Being On Time Is Respectful

Have you ever been running late for something and you really need your replacement to get to work? What if you have been in the office for 10 hours, or you have had a bad day and just need to clock out and go home. If the person you are counting on as a replacement doesn’t come in on time, it is going to be that much longer you have to stay and continue to suffer. You probably wouldn’t like your co-worker after that.

It Shows You Are Prepared

Being on time means that you are prepared to get to work. You have gotten up on time, navigated traffic and had a plan to start work when you are supposed to be starting. This takes planning and some thinking beforehand. Putting in this effort shows that you are ready to start the day and that your head is in the right place. Good work.

No One Is Bigger Than The Team

Even spoiled professional athletes can’t be late for meetings or team activities. If so, they get fined and suspended. If this can happen to a millionaire who millions of fans are counting on, why couldn’t it happen to you, some guy making minimum wage flipping burgers? You don’t even have the luxury of having a rare skill that isn’t easily replaced.

The next time you are thinking about being late for work, at least call ahead. If they know at work, they can make arrangements to help you out, or at least let the guy who is covering for you know how much longer he has to suffer. Things are just easier when they can be planned for. 

Professionalism and Public Images of Civilization

‘Consideration’ is our ability to think about how our words/actions effect ourselves and others before we speak or act upon something. It’s a process of making sure we do the Knowledge (Aware) before the Wisdom (Discernment), because we Understand (See) the effects of our words/actions. To Civilized People, this is a Righteous obligation, not an option or elective…

With the popularity of Reality Shows and ‘rewarding bad behavior’ approach towards the crass, uncivilized, and unprofessional attitudes displayed in mainstream HipHop, basic ‘Consideration’ has become a lost art amongst People. I can understand those who have an allegiance to these American Cultural Trends that are going with this flow, b.u.t. this mentality/behavior is totally unacceptable for Gods/Earths or any person, whether Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, or etc.., who professes to live in accordance to a standard of Civilization, Righteousness, or Godliness.

Recently I had a conversation about the importance of being aware of what we say/do as a Representative/Contact Person within our Culture. Part of this conversation involved me sharing some of my experience as a Public Figure who’s been doing Community Work for many years now. As an add-on to that conversation, I just wanted to share with you a few points of interest.

First and foremost, it’s important to understand that whenever we take a stance of responsibility within our Families and Communities, we are expressing a position of Leadership. This is Leadership because we are actively involving ourselves in the solution process of addressing current/future problems. Leadership doesn’t just mean you’re THE Head, Leadership means you’re a part of the ‘ship’ to ‘lead’ People in the right direction. Anytime we take responsibility for Leadership, we must be ‘Considerate’; able to think about how our words/actions effect ourselves and others before we speak or act upon something. To claim responsibility and then minimize or dismiss the importance of maintaining a Professional, Mature, and Respectable Public Image to those within our Family and Community is not showing a sense of ‘Consideration’. The People whom we are claiming to assist are already looking towards us for guidance and support in addressing their needs, and to have an Attitude like “it doesn’t matter what People think”, “What I do is my business”, “I’m not a Leader”, or anything else that displays no ‘Consideration’ for our constituents is detrimental to building positive/consistent Relationships with them. For example: It’s like working with the youth during the day and then not caring if they cee you selling crack on the block at night… It’s like talking about how much of a God/Earth I am on FB one minute and then five minutes later posting about how the b*tches/n*ggas had it poppin at the strip club last night… Again, ‘Consideration’ is our ability to think about how our words/actions effect ourselves/others before we speak or act upon something. It’s impossible to demonstrate and maintain effect Leadership without a level of ‘Consideration’.

Secondly, in order to even be ‘Considerate’, we must be able to listen. That’s right, LISTEN. Most People don’t know how to listen and that’s one of the main reasons why we don’t learn anything –from others or through our life experiences. Non-listeners either cut People off so they can say whatever they want to say, or simply wait for People to take a breath so they can jump in and say whatever they want to say. Add unbridled emotions to this otherwise poor display of communication and it’s a sure shot recipe for disaster. Rarely do you cee effective communication taking place between People where one person speaks while the other is listening, and then they exchange roles until they both have an understanding about the information being exchanged. It’s a skill! A discipline even, and not everyone is interested in really hearing what others have to say. If you listen closely you’ll notice that they really just like hearing the sound of their own voice bouncing off of you.

