Creating a Career, not just taking up Job Roles, in the Agricultural Sector

Let me, first of all, congratulate the participants from the IITA Agripreneurs Programme in whose honour we have convened this event. From my understanding, you’ve been kitted with valuable information, knowledge and experience to launch out into the world for your various job and career roles.

My sincere appreciation goes to the Agrihub Nigeria team, led by Mr. Tomiwa Adesanya. You have become a reference point for providing needed support for young agropreneurs and your work, in such a short time, has made significant impact. Congratulations to you too.

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I’ve had a lot of engagements and interaction with young people through my work in the agribusiness space and I’ve met exceptionally brilliant, creative and hard-working youths who’ve taught me a lot of what I know today. So, here’s me saying ‘thank you’ for the friendships and for giving me the privilege to share this special day with you. I’m truly grateful.

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The topic of the keynote address happens to be my comfort zone for I was an HR professional across many business sectors for about 20 years and managing job roles and career roles was one of my major functions. As you set forth to show the world the stuff you’re made of, you’re actually planning your future today.

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My question then would be… “What do you want to do in the marketplace? A job or a career? This is a good time to know the difference.

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According to careersmarter.com, “A job is something you do to earn money, while a career is a longer-term plan that involves developing your skills and knowledge in order to progress in your field”. Meaning that job seekers are focused on and driven by money while career-minded people look for much more. While in HR, I observed that one major (not only) difference between the job-minded individual and the career-minded person is ATTITUDE. Both of them manifest different attitudes to commitment, values system, dedication, loyalty and personal development.

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§? Commitment: Commitment is about employees helping the organization to achieve its objectives. Many job seekers rarely interested in the organization’s objectives but career employees seek to know in order to support their achievement.

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§? Values System: Work values are a collection of beliefs, qualities and principles in the workplace. Employees in job roles and those in career roles manifest workplace values differently. For instance, many job seekers are not inclined to help their organizations to solve problems but those in career roles seem to willingly volunteer to help.

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§? Dedication: Employee dedication refers to their willingness to give of their resourcefulness to the business. Job seekers are dedicated to what impacts positively on their pay, nothing else.

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§? Loyalty: Employee loyalty is about the?allegiance exhibited by employees?towards their organization. Loyal employees will instinctively, protect the organization they work for and do all they can to portray the company in a good light. That attitude is rarely found among job seekers.

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§? Personal Development: This includes professional development and consists of?activities that develop capabilities and potential for progress in the workplace. Career-minded employees take personal development seriously but many job seekers do so only under compulsion.

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If I were to interview an individual for a job role, I would only focus on their educational qualification, work experience and some personality traits. Not so for the career role. I will, in addition, pay attention to their skills, vision, values, motivation, goals, etc. For the benefit of this gathering, made up mostly of young people ready to invade the workplace with vigour and enthusiasm, I implore you to choose to be career-minded.

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Let me tell you why. You are young. You have a journey ahead of you. Recall that we got to know that a career is a long-term plan; a marathon, not a sprint. You have your whole life to make something of yourself and be useful to your community, nation and the world. Something tells me that you don’t want to spend all that time ticking the days on the calendar, month after month, in anticipation of salary payment. In addition, there’s so much you can contribute to the world and there’s a fulfilment that comes with it at the end of the day. You’re made for more, believe me!

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But every career starts with a job, whether as an employee or a business owner. As a long-term mission, a career can?provide you with financial stability, a sense of purpose and personal fulfilment.

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Benefits of a Career

??????? Inspires personal development

??????? Gives confidence

??????? Creates a sense of purpose

??????? Provides direction

??????? Defines personal identity

??????? Provides opportunity for impact

A Career in Agriculture

"Agriculture is the most healthful, most useful, and most noble employment of man." - George Washington, former US President

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Permit me to add that Agriculture is about the most sustainable sector in the world and it permeates nearly every business segment. You will find Agriculture in aviation, healthcare, education, oil and gas, power and energy, fashion/textile, pulp and paper, trade and commerce, sports, entertainment, science and technology, etc. So, you’re in about the best hub for creativity and innovation. There’s so much you can do here besides farming.

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Top Careers in Agriculture

I did a random search on the internet for agricultural careers and I got tons of them. For top agricultural careers, you can visit agricdemy.com. It would be good to widen your search so as to make the best decision for yourself as you plan your career.

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How to Succeed in your Career

“A successful career is built on a foundation of hard work and determination.” Unknown

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Permit me to contribute some more success tips using the acronym ASPIRE. Now, let me tell you upfront that I’m not a motivational speaker, the kind that will tell you to Aspire to Perspire to Acquire and Expire. No, that’s not me. Furthermore, the acronym ASPIRE isn’t original to me. I learnt it from Pastor Ajibola Opeoluwa-Caleb and it resonates with my beliefs and principles for a successful career. ASPIRE stands for Accountable, Spiritual, Passion (for purpose), Integrity, Relationship and Excellence.

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1.??? Accountable: To take responsibility for your choices and actions; not blaming others or making excuses. It is also about making amends or proffering solutions when things go wrong.?People appreciate this very much and it can help with your career progression and deepen your learning.

2.??? Spiritual: To anchor your life on divine direction. Spiritual people manifest such qualities as: being proactive and discerning; having a calm mien, being optimistic, humble, compassionate, and simple, etc. These help a lot in maturity and career growth.

3.??? Passion (for purpose): Passion is the motivation to do what we love while purpose is the reason behind what we do. Passion for purpose therefore, seeks to ensure that we connect the dots from our “why” to our “what”. This connection will resonate with us as we change jobs and/or faced with certain situations to keep us focused.

4.??? Integrity: Being honest and demonstrating strong moral principles. Integrity builds trust, earns goodwill, and gives you positive self-esteem. You can monetize trust. Trust is a good referral. People will do anything for you and with you if you’re trustworthy.

5.??? Relationship: The ability to relate or connect with others has important implications for you and the organization where you work. For one, it will help you to succeed in your career. Then again, you get to build a network of good relationships that you can call on in the course of your career.

6.??? Excellence: Emmaline Datey, a renowned German-Africa Startup Consultant had this to say, “To me, excellence means?to be consistent in good character, attitude, quality and standards. It means to be unapologetically exceptional. Being a person of excellence is a continuous process”. Excellence makes you more valuable to your organization. You’re not satisfied with average performance because only the best is good enough for you. There’s no need to engage in eye-service in the workplace because you believe in merit and work to earn your respect. You don’t run with the crowd but prefer to stand out wherever you are and in whatever you do. In addition, you’re willing to teach, train and mentor others without reservation. There’s this joy and fulfilment when you watch your proteges doing better than you.

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Conclusion

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world." - Harriet Tubman

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I leave you today with this quote from Harriet Tubman. She was a famous social activist in the USA. You are the beginning of the choice you’re making today and your ultimate goal should be to influence global change. Are you ready for it? You have my best wishes. Thank you for your attention.

Being the Keynote Address at the Agrihub Nigeria Job Fair 2024 which took place at the University of Ibadan International Conference Centre, Ibadan, Nigeria on Thursday 26th September, 2024

IITA Youth Agripreneurs International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) David Otu

Adesanya 'tomiwa, MBA Anthony ONAH Farmer Samson Ogbole Chidinma Ezeh Adedeji Odulesi Olawale Ojo