I was discussing an impasse with one of my friend.
Friend: “You need to know how to become professional if you want to break the impasse.” I said yes to my friend.
My friend was right and I need to improve myself. I searched lots of articles. Professionalism is one of the key assets of a developer. Not only it helps you to get better jobs/opportunities but also It helps you to feel better about the kind of work you’re doing and to have pride in that work.
In war of art, Author steven interprets upon the difference between being a professional and being an amateur:
Turing pro is a mindset. If we are struggling with fear; self-sabotage, procrastination, self-doubt etc. the problem is, we’re thinking like amateurs. Amateurs don’t show up. Amateurs crap out. Amateurs let adversity defeat them. The pro thinks differently. He shows up, he does his work, he keeps on trucking, No matter what.
First, we must know about what is a professional?
- A professional means someone who takes their responsibilities and career seriously.
- A professional is what we should all struggle to be.
- A professional also tells when something isn’t possible or path you want to proceed is wrong.
- A professional doesn’t bluff on everything. They freely admit when they don’t know the answer. They study thoroughly and hone their skills if they haven’t all the answers.
- A professional has a high-quality standard for their work.
Cool. So we knew some of the characteristics of professional.
How do I know whether I am a professional or not
- You’re a professional when your team lead / manager counts on you to get a critical job done.
- You’re a professional when you always focus on getting the job done in right way.
- You’re a professional when you become consistent and stable in all scenarios.
- You’re a professional when you tell your manager what is wrong and what is right.
Okay. But how can I become a professional? How can I improve myself?
How can I become a professional
Forming good habits:
- Habits are the essential part of becoming a professional because a large portion of what we do every day is completely habitual.
- Habits are critical because they build consistency and consistency is what makes you reliable.
- We get up, we go to work, and we perform our daily routines each and every day. We don’t change our routine.
- You have to decide for yourself what habit you need to form.
- I overcome following bad habits in last few months:
- I was watching TV series or chatting with friends till late in the night.
- I didn’t get time for exercise and was living a sedentary lifestyle.
- I was reaching late to the office every day and had to stay late.
- I used to get an urge to check every notification of every app.
- Following good habits become part of my life in last few months:
- I watch videos on weekends. I also chat with FEW friends.
- I follow “Early to bed and early to rise” theory and do workout every day.
- I reach office early every day as I wake up early.
- I uninstalled lots of apps and see whats apps notification.
- If you want to change your life, you need to start with changing your habits.
Time management skill:
- You need to plan out your day. You’ve to list down areas where you want to focus and work on those areas every day.
- A professional must know what work must be done every day. He/she always gives priorities to important works.
- I am learning time management skill. As I mentioned, some of the good habits like I chat with few friends, sleep early and wake up early are helping me to manage the time. I will write a blog on it once I get command on it.
Self improvement:
- You constantly need to improve and increase the quality of the work you produce. I agree that we can’t always produce the quality of work we desire, but over time, with consistency and focus, we can do that.
- You’ve to improve your weakness and Don’t forget to play with your strengths. It would be better if you can do self-assessment of your abilities and weakness.
- If someone points out your weakness, accept it and create an action plan to overcome it.
Conclusion
If you want to be a professional, you need to dedicate yourself to always improving your skills and learning new things. Make sure that you have at least a plan that you can use to improve your skills.
If you have more weaknesses than strengths, Don’t feel hurt. Always remember that What hurts you TODAY, Makes you stronger TOMORROW.
So See you on the other side!!!