The Third point I want to make is in regards to Professionalism and Public Image. There is no substitute for Professionalism, none. How many times have you gotten terrible, unprofessional service at a Store/Restaurant and have vowed never to go back again? Hey, the food or goods may have been great quality b.u.t. because of the lack of service you received, maybe even on more than one occasion, you decided to not patronize this establishment anymore. Well, teaching Civilization is the same way. As Civilized People, we must always anticipate People’s needs and exceed their expectations! This is the greatest service you can provide for someone, so it’s important that we’re Professional; or People will decide to never come back, AND tell many other People about how negative their experience was! Because of our standards of being those who have “knowledge, wisdom, understanding, culture, refinement, and are not savages in the pursuit of happiness” (17/1-40), our job is 25/8 (not 24/7). We are not only on the Stage of Humanity, we set the Stage, and as The Fathers and Mothers of Civilization, People should always be able to look at us as models of Integrity and Wisdom. Even on our sick day we should be great! This means that our outward Public Image should coincide with the Principles and Values we inwardly subscribe to. What People cee on the outside should be synonymous with what’s ticking on the inside. How we’re living at Home should be a reflection of what we’re doing Abroad. Everyone who claims to be God/Earth is an Ambassador of our Culture. If you’re a Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, or etc.., you are an Ambassador of your Religion/Metaphysical System. What is the purpose of claiming something, that’s supposed to help you become a better person, if you don’t care how it effects (looks, feels, instructs, etc…) others? To me, this sounds like someone who wants the milk and no responsibility for milking the cow. It looks like a person who wants fulltime pay and benefits without being responsible for doing the work… Not only is it selfish, immature, and Egotistical, b.u.t. it’s also completely inconsiderate to expect that People be receptive to any and everything we want to say/do (our Public Image), and then dismiss their thoughts/feelings about it by proclaiming, “I don’t care what People think/say about what I do”. Not only has this person closed themselves off from receiving any comments or constructive criticism that will be effective in helping them grow, b.u.t. they’ve put a great big sign on their back that reads, “please kick me!” Being aware of our Image and how we represent ourselves to the Public is only an advantage to us, and the lack of awareness or outright inconsideration of our Public Image will always be a disadvantage and eventually our demise.

In closing, I want to encourage all of us who claim to uphold the meaning of Civilization and duty of a Civilized Person to continue taking the higher road and being a beacon of light/life amongst our People and the Human Family as a whole. What we’re saying/doing should matter first to the person in the mirror, and then this ‘Consideration’ must extend to our Family and Communities. By claiming Righteousness, we have taken upon the responsibility of adding our contributions to make this World a better place than when we got here. This is a Professional endeavor and demands the work of People who are unwilling to cut corners, take shorts, and do a half-ass job. That is unacceptable! This means that we must provide exceptional service to our People by anticipating their needs and exceeding their expectations of what being the True and Living God/Earth, a Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, or etc… is!

Peace,
Saladin www.atlantisschool.blogspot.com

Look the part

You may not have the royal coffers to dip into while shopping, but that does not mean you can’t dress like a princess. One look at any of Kate’s wardrobe choices, and you are aware of her simple, classic taste. Kate has appeared on several best-dressed lists, and for good reason. She often shops at Ralph Lauren, Top Shop, and Chanel, all boutiques known for their timeless style. Being trendy is important, but one must not be overly trendy. Timeless dresses or jackets are always in style and are suitable for almost any event – whether it is a regatta or a board meeting. Kate manages to maintain a professional look without seeming outdated or boring. She often wears classic pieces that are suitable to both her body type and coloring. She knows what looks good on her and continues to invest in pieces that compliment her figure. A dress may look adorable on the hanger, but it may not look the same once you try it on. Another appearance tip from Kate – she does not wear a lot of jewelry or makeup. Both are distracting, especially when it comes to the workplace. She keeps things simple, and this allows the focus on her to be positive, because she clearly feels great about what she is wearing, and this causes those around her to see her confidence as both beauty and respectability.

