“Not Every Degree Translates to Immediate Success.”
Yes, you read that right.
Some months ago, I was scrolling through LinkedIn when I got a notification for a live session, “Career Pivots That Work.” It was mainly for professionals transitioning between fields, but I opted in, and am glad I did! Why?
The speakers shared some great insights, but one statement hooked me in:
“๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ ๐ค๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐ด๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ด๐ฆ๐ข๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด, ๐ฏ๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ค๐ช๐ข๐ต๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ท๐ข๐ญ๐ถ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ช๐ฏ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ.”
At first, I smiled. But then I paused and reflected deeper.
This wasn’t really about careers. It was about patience and resilience when moving from one Industry to another.
It reminded me of my situation after completing my MBA a few years back.
With my laboratory background plus a fresh MBA, I thought doors would swing open automatically. Ready for management roles, thinking there were positions waiting for me at top healthcare firms in Lagos or Abuja.
Not knowing it would be countless application submissions with little feedback. Even positions where my lab expertise plus business knowledge seemed perfect, after interviews, I got silence.
Some organizations gave me a tour of their facilities, my dreamer mind already pictured myself coming in to work in my power blazers and coffee mugs, sitting in the nice offices they showed me only to be ghosted, no reasons given.
๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐ต๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ:
The truth? Building a bridge from technical expertise to business impact takes time.
Because you don’t immediately land that dream role combining your bench skills with strategic thinking doesn’t mean you’ve made a wrong turn.
The successful lab professionals now thriving in consulting, management, and entrepreneurship across Africa didn’t transition overnight. They faced rejection, refined their narrative, leveraged unexpected opportunities, and persisted.
So if you’re feeling stuck between worlds, frustrated by rejection, or questioning your move beyond the bench, don’t give up.
Success isn’t about immediate recognition, it’s about creatively applying your unique perspective until the right opportunity recognizes your value.
Instead take this season that we are in, the beginning of the second half of the year, to reset and realign your vision. It’s the perfect time, what have you been doing that hasn’t really worked? Change your strategy and decide on new tactics. You are allowed to change direction and still win.
