different points of view, your mind will eventually close, and you'll become a prisoner to a certain point of view that you'll never question.'"

^ You may have answered some of the questions you posted with some of these quotes.

One thing is for sure, you have to find a vision, and the earlier the better.
I think in this new millenium, things have changed considerably, and the younger people are much more confident than, say, 20 years ago. Also, the economy in Nigeria is a lot more different than in the military era when the army boys controlled everything.

Nowadays, you are limited, not by environmental challenges, but by your vision. If the vision is clear enough, you only need to find the courage to put yourself out there.

One thing is a fact these days, most folks born in the 70s and later are going to go through at least 2-3 career changes in their entire professional life..

As for me,I've gone through several career changes spanning over a decade. From being a salesman in my first job after graduation through being a merchandiser, network engineer/web developer, wannabe investment banker (came close to buying up a moribund company listed on the NSE) and presently working in the digital media space with one of the big European media houses. It's been a very interesting and adventurous experience, 70% of which has been as an entrepreneur and God knows what I'd be up to in another five years from now..

I was at a conference last week, and there was an interesting take on Generations X, Y, and Z.
Generation X represents the 70s kids, and they 'work to live', rather than 'live to work' which is what our parents did.
Generation Y was classified as Generation X 2.0, and Generation Z referred to as the 'Digital Natives', or 'Console Kids'. These guys are wired from birth.

Technology makes you a lot smarter, and you can do things your parents never dreamed of.

Here is an irony:

All of the people featured by violent on this thread are Fortune 500 CEOs. That is a very apt example of what most of us value as success. We are institutionalized by the corporate ethos. I don't consider many of these people are inspirational or innovative. Most of them are privileged beneficiaries of some elitist dynasty. Some are heirs of success.

I'm surprised that people like Seth Godin, Oster Pistorius, Robert Kiyosaki, Haile Gebreselassie, and even Kim Dot Com are not featured here. Are they not successful people?

Haile Gebreselassie for one. NO disrespect to Nigerians intended, but our nation can never produce someone like him. No be curse. We just cannot. Even our sportsmen play sports because they want to be rich, no desire to achieve anything apart from money.

AjanleKoko: Here is an irony:

All of the people featured by violent on this thread are Fortune 500 CEOs. That is a very apt example of what most of us value as success. We are institutionalized by the corporate ethos. I don't consider many of these people are inspirational or innovative. Most of them are privileged beneficiaries of some elitist dynasty. Some are heirs of success.

I'm surprised that people like Seth Godin, Oster Pistorius, Robert Kiyosaki, Haile Gebreselassie, and even Kim Dot Com are not featured here. Are they not successful people?

Haile Gebreselassie for one. NO disrespect to Nigerians intended, but our nation can never produce someone like him. No be curse. We just cannot. Even our sportsmen play sports because they want to be rich, no desire to achieve anything apart from money.

when I read this it struck me as being particularly true of myself. . .ouch!

Following

I'm not young. I cant say I'm bold but I'm free.



Frawzey.