Know when to keep your mouth shut

As soon as Kate was recognized by the media as William’s girlfriend, she became fodder for the media. She was photographed daily, and when she and William reportedly split up in 2007, she became the center of a media whirlwind. Yet Kate remained quiet regarding the details of the breakup, and both she and William referred to each other as “close friends.” Kate did not speak ill of her ex-boyfriend to the press, and she continued to attend royal family events that she was invited to. Obviously, she and William eventually got back together, and it was fortunate that whatever feelings she had which caused the breakup were put behind them both. Unlike Kate, most of us are not asking questions about our personal lives or work on a daily basis. Yet often many fall prey to either office gossip or humiliation due to volunteering information. It is important to keep both your work and personal lives separate. Although it might feel good to speak ill of your boss to a coworker over a beer, you do not know if and when it will ever get back to your superior, and it will almost always have uncomfortable consequences. Do not resort to others or social media outlets in order to share your innermost thoughts or secrets. If it is that important that you get these feelings out – keep a diary that you do not let anyone read. It is important to handle any and all situations with tact. Even if you are in the right in an inter-office argument, you must remain calm and be kind. If you are not aggressive, you will not be seen as the aggressor, and both your coworkers as well as employer will see you as a “team player” and a valuable part of the company.

Timing is everything

Dubbed “Waity Katie” by British tabloids, Kate had a long road to go before she became a Princess-in-Waiting. From the beginning of her relationship with William, many speculated as to when the couple would be engaged. Friends of Kate’s allegedly told tabloids that the reason for the brief breakup was due to the fact that Kate felt as if William wasn’t paying enough attention to her and didn’t seem serious about their relationship. However, after the breakup, Kate did not waste time mourning her relationship. She went out for a night on the town with her girlfriends and showed the world that she was both independent and self-sufficient. She did not wait around for William, and that is probably what made him realize just how important she is to him. When he finally proposed, it was at a time which was right for both of them, both personally and professionally. Timing truly is the key to having relationships, both business and personal, work out. If a client is not ready to sign on the dotted line, it is important to give them their space but to also let them know that you have priorities. It is also important to recognize the achievements of coworkers and employees who have been at the company for a long time, whether it is with raises or recognition. Also recognize when the timing is wrong to approach both superiors and coworkers regarding sensitive subjects, such as a raise. If you meet deadlines and operate on an organized schedule, you will not only surpass your goals but also become instrumental to your organization’s success.

“Professionalism is the key to success”. That is what we are though in school, from middle school to college, all those years we spent are to prepare us for a successful life. There are several things that contribute to professionalism, but we first must understand why these subjects play an important role in professionalism. The moment we graduate from high school we have an important choice to make. We have a choice to pursue education and achieve a form of degree for the job we want, or to straight to the work field and start working in jobs that don’t pay that much. Regardless of the choice you make, you are adding more things to your portfolio. A portfolio contains very important things such as your professional accomplishment and the things you have done in your work or even life. It’s different from a resume since it contains more detailed information such as skills in a certain area. A portfolio is useful and can backup your resume by showing the accomplishments you achieved or have earned. By getting that employee of the month award or a 4.00 GPA in college, it helps build upon your portfolio. A typical portfolio contains items that support the type of work you are gong to apply after college or pursue later in life. An example might be a Game developers portfolio were he or she has awards for his or her work and finished projects such as a game or two.

                Some of us may have a portfolio ready but others don’t the reason is because of there certain goals in life. Some of us have goals that are realistic, unrealistic, long term and short term goals and these goals play an important part in our lives. If we have a goal set than we know what we want to achieve in life and what we want to get also. If a person doesn’t have a goal than he or she won’t know what there next step in life is. We plan things out because we want to achieve than and a goal helps us get those things by setting a bar for us. Set a long term realistic goal and then break it up into small realistic goals. If you want to get that promotion in your job or move to a higher position, then set a small term realistic goals to achieve that long term goal. Goals help us drive ourselves to success, thing of goals like a ladder in life. The main goal is at the top of the ladder and to achieve it we climb the ladder by taking steps. The steps are the small realistic goals and every time we accomplish a small goal were one step closer in achieving our long term goal.

