5 career mistakes You should avoid as a young adult between 20-35 years.

If you're a young adult between 20 and 35 years. Here are five career mistakes that can keep you stuck for years. Please stay till the end. I bet you, it'll be worth your time. First of all, when I say stuck, I don't mean stuck because you are unemployed. You may have a job. You may receive salary every month. You may even look successful from the outside, but deep down, you know you are no longer growing. So let me share these with you. Not as someone who has figured everything out, but as a brother who wants you to avoid wasting years learning certain lessons the hard way. So the first mistake is: Staying too long in a place where you are no longer learning. There's nothing wrong staying loyal to a company or an organization or a career path, but loyalty becomes dangerous when it turns to stagnation and stifles your growth. You've been doing the same task for over five years. No new responsibilities, no new skills, no promotion, and no meaningful increase in income. You complain about your situation every Monday, but when an opportunity appears, fear convinces you to remain comfortable. Sometimes the job is not necessarily bad. You have simply outgrown it. And that's perfectly normal. So ask yourself this question: If I remain here for the next three years, will I become better or will I be the same? Because experience is not measured by the number of years you have worked. It is measured by what those years have taught you. Second mistake: Waiting for your employer to build your career for you. Your employer hired you to help build the organization. They may support your development, but your career is still your personal responsibility. Don't wait for your company to pay for a course before you learn. Don't wait until your boss gives you a leadership role before you develop your leadership skills. For example, you may be working in customer service, but you realize the industry is becoming more digital. Instead of ignoring it, you can start learning customer relationship management software, data analysis, or digital communication. You may not need that skill in your current role today, but it could qualify you for better promotional roles tomorrow. Your job description tells you what you are paid to do, but your personal development may determine what you may be qualified to do next. Think about this. Your employer will keep paying you as long as you are valuable to them. The value you have, the skills you possess, the connections you build go with you wherever you go. So yes, a big salary is good, but always think beyond just salary, especially on a long-term basis. Fourth mistake: Refusing to start small because you think certain opportunities are beneath you. Many young people want the titles before they have built the capabilities. They want to manage people even before learning to manage themselves. They want a senior position, but they reject internships, freelance projects, and entry-level roles that could give them the experience they currently lack. Of course, you should not allow people to exploit you. I'm a firm believer of that. But starting small is not the same as thinking small. That small project can become the work sample that gives you your next big job. That entry-level position can introduce you to someone who would recommend you for a bigger opportunity. That entry-level position can teach you how the entire industry runs and the systems that run it. So don't let pride make you reject the experience that could prepare you for the level you are praying for. Start small, but always think big. Fifth mistake: Building qualifications without relationships and visibility. I can't even stress on this enough. You can be talented, hardworking, qualified, but people cannot recommend what they don't know exists. Some people believe networking is knowing and taking pictures with powerful people. But that is not networking. Networking is building genuine professional relationships. It doesn't even have to be with any powerful or known person. Networking is staying in touch with former colleagues, attending relevant events, sharing what you're learning, letting people understand what you do and how you can help others. For example, two people may have the same qualifications. One applies for a job quietly and waits. The other speaks to former lecturers, contacts people in the industry, shares useful ideas online, and asks trusted professionals for guidance. The second person is not necessarily more intelligent. They have simply made it easier for opportunities to find them. Your qualifications may not get you considered, but your relationships and visibility often help people remember you. So family, take a moment and look honestly at your career. Are you truly building something? Or you simply surviving from one month to another? Years can pass by quickly. And one of the most painful things is to wake up one day and realize you've been working for a very long time, but you have not really been moving forward. Just something to think about. My name is Kwabena Afriyie Akoto-Bamfo. This is just a brotherly advice and I'm only looking out for you.