Why Upskill or Reskill Yourself?

Not Urgent but Important

To fellow young professionals,

As much as we expect our respective companies to invest in our professional development (𝙖 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙚𝙧), we also bear the responsibility of ensuring the acquisition of new competencies {knowledge, skills, and abilities}.

Why upskill or reskill yourself?

✅ To increase your employability by acquiring extensive skill sets.

✅ To prevent your skills from becoming obsolete due to the rapid advancements in technology, such as Generative AI and Robotics.

✅ Improve productivity, leading to exemplary performance and guaranteed opportunities for growth.

✅ Facilitate career progression – upskilling prepares you for more challenging assignments and tasks, increasing your chances of promotion.

✅ Acquiring diverse skills not only positions you for success in your current role but also sets you up for success in future opportunities, especially if you aspire to be an entrepreneur such as a Consultant, or a freelancer. A case study of Miss Muthoni Njoroge inspiring story, having honed 100+ technical and creative skills, propelling her to become a blossoming CEO at her age. Wow! Motivating.

✅ Participating in workshops, seminars, in-class training, and conferences is a long-term investment, providing opportunities for intentional networking with peers, mentors, and industry experts.

Upskilling Strategy

Avoid focusing solely on your primary area of expertise or training. Pursue additional disciplines that set you apart as a professional, such as cash flow management, digital marketing, data analysis, customer relations, project management, coding, commercial law, etc.

This approach is highly recommended for the following reasons:

1️⃣ Improving cross-functional collaboration with other departments, enabling meaningful contributions in interdisciplinary projects. Nothing is embarrassing like being in a group of experts but you’re floating in the discussion. You’re unable to flow with the discourse or even make any contribution.

2️⃣ Gaining a competitive advantage by offering something extra. Possessing diverse and unique skill sets helps you stand out, especially when project leads, succession plans and promotion discussions are taking place.

3️⃣ Broadening your mindset to approach problems from different perspectives, and applying the most efficient, effective, and thoughtful solutions.