What to do when you are stuck

Upskilling for a midlevel career in communications

When I first got the session’s theme, the first thing that came to mind was Career Plateau. I had borrowed the lingua from the familiar brand and performance plateau. Turns out there’s just a phrase for feeling stuck in a place, without any hope for an upward, or forward movement in sight and it is called career plateau. Genius me!

Moving through your career can be as easy as driving through an expressway, with no potholes. I know it’s hard to imagine because Nigerian roads are not great. But your career path can also be crooked, muddy, or bumpy. Of course, this is probably much more relatable.

While the theme focuses on upskilling as a mid-level professional, I’d like to attempt this discussion from a more holistic standpoint. Upskilling has become a buzzword. It answers questions about moving forward in a career, transitioning into leadership and getting a big financial break. Everyone wants to upskill. Should this always be the case and what is the right way to upskilling? I believe that generally, you feel the need to upskill because you are either feeling stuck or discontent with what you’re doing and want more. So, I’d like to touch on career plateaus and upskilling.

Career Plateaus manifest in different forms such as Structural, Content and Life plateaus. These could make you lose attachment to your career, become mechanical or even feel like a zombie. Having mentioned these, we can situate the idea of upskilling within them. What are the possible circumstances that require upskilling? Is upskilling always the answer? Are there underlying problems that sometimes need to be understood and dealt with?

You will feel stuck if you work in an organisation that doesn’t offer you upward mobility due to a lack of structure, hierarchy or availability of positions. Chances are that you’re an entry/mid-level who feels like you’ve reached the ceiling or not far from it when that shouldn’t be the case.

More often than not, you’re also doing more without any forward progression. You’re a victim of the muddy waters of the structural plateau. So, you may want to consider moving to another organisation that offers you that structure, hierarchy, and positions where you can grow. This also means you have to keep learning to qualify for new positions.

On the other hand, you may feel discomfort or discontent in the familiarity of your work routines while lacking the will, skill, or ability to move forward within that role, or your company. Then you’re a victim of a self-caused content plateau. That’s on you!

If you are stuck in the content plateau, your best bet is upskilling. But how do you upskill? I have two thoughts on this:

1. The most obvious option is to learn new skills or pursue other interests that you are sure you can practice within your company. You could even switch to a new unit or department.
2. Maybe you don’t need to upskill per se, at least not in the sense of learning a new skill. You probably need to sharpen your rusty skills and switch to a different industry where your current skill is in demand and well compensated. That may present the challenge and upward progression you’re looking for. This also would come with learning about the industry so that you can make the most of your skill set.

As an aside for people looking to move into a role they are not qualified for. I advocate for having multiple skills that could be distinct or related. So in this case, if you’re interested in product management and lack experience but have built a career and you have more marketing skills. One way to go about it is by applying to a company in a marketing capacity while still doing product management courses, boot camps, etc. When you feel ready, you can discuss with your company your interest in the product team and some of the learnings and certifications you’ve done. It may ease the transition for you.

However, sometimes it’s not structural or content, what you’re facing feels larger than life. Perhaps it is a lot more personal and you probably have issues outside of work affecting you — family, health, relationship, grief, depression, financial crisis etc. You need to seek help (therapy) and not blame your career. You are just overwhelmed. That’s Life plateau.

What does an upskilling trajectory look like? Competence Awareness

Generally, everyone starts from being unconsciously unskilled — here you are not skilled and you are not aware of nor care about it. When the awareness kicks in, you become consciously unskilled — a state where you actively seek knowledge and skillsets to put you on a career trajectory. Then you move on to being consciously skilled. Here, you know that you have acquired the skills and knowledge needed. It becomes automatic as you put your learning into practice regularly, and gain more experience and confidence as you use your new skills. Finally, you would find yourself at the peak where you are unconsciously skilled. At this level, you would have skills you’re not conscious of, and don’t focus on, because of how easy it is to you (almost natural).

What is the best way to upskill as an entry/mid-level?

One such way is the T-shaped where you have a broad knowledge that touches different aspects of your industry and a technical depth for niche expertise. For instance, you can know everything, at least enough to help you oversee all there is about digital and performance marketing then develop in-depth knowledge in PPC, social media etc.

Conclusively,

• Upskilling is important, but knowing why you need it is more purposeful. You need to know yourself first and what you need before deciding
• Learning is how you upskill, and learning should be a lifestyle
• Put yourself out there! Appreciate your journey, and show other people what you have done so that other people can appreciate your growth.
• Don’t forget certifications and professional qualifications. Even if you think you do not need them for knowledge, which I believe you would, you will need them to move upward.