Profession is considered as more dignified than business because one can enter into it only after acquiring specific qualification, whereas business can be started by anyone anytime. That is the reason, professionals get respect everywhere. Here, some may feel that it is not true, it is true subject to the condition, what matters more for you, money or dignity and respect. In every profession, we can find people with much money and people with more respect. Those who give preference to dignity and respect may be not earn much money, as compared to those who prefer money to dignity and respect. So, it is always individual’s perspective of viewing the success. The criteria for evaluating success, differs from person to person. Some people think that having more money means more success and some feels otherwise. Whatever may be the criteria of evaluating success, what matters at the end is people’s perception about your profession. Both type of professionals is responsible in building the image of profession. Such image, decides the future prospects of coming generations.
In today’s competitive environment every professional is facing great difficulties in settling down. May it be Company Secretary, Advocate, Chartered Accountant, M.B.A, Engineer or else. Every youngster completing his professional course expects a job, offering good salary package. Few merit holders of each profession get campus placement and the remaining keep struggling. There are various reasons for this but here I am restricting myself to the deficiencies / obstacles, which the professional themselves can remove. To my knowledge and understanding, those are as follows:
THE EDUCATION SYSTEM
Our education system has some basic problems. We teach students to become an expert of specific field, rather than making them a good professional and human being first.In the race of obtaining highest marks, the students try to learn the subject instead of understanding the same. A person whose basic concepts are clear, is better placed than a person who just learns the subject because the first person is in better position to tackle or handle the adverse position, spontaneously. A person who just learns the subject will get demoralized, when any ticklish question is put to him/ her during interview.
Such raising of child does not allow his/ her best to come out because he/ she is prepared to reply the questions in the defined manner only and hence he/ she never thinks out of box. Such person can be easily demotivated and gets frustrated while facing even small issues as he/ she is never trained to face complicated issues/ problems.
The abovementioned qualifications make a person specific field expert and hence he/ she keeps looking for job in that specific field. Professionals, who have not kept themselves restricted to the bookish knowledge are more successful in life because they prepare themselves to face adverse situation of any kind. Such person adjust himself/ herself according to requirements of employer.
So, every professional must try to acquire working knowledge of every subject which is related to his/ her field.
TRAINING
Training plays a pivotal role in the making of a professional. While selecting your trainer or institution you must make sure that it will provide you the required exposure. Although, there is limitation with every trainer and institution. They cannot provide you training in all the fields. Before starting training, you must make your mind about the field which you would like to pursue, primarily. After deciding the field, you must find out the best available trainers/ institutions, which can impart you training. Before joining training, enquire about the image & environment of that institution, nature of boss and staff, exposure available there. For this you can meet the trainees who have undergone training there.
Training means practical exposure to work which you learn in books. Don’t think that you will be fed like a child during training rather be prepared to do the work yourself. Put maximum effort in studying and doing the assignment yourself instead of asking others. Try to do as much of variety of work as you can. The more you do, the more you learn. Always take responsibility of work, even if it goes wrong. Those who try to shift the blame on others, suffer big failures in life. Don’t be afraid of mistakes but at the same time try to rectify them on your own. Remember that it’s not bad to make mistake, just make sure that you don’t make the same mistake again and again.
Training is the most important part of professional as it will shape his career. Future job prospects also depend upon it. So, you must treat it as the most important part of a professional’s life and take the decision accordingly.
RESPECT AND FRIENDLY
You must respect your trainer. Don’t take this lightly. Respect does not mean what you pretend on face, it means what you feel by heart. Join training only under that professional whom you respect by heart. If you respect a person by heart, you take him seriously. During training, there are many things which the trainer tells you only when he feels, that you respect him. Even when you pretend that you respect him, he is aware about the truth. This smartness causes loss to the trainee only.
Another thing is, be friendly with colleagues, even if you have more qualification or degrees or you belong to a rich family. Your elegant behaviour will be beneficial for you and your rude or arrogant behaviour will cause loss to you only. In any case, the loss suffered during training, will be irreparable but you can avoid it, simply by following the above advice.
PATIENCE
The new generation lacks patience. They just try to compete with their friends and relatives. They see how much salary has been offered to their friends or relatives and even the parents keep reminding them about the success stories of such children. Such a comparison makes the life of professional more miserable. Every one cannot get the same start or opening because of difference in their attitude, thinking, perspective, intelligence, behaviour, talent, strength, weaknesses etc. One who gets lower start in beginning may excel later on in career and another who gets higher start initially may not maintain the same pace later on. Every person who has some qualities does get recognition and reward. In some cases, it may come sooner whereas in other cases it may come later. So, one must perform his duty diligently and sincerely with patience, which is must for every professional.
SWOT ANAYLSIS
The new generation does not pay attention in recognizing their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT). Though, every professional read this statement many times during his / her studies but forget to apply the same to himself/ herself. They learn this statement but fail to understand it and this is what I want to convey. Since, they only learn this statement, they fail to take it’s benefit even for themselves. Had they understood this statement in true sense, they would not have faced such problems, today.
So before entering into practical life, every professional must evaluate himself/ herself on the above scale and then choose the field accordingly. Moreover, evaluation of selected field on above parameter must also be done, to be successful. Your teachers, trainers, parents, friends and relatives can help you in identifying these qualities. Don’t be in hurry. Take your time before entering into practical world because once you enter there, your every movement will be noticed.
VERSATILITY
The professionals restrict themselves and that’s why they keep looking for a job in a particular field. A Company Secretary keep himself restricted to Company Law and never think of doing job in Accounts, Taxation, GST, Customs, IPR’s etc. An advocate keep himself restricted to civil or criminal matters and does not think of working in other fields such as taxation, customs, IPRs etc. Same is the position of other professionals.
When a professional will carry out the SWOT analysis of himself/herself alongwith that of selected field, he/ she will certainly have more options to choose from. Try to make yourself versatile. A versatile professional gets settled easily. So, if you have missed the chance of becoming versatile during training, then have patience and learn other things to make yourself versatile and competent to be able to fit in more job profiles.
JOB ORIENTED
The new generation prepares himself from job perspective only. They never think of or plan to do practice or business. A professional who prepares himself from both angles is more successful because he is mentally prepared for both options and while being in job, he gathers experience of doing business also. Such person does not keep himself restricted to the work assigned to him rather keeps his eyes and ears open to learn and understand other things also. He tries to learn the work assigned to other employees and thus gain knowledge of an additional field.
MONEY MATTERS
Although, money matters for everyone but in my opinion, if you are more money minded then you should not join a profession rather go for business because in that field money is the major criteria and ethics comes at last. Even in that field, those who do business ethically, earns not only respect rather become a brand in the market. For starting business there is no need for undergoing training and thus you need not wait for earning profits/ income. In profession you should not expect earnings during your training period. It is a learning period for you, during which you must try to gain the maximum knowledge and experience, which will help you in earning money, later on. I have seen professionals, who were more money minded, have either spoiled their career or have no respect in profession even after earning lot of money. So, my sincere advice to the budding professionals is to concentrate on building reputation first, money will follow automatically.
Further every professional must treat himself as a student, if he wishes to succeed in life. Those who after obtaining degree starts feeling that they have become professional loses the race and those who keep learning excel, in later part of life.
The above suggestions are applicable to trainees as well as to those who are in job. In my opinion and according to my experience, if someone follows the above suggestions he will be benefitted definitely.
Hope every reader will find this article to be beneficial. If you find this article to be beneficialthen please give your feedback.
I will write the next article on “How to Start Practicing a Profession” only, if I will receive a positive feedback from the readers.
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