REDEVELOPING SKILLS – MASTER YOUR CHOSEN PROFESSION
BY SIM LING LING, ETHOS ACADEMY OF SKILLS DEVELOPMENT (KEMENTERIAN SUMBER MANUSIA SKIM LATIHAN & PENEMPATAN TRAINING INSTITUTION)
“Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person.” Albert Einstein
The word ‘master’ is commonly used to describe as a person who has achieved dominance and proficiency of skills in or knowledge over something or a person who is eminently skilled in something, such as an occupation, art, or trade. To achieve true mastery in a chosen profession one must commit himself to the profession with his whole strength and soul. Albert Einstein, one of the most influential intellectual of all time pointed out in the quote above that ‘mastery demands all of a person’.
Some people are like a mechanical robot going through the motions of life without a clear direction, focus and concentration on mastering their education or career and as a result their accomplishments are few and they do not achieve what they really want. Mastering your chosen profession could be an arduous journey for some as it involves perpetual learning and re-learning, of undoing the negatives and replacing them with positives, of eliminating the sub-standards and replacing them with quality performance before finally carving out a ‘masterpiece’.
The path to carving and molding a masterpiece is often slow and tedious in any case with focused discipline, perseverance and hard work exemplar to Michelangelo when he was carving out from a marble block the famous ‘Statue of David’, this masterpiece shall be extraordinary and everlasting. To become a master one actually needs to be doing, gaining the experience and ‘getting hands on’ during the learning process, and constantly renewing and perfecting your skills and knowledge.
In a developing state such as Sarawak with a low to medium standard of living and rural-urban migration, government funded and private training institutions are playing an active role in eradicating poverty, unemployment and in improving the standard of living of the people. This is done through a concerted and deliberate effort to resolve the dire shortage of skilled and appropriately qualified workforce. Some government training institutions such as the Institut Latihan Perindustrian (ILP) Miri are tasked with the development and delivery of structured skills development interventions, quality assurance and qualifications on an ongoing basis to address critical skills shortages and up-grading of existing employees’ current skills levels. Private training institutions and skills training centers offer opportunities for training and internship programs in diverse industries, and conduct specialized skills training, language courses, interviewing and communication, leadership and team building and other life skills that could enhance your employability in the market.
After completion of compulsory education one of your aspirations is to be able to participate fully in the society. Skills and knowledge training and development are of equal influence and importance if not more than academic qualifications in today’s employment market. Redeveloping specialized skills and knowledge will further equip you for a smooth and successful transition into the society. The right skills and knowledge set is vital to career success as organizations are putting much emphasis on quality assurance, productivity and performance in order to maintain their competitiveness and financial viability.
Some factors that would increase the success rate in skills training & development programs offered by public or private institutions are:
Be committed to the schedules.
Show up on time and all the time.
Respect and integrity. Do what you say you’re going to do. Do it now.
Show leadership qualities. Own the problem and avoid making excuses.
Cultivate a habit of setting goals. Regularly plan your actions.
Keep an open mind to learning. Always be studying something new and give more than you get.
Be organized and keep a “To do” list to track your plans and actions.
Seek outside support, increase your networking.
Find a mentor or coach – ask for advice, ideas, and help.
Practice, practice and practice.
INCREASE EMPLOYABILITY As the employment market becomes increasingly competitive and employers are raising the bar on the selection criteria and graduates are competing with fresh school leavers for a share of top jobs. The mere thought of joining the workforce as a fresh starter, competing against the more experienced or better qualified, and adding torment to this, the organization’s stringent selection and interviewing process, is daunting for many discouraging them from pursuing their dreams. Understandably, employers are seeking the best candidate and the winner is the one who possesses skills competencies, self-confidence, independence and having the potential for growth and advancement within the organization. Although most organizations may provide training, they would make every effort to shorten the learning curve and to turnaround the new staff members to become valuable assets within the shortest possible time.
It is crucial to know what employers expect from you as part of their workforce:
· Competencies that will support the objectives of the business objectives and goals
· Creative and innovative and productive at work
· Focused on Quality and Customer Experience
· Flexibility to change and adaptable during unfavorable circumstances such as economic depression, low demand, financial constraints
· Dedicated, committed and loyal to the organization and to fellow co-workers
· Willing to learn and to use their knowledge and experience to the benefit of their employers, their co-workers and themselves
· Responsibility and accountability on the job
Now the megabyte question – are you equipped to win? Do you project self-confidence and self-esteem? Are you the master of your trade? However demanding and challenging is the employment market, one of the ways to convince would be employers that you are the best person for the job is to show evidence that you are the master of the trade, occupation or art.
The key to success in your chosen career is mastering your chosen profession through practice, practice and practice! And Eleanor Roosevelt, US Diplomat & Reformer (1884-1962) said ‘Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself’.