"The journey to your career destination is not a straight line and don't box yourself to what you think you should be doing"

What did you study at Aston University?
BSc Accounting for Management

What year did you graduate? 
2018

Organisation?
Phillips Consulting Limited

My career journey so far

I would say my career journey started upon return to Nigeria to complete the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme. I secured a posting at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in Abuja where I worked in the Pensions unit under their HR division. As it was a critical role I was not privy to dealing directly with their sensitive data however, I learnt a lot about the process of Pension collation and the system that retired staff go through to ensure they continuously receive their pension yearly. Once my one year of service ended, I was fortunate to be offered a slot on the Consultant Development Programme (CDP) at Phillips Consulting Limited (PCL.) where I currently work. I have been able to rotate among their various divisions to experience each role and learn about my areas of weaknesses and strengths.

How I secured my current job

I had a friend who happened to meet major personnel involved in the recruitment and development of the CDP programme at Phillips Consulting (pcl.). He helped share my CV after which I was invited for various interviews and an assessment day in Lagos. The assessment day involved; aptitude tests, a presentation on what I was passionate about and a discussion with the current MD. Upon completion of the assessment day, I was contacted a couple of days later to be informed that I had gotten the job.

Biggest achievement to date

My biggest achievement to date would be the planning, organisation and deployment of a total of 9 webinars under a new initiative that I pioneered for Phillips Consulting. The few topics spoken on include; Digital Transformation, Digital Marketing, Mental Health Issues in the Workplace, Artificial Intelligence, Smart Competency-based Recruiting, etc. This has allowed me to expand my knowledge on a variety of booming topics as I was in charge of creating content amongst others.

My advice to students

Honestly, the journey to your career destination is not a straight line and don't box yourself to what you think you should be doing. The best experiences tend to come from unplanned moments. I am an Accounting graduate currently considering a move towards a people and policy centred career path and this came about from my experiences in my current role as a Business Analyst in a Consultant Development Programme (CDP) and I am truly excited for the path I am about to follow. So breathe, and take it one step at a time.