                Attitude plays an important role also. The way we act, treat each other, or treat a certain subject or matter at hand contributes to our attitudes. The way we view things depends on are attitude. When dealing with external customers we need to have a cool laid back attitude at all times. Even if the customer’s attitude stinks, we still need to be on our best behavior. The reason is because people watch what we are doing at all times and losing control of a subject is easier than actual having the control of the problem. When we take control of the problem or subject people get impress by the way you handled it and yourself.  If you provided excellent answers and approached the matter as if it was an important obstacle to overcome, than you can deal with customers of all types. Yes, dealing with customers needs to be approached with a laid-back attitude so you won’t get offended by the things they say if there having a bad day.

                The same applies to our internal customers as well. You may be asking what internal customers are, well there the people we work with. The same way we treat the external customers is the same way we need to treat them. To put it simply we need to treat others with respect and the way we want to be treated as well. This is important because another part of professionalism is teamwork and leadership. If we get along with customers, than we can accomplish things more easily by teamwork and solving a problem. Teamwork plays an important role, for instance we need the customers to tell us what the problem is so we can provide answers to the problem. If there is no teamwork than we can’t get along or solve the problem at all. Once we have worked together it is up to you perform the actions needed to solve the problem. This is where leadership comes into play. By showing leadership you are showing people that they can depend on you. These skills are essential in life and can help us achieve our goals also.

                Communication is another important subject. People communicate in many ways from hand jesters to speaking in several languages. When we go to a job interview we need to present ourselves in a well professional manner. We can look our best but it is ultimately what we say that cost us our jobs. This is why communication plays an important role. Once we know what and how to take a certain problem than we approach it with the right attitude and provide the right actions as well. Depending on the situation we say different things, so understanding the situation through communication we can accomplish more in life. All these things contribute to professionalism and play an important role in life also. From our portfolios to the way we communicate with others, we are being professional. 

Demetrius Graham

Professionalism

March 4, 2011

            In this writing I will be sharing my opinions on 5 chapters I chose out of my Professionalism: Reaching the Heights of Success in Your Career book. The chapters I have chose are Ch 1. Goal setting, Ch 3.  Managing Stress, Ch 6. Writing Skills, Ch 12. Preparing for Job search, Ch 17, Teamwork and leadership. Goal setting is a great first step to take to show people and yourself that you have professionalism.  Some things you need to know about goal setting are what goals you need to set, and which goals are going to be long term and which are going to be short term. When you enter a new workplace environment, goals are going to be running crazy through your head. Some good short term and long term goals would be: learning the names of your new co workers, getting promoted, and getting to know your boss. Your small and intermediate goals are the goals that should help bring you closer to conquering you long term goals. It would be good to write your goals out because you will soon find out that you will have more than you can count. Keep them realistic, I’m not saying that you can’t accomplish anything, but world peace would be a stretch as a goal right now. 

            You really want to show people, family and co-workers that you are a professional? Next time you are in a stressful situation come out of it without breaking a sweat, which shows people maturity, composer, and somebody that they can count on look up to and trust.  There two types of stress that people can have and its simply good stress or either bad stress. Now what is funny is that good stress, sounds like a oxymoron and many would believe does not exist. However m any athletes, lawyers, and doctors go through good stress every day. A definition of good stress is being in a stressful situation and coming through it by exhibiting great skills and clutch performances. Kobe Bryant would be a great example, also Chauncey “MR Big Shot” Billups, of a person whom when stressed faces the challenge head on and defeats it, or at least come out of it learning something. When stressed I am usually having a good stress, I keep myself from going crazy and throw my gears into a cruise control state, and just let my instincts take over. I also have a saying when I get stressed, “There is a reason why you are hear.” When I start a new job I use that quote to overcome doing things at a fast pace but may not be so familiar with what I am doing, it calms me and lets me know that I was hired for a reason now do your job your being paid to do.   Bad stress is for people who do not like to be in fast, dangerous environments, where thinking and acting fast has a big effect on your job status and future job status’s. If you show people that you can handle stress in the IT world you are more than likely get the big boot. Ways to minimize bad stress would be to remove the source of the stress. For example, let’s say you seem to always get off work late because one of your clients will not log off correctly. Well instead of getting mad everyday and doing it for him because he will not listen go to his boss. Remember every body but GOD has a boss.

