Co-op Bank Youth Forum: How Young Kenyans Can Build Their Own Career Lane

There was a time when the career path seemed straightforward: choose a course, spend four years in university, graduate, get a job and work your way up.

For many young Kenyans, that script no longer fits.

A graduate can discover that the field they studied is not where their interests lie.

Another may find that the jobs available do not match their qualifications.

Someone already working may realise they have outgrown their first career but have no clear idea where to move next.

That was the starting point for “Building Your Own Lane: Career Growth, Switching & Creating Opportunities,” the latest conversation in Co-op Bank’s Youth Forum webinar series, held on Friday, September 18.

When the degree and the job market don’t quite meet

Kenya’s employment challenge is not simply about having or not having a degree.

The World Bank has identified a mismatch between the skills young people acquire and those demanded by the labour market, alongside limited formal employment opportunities.

It also notes that many young people lack relevant work experience and the technical, cognitive, socio-emotional and business skills needed to compete in the workplace.

That creates a difficult transition from education into work.

It also explains why career development increasingly has to be treated as an ongoing process rather than a decision made once when choosing a university course.

Changing careers does not mean starting from zero

One of the central ideas behind career switching is that a person does not necessarily leave everything behind when moving into a new field.

Skills such as communication, research, sales, project management, analysis, customer service and digital literacy can move between industries.

The challenge is identifying which existing skills have value in the new direction, then filling the gaps through additional training, practical experience, mentorship or work on real projects.

The World Bank has similarly highlighted the importance of work experience and continued skills development, noting that many skills are developed and demonstrated through doing rather than classroom learning alone.

For a young professional considering a switch, that can make the process less about asking:

“What should I become?” – and, more about asking:

“What can I already do, what is changing in the market, and what do I need to learn next?”

Building your own lane

The phrase “build your own lane” also extends beyond changing jobs.

It can mean combining employment with a side business, developing a specialized skill, freelancing, creating a portfolio or pursuing an opportunity outside the traditional career path.

Kenya’s labour market already reflects this reality.

The World Bank notes that a large share of young Kenyans work in informal employment, while entrepreneurship and self-employment remain important routes into earning opportunities.

That does not make career planning less important.

If anything, it makes it more important to understand where your skills can create value.

Why the conversation matters for young people

Career uncertainty can feel like failure, particularly after spending years preparing for one profession.

But changing direction can also be part of building a career.

The more useful question may not be whether a graduate has followed the original plan perfectly, but whether they are developing skills, experience and networks that create more options.

That is the space the Co-op Bank Youth Forum continues to explore through its weekly Friday webinars:

Practical conversations around careers, money, enterprise and opportunities that young Kenyans can apply beyond the classroom.

For someone stuck between the career they studied for and the career they actually want, building a new lane may begin with something less dramatic than quitting everything.

It could begin with one new skill, one useful connection, one project or one conversation that opens the next door.