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Have you thought about your future career in agriculture? What are you doing now to get ready for the world of work or to change

Have you thought about your future career in agriculture? What are you doing now to get ready for the world of work or to change

Have you thought about your future career in agriculture? What are you doing now to get ready for the world of work or to change

Have you thought about your future career in agriculture? What are you doing now to get ready for the world of work or to change

Have you thought about your future career in agriculture? What are you doing now to get ready for the world of work or to change

Have you thought about your future career in agriculture? What are you doing now to get ready for the world of work or to change

Have you thought about your future career in agriculture? What are you doing now to get ready for the world of work or to change your working environment?

If you don’t have the answer then please do check out these 7 things that you can do to help figure out your path. If you do have an answer take look below to help boost your career experience.

1) Network – You definitely need to get yourself known. We’re not saying that you go to every networking session. However pick one or two, prepare your business card, and be ready to engage and meet new people in your field.

Always be ready to answer the question of what do you do for a living and for fun! Yes, you read correctly. Good employers/team members take a genuine interest in your life outside of work.

2) Find your niche – For many here in the Caribbean there just are not that many opportunities…or are there? Think about what you are studying or what qualifications you have. Tell me what other fields can you work in outside of agriculture using the qualifications you have now?

For example, Tech4Agri practices mobile and agri journalism. However, Journalism work can be done in any sector or industry. Does your qualification have this wide-scale applicability?

To be clear we are not saying leave the Agri sector. However, consider shifting within the sector to a different niche or moving to a strongly related field such as climate change.

3) Consider a mentor – Be wise in your decision on this front. Find one who is willing to work with you and respects your opinion. Youth and our senior counterparts can work together.

4) Sign up! – If you ever come across an article or video or picture that you like with focus in your field, then we highly advise you backtrack it and find its source. Following that sign up for emails, newsletters and notifications from that source.

This way when new information is available you have immediate access. The downside to this is the flood of emails coming into your inbox. Even so it lowers how often you have to go in search for relevant knowledge.

5) Take a FREE course – Many of you should be aware of this. Free courses are everywhere. You can even pay to have yourself certified as this is usually the business model for these sorts of things.

Coursera and FutureLearn are two good sources. The important thing here to note is that they are free and you can quickly UP your knowledge particularly on modern topics.

6) Change the stats quo! – Agriyouth has literally been suffering. We face constant, chronic problems over and over. Let’s change this situation. Let’s have the youth voice speak loudly and clearly in whatever environment you maybe.

Make yourself present at open discussions that concern you as a young person in the agricultural field and share your opinion. If there is no discussion that leads to solutions to the problems agriyouth face, then you start the conversation and push for solutions.

7) Be as hands-on as possible. – Learning by doing is q sure fire where to understanding anything to its core. No matter your field or niche make sure you take on practical exposure, as much as possible as this represents the real working world that you must live in. Ensure whatever you do there is a practical aspect 

This article was originally published on the Tech4agri website.

Picture credit: Neil Palmer (CIAT)