            Writing skills are a huge chunk of what you need to be proficient in using to that you are a professional, Simple fact is nobody likes to read or hear ignorance in the adult world. As children it was entertaining, but once the bibs cam off the ignorance shredded off to. In the real world people, co-workers, bosses are all going to have to be able to comprehend what the “heck” you are talking about. They expect politeness, they want to know what you are talking about and why, and they want honesty. Imagine being in a board meeting and your co worker is supposed to be giving a presentation on the economy, but he is only talking about cats and dogs. Would that confuse you? Another example, the same person is giving a speech during the board meeting but when employees ask questions he gets an attitude and gets rude. Is that professional in the workplace? Your reading, writing, and speech skills carry more weight in the professional world than many see.

            In this paragraph I am going to be explaining professionalism and how it will prepare you when searching for a job. Every job, even McDonalds, nowadays conduct background checks before hiring sometimes before even interviewing, depending on what job you are applying for.  A bit of advice for teenagers, stay out of trouble as much as you can, a clean record will equal big bucks. Things companies look for in your background checks are transcripts, references, and your résumés. Transcripts are simply your report cards from high school, college, or what ever educational institute you went to and completed. Failing grades show companies right away that you are not professional and will not want to add you to their payroll. References are people that can vouch for you and say good things about you. It would help to have more than you parents and a neighbor as your references. For most companies it would be inappropriate to even list just family and friends. People like your pastor or spiritual leader, service groups, or respected community individuals would be just fine. Your resume is the most important thing to have, when searching for jobs. Your resume is list everything from previous and all work experiences and education.  The younger you are the shorter your resume should be, obviously you haven’t gained that much experience, I am sure for some that could vary. Drugs are going to have to be non-existent if you are serious about job searching; almost every company drug test and the higher companies do random drug tests. It is not worth the trouble or embarrassment, so stay clean stay professional. A great way to gain points when searching for a job is to actually research the company and learn as much as you can. If you are chosen to be interviewed, a common question that is asked is, “So Mr. Graham what do you know about the company.” If you can give a brief description of the company I will show them that you seriously want to be a part of the staff and you are a professional.

            In this last paragraph I am going to breakdown teamwork and leadership. A team is a group with a leader and members that work together to get the job done. A lot of companies will tell you first that they only hire team players. Rude people the work place is not for you. Another thing everybody is not a leader, everybody can not be Michael Jordan. Many companies look for role players that are the glue that will help teams stick together and work well and complete tasks. Good teams identify there team members strengths and weaknesses. There’s no point having bob that struggles with math, head of crunching the numbers. Diversity comes into the workplace more than ever now. This simply means your team could be made up of people, all different races and even from different nations, but you all have the same backgrounds. As long as the team has good team members you should be fine, but you need to know the qualities of a good professional team player. Honesty, trust, not being stubborn and being able to express opinions are good qualities of a good team member. Leaders are sometimes born, but for the most part leaders are built. Experiences are the building blocks for leaders. Leaders are those people that have good stress and able to break down and solve problems naturally. Work experience and being in successful teams are what young expiring leaders need. In conclusion from reading this professionalism  book I have learned a lot of new and old things that I will now use to ensure that I have a bright future.

Justin Gavin

Mr. West

3-5-11

 Methods of Professional

            Mastering the art of being professional is essential to being successful in the world. Goal setting is a key to being professional because you force yourself to look at your life and examine what you need, want and can live without. Once those categories have been filled, you can begin breaking your goals into categories of short, intermediate and long-term. First, tackle the short-term goals and those successes will lead to your intermediate goals and finally to your long-term goals. Goal setting works like a road map to your ultimate goal in life.

