In Cameroon, a banking career is every girl’s dream job. For one thing, working in a bank comes with a glamorous lifestyle, which most young ladies dream of; a well organised air-conditioned office, a safe place to work and obviously the glamour of dealing with money.
But 25-year-old banker, Sonya Sandra Toukam Inah says being a banker takes a lot of hard work. There is no substitute for hard work, “you must be willing to work, to make a contribution and have a personal sense of identity”.
Toukam has five years’ experience working with Union Bank of Cameroon. Throughout this time her humility, dynamism, and spirit have given her the opportunity to serve in several capacities in the bank. From an internship, Toukam has been able to accelerate all units of the operations department ranging from customer service, fund transfer agent, clearing officer and personal assistance to the General Manager at the prestigious bank.
Toukam told SLA contributor Marriane that, even though dynamism and humility propelled her career, what really did the trick for her was hard work. She equally advocates for a great degree of clarity and purpose. “I think having clarity of where you are headed, is important. It is important to know where one is headed.”
[bctt tweet=”having clarity of where you are headed, is important. It is important to know where one is headed.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”]
When asked for her advice to other young ladies who dream to take up banking as career, Toukam proposed the following tips:
- Ladies…you have to be clear on what your goals are and how important they are to you. When this is known, you have to go for it. But remember, nothing comes on a silver platter. Choose your subjects rightly and remember hard work is key.
- As an aspiring banker, you have to be confident, smart and above all well groomed.
- A good banker should be very optimistic. This is because your positive attitude is a pulling factor to all potential customers.
- A bank is a confidential institution; every potential banker should be of good morals and integrity.
- Lastly, you must be smart and willing to learn from your superiors and colleagues.
Do you have a career in banking? What other tips would you offer aspiring bankers?
Let us know here.