Preparing for Success
The preparation for a profession starts early in one’s life. Say around 16-17 years of age with the first signs of adulthood. This is the beginning of learning curve when the student needs to understand that It’s not only academics but all round development that helps him to develop into a successful professional
1. Life Skills: These skills are most important as you must learn how to deal with people and situations around you. You must understand that life means coping with diversities of gender, race, nationalities, languages and personalities. Professionals spend most of their time in understanding others, be they be customers, team members or leaders as each individual is unique in his own way. You need to learn how to work with others and at the same time make your views and opinions appreciated by others. The biggest life skill is to understand others and be understood by them.
The preparation for a profession starts early in one’s life. Say around 16-17 years of age with the first signs of adulthood. This is the beginning of learning curve when the student needs to understand that It’s not only academics but all round development that helps him to develop into a successful professional
1. Life Skills: These skills are most important as you must learn how to deal with people and situations around you. You must understand that life means coping with diversities of gender, race, nationalities, languages and personalities. Professionals spend most of their time in understanding others, be they be customers, team members or leaders as each individual is unique in his own way. You need to learn how to work with others and at the same time make your views and opinions appreciated by others. The biggest life skill is to understand others and be understood by them.
2. Attitude: A healthy attitude towards life is a greater challenge. Your attitude will influence your work habits, working style and interaction with others. Your attitude determines how you work, how you plan and execute projects and how you manage your time, how you develop and maintain relationships at work and at home. Attitude could effect both personal and professional lives equally. And your attitude towards success and failure has a bearing on how far you go on the road of life. Do you fall down and get up to grow stronger or do you wallow in your failures, not learning from mistakes?
3. Job related skills: In the knowledge based economy professionals need to pick up job related skills in college and on the job. Academics are important but finally the job related skills that propel a professional’s fortunes. And learning at college should not be limited to syllabus or exams. In case you pick up a subject that you want to work on professionally you need to get some expertise in it. Additional courses and summer internships can help in polishing job relating skills. If you have not made up your mind on the specialization its best to do internships every summer in a field of possible interest. While working, job related skills need to be honed up all the time. For example technology is making an impact on how we work. Getting technical skills is now a prerequisite if you want to move up. Or else stagnation will be inevitable. Evening classes or on line courses or even a sabbatical should be considered. Growth in a profession is now based on what you can deliver rather than what you know.
4. Personality: In the era of presentations and packaging personality and grooming is important. Attire and overall looks could be very important in customer facing jobs. Companies look for physical fitness of employees , social etiquette and dressing sense while hiring.
5. Inter personal behavior: The behaviour of individuals in teams has a direct impact on productivity. Developing team spirit means to understand your role in the team, role of others, your strengths and weaknesses and those of others in the team. Team work is like an orchestra. A complete harmony leads to a pleasant experience. Therefore, to be a professional one needs to develop high level of inter personal behavioural patterns. This is one area that deserves an independent blog but I can only say that an individual can be successful so long as he has the ability to understand others and be understood by them.