            Being able to manage your time is necessary because you have to make time for your goals in order to achieve them. There are things in your daily life that have to be done, but figuring out what to do with the rest of that daily time is what eventually leads you to your goals. Prioritize by looking at what has to be done, things that can be done now to spare time later and things that need to be done eventually without becoming more difficult. Remember to reward yourself for following your plans… “All work and no fun makes you a dull boy”.

            Managing your stress is another essential element to being professional. You need to understand your stress and what it’s caused by in your home and work life. Not all stress is bad, there’s low pressure stress which leads to boredom (or the like) and there’s high pressure stress which can lead to anxiety and unhappiness. You need to the happy medium between the two know as your Optimum Stress level which will lead to your Area of Best Performance. An example of this would be a star basketball player, who has the pressure of making the game winning basket and in order to do that successfully must be functioning within his/her optimum stress level.

            Your interpersonal communication with your employer, co-workers and other associates is another attribute of being professional. First, you must figure when and how you’re communicating with others. Understand that your nonverbal communication/body language will likely always say more than the words out of your mouth. Take note of your nonverbal cues and make the necessary adjustments. For instance, frowning your face when your superior gives you an additional assignment that interferes with what you’ve already planned. Fact of the matter is that it has to be done and you have to do it, so smile and get it done. A Chief needs his Indians to follow his/her directions regardless of their personal feelings.

            Your professional presentation is another characteristic of being professional. You’ll likely have to tweak your personality to fit your profession. This should be expected because the same way you talk to your friends isn’t likely to fit your business setting. Educate yourself about the company you want to work for so that you can understand the culture of your potential employer. Be intrepid and don’t be afraid to fail… those failures will lead you to your success.

Work ethics also govern how persons dress while on the job. Generation Y employees tend to prefer a less formal style of dress, for example, favoring Capri pants with high heels, over regular pants.

Generation Y employees set high standards for their own performance, and also expect a lot from their employers.

Generation Y employees appreciate an environment where creativity is valued. They also want fair and direct managers who provide them with feedback that helps in their professional development.

A Generation Y employee’s social skills and their work ethics are both influenced by their educational background, social upbringing and personal aims.

Social skills such as the ability to listen effectively, the ability to explain a problem, the ability to ask for help and the ability to give constructive criticism are all essential to an employee’s ability to progress in a work environment.

Generation Y employees should ensure that their work ethics meet their employer’s expectations for behavior while at work. These expectations are usually outlined in their organization’s code of conduct.

HR departments will usually focus on hiring individuals who can adhere to their organization’s code of conduct, rather than hiring based solely on an individual’s technical skills in their field.

There are various social skills and social etiquette which will make it easier for persons to establish a good reputation at work and being observant of the work environment as well as general established norms can make a Generation Y employee’s work life much easier.

 Relationships at work are frowned upon in some organizations, and while no one may say anything to an employee directly about a budding work relationship, it may affect how a person is perceived by their coworkers.

Friendships at work are sometimes limited by the supervisory level one belongs to. Relationships outside of the workplace are not expected to be brought into the work environment. In some cases, even husbands and wives treat each other no differently than other employees. Employees are also not expected to have their friends visit them at work. Though brief visits might be tolerated on rare occasions, it is not something that is expected to be a regular occurrence at most workplaces.

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Job Seekers and Part Time Jobs

1. You are increasing your knowledge and expertise in a particular field

This is one of the most obvious reasons why education is the best investment. You are obviously studying to learn a particular subject and apply it effectively so that you may gain something out of it. When you study a lot about that subject it makes you an expert in that subject and experts in any subject are always in demand by the market. They are needed to cater to the growing needs of various entities.

2. You are being more qualified

When you apply for a job, the human resource department is obviously going to see the level of education you have and prioritize you accordingly. If you are well-qualified in a particular subject and provide what your employer wants, then you will be hired. You will obviously have an edge over people who have had minimum education. And this is considered in any field. There is no such field where education may not count. A person with higher education will always be considered and given the first priority. Even in places of work where they claim that it is a “level playing field” consider education levels for promotions. So if you are a likely contender with another person and if you have more education than that person, then you are selected for the promotion. That person may be as smart as you are, but just because you studied more, you were eligible for a promotion.

