by Moyosola Kara

When we talk about career development, the conversation often circles around promotions, pay rises, or climbing the ladder at work. While these milestones are valuable, they aren’t the only markers of growth. For young women of colour navigating barriers, stereotypes, and limited representation, the journey to fulfilment often requires more than what a job description can provide. That’s where ownership outside the workplace comes in.

Work Isn’t the Whole Story

Your job title doesn’t define the full extent of your skills, passions, or potential. Too often, workplaces box us in, assigning roles that may not reflect our creativity, ambition, or cultural depth. By taking ownership outside of the workplace through passion projects, side hustles, volunteering, or self-directed learning, you create room for your fullest self to thrive.

Think about it: a workplace might value you for your ability to execute, but your community project, podcast, or blog could reveal you as a strategist, storyteller, or leader. Ownership outside of work allows you to test, stretch, and strengthen skills that may never show up on your CV but are core to your identity and impact.

Building Projects Builds You

Starting a project doesn’t have to be about creating the next big business, it can be as small as hosting a book club, building a personal brand on LinkedIn, or learning a new technical skill. Each project is an experiment in leadership, resilience, and creativity. You learn to manage time, communicate a vision, and inspire others: all qualities that transfer back into your career and set you apart in competitive spaces.

For women of colour, these projects can also serve as safe spaces to tell our stories on our own terms, without waiting for workplace permission or validation. They become sites of empowerment and representation, where we don’t just participate we lead.

Reclaiming Agency in Your Career

When you invest in yourself beyond the workplace, you take back agency. Instead of relying on an employer to hand you growth opportunities, you create them. Instead of waiting for recognition, you build credibility that speaks for itself. Instead of being defined by a role, you shape a portfolio of skills, passions, and experiences that highlight your multidimensional power.

This isn’t about adding pressure to “always be doing more.” It’s about recognising that your growth is yours to own. Sometimes, the most transformative steps aren’t taken in office boardrooms but in the late nights writing, early mornings planning, or weekends spent learning.

Where to Start

If you’re wondering how to take ownership outside of work, here are a few steps to begin:

• Identify your passion or curiosity: What lights you up outside of your job description?
  
• Start small: Launch a blog, sign up for a course, or test an idea with friends.
  
• Be consistent: Growth comes not from perfection, but from showing up repeatedly.
  
• Share your journey: Visibility inspires others and keeps you accountable.
  

The Bigger Picture

Owning your growth outside of work is about more than adding lines to your CV, it’s about building confidence, community, and clarity in who you are and where you want to go. It’s a declaration that you are more than your job title and that your ambitions deserve room to expand.

Because your career isn’t just about climbing ladders, it’s about building landscapes where you get to define success on your terms.