3. The more degrees you possess, the more people believe that you are smart

Education is not a fool’s job. Even if you work hard, it is not likely that you will get through education. Education requires a certain amount of intelligence. Everyone may have somehow managed to attain minimum education. But when they see a person go to different institutions in order to be more qualified, they believe that you are a smart person. No institution, at least a reputed one, lets any student come in and join them in order to pursue courses. Universities and institutions tend to try and select good students who are smart and hard working. So, at each level when you progress towards specialization, it becomes tougher to get into reputed universities. But when you do make it through, it shows that you are an intelligent and smart person.

4. The more education you have, the more money you get

When you have additional education about a particular subject, you are more likely to receive higher pay for the same. Your education makes you more qualified for the job and any additional education you have may contribute to your work in a very significant way. With your significant contribution towards your work, you may bring benefits for the organization you work for. As the saying goes, hard work does not go unpaid. Your organization will appreciate your contribution and reward you with more credit and pay. If you do notice, many CEO’s of big companies are very well educated with some having multiple degrees. They are more eligible for promotions and therefore, more pay.

5. The more education you have, the better your outlook is towards life

Education is not just about learning about your subjects. The more educated you are, the more better your outlook is towards life. You are more learned than others and therefore will have better ideals. Your understanding of the world is much better than others. You will be a more progressive person. Higher education inculcates certain values in people which are very beneficial in life. These values and ideals change your perception of the world. You realize that things may not be as simple as you think they are. Your outlook towards life changes and it becomes more better and more positive.

6. The more education you have, the more it shows that you are dedicated towards your career

When people see that you have more education especially when you are specializing in a particular subject, then people will know that you are dedicated towards your career. Most people study in order to set their careers. And people who are dedicated to their careers look forward to working harder in order to achieve their goals. When you relentlessly pursue education in order to be the best in the field, then people will see and recognize your dedication towards your profession. People will realize that you are a professional who is committed to doing a good job and that will reflect in your quest for higher education.

Copyright © 2010 Ashwath Komath

The qualities needed to maintain professionalism includes a good sense of morality, dignity, patience, self-confidence and interpersonal abilities.

Professionalism

Morality is the ability to make the right choices in decisive moments. For example, if a student in the classroom throws a book at you out of anger, you are strong enough to keep your composure, even though you will need to respond to such an act. You have a choice of getting out of the way, seeking help from the front office or scoring a knockout on the student. The latter will undoubtedly put you in hot water, perhaps resulting in loss of a job as well as producing a hefty lawsuit.

Loss of dignity is a bad break for an educator (or any professional). Wherever you go, that loss of dignity, during an explosive moment, follows you. It doesn’t matter how much you have achieved or accomplished in the past. Many employers are narrow minded, only seeing the highlights of your track record, whether those highlights are good or bad. Most of the time, one negative highlight will outshine the positive things you have achieved. For example, let’s take a convict who has been recently released from prison. Suppose this convict has been completely rehabilitated. He has prospered in prison by educating himself and has mastered the craft of cooking. When he gets out he fills out a thousand applications, goes on a few interviews, but still doesn’t get the nod for a job after two years. This is how the loss of dignity can affect you as a professional educator.

As professionals, a good dose of patience with students and parents protects us from losing our dignity. Patience is able to bare the brunt of angry slurs from parents and students. Although we may be boiling on the inside, we are aware that anger against anger is an unpredictable combination. We also know that it is the teacher’s responsibility to demonstrate professionalism under these circumstances. By remaining patience during heated exchanges, we not only show parents that we are committed to the academic success of their children, but we also act as a good role model to the child. We demonstrate respect for the concerns of their parents.

Self-confidence along with the interpersonal abilities to make parents aware of your vision for the social and academic success of their children is an undeniable gift of communication. Constant connections with parents, whether or not the occasion is bad or good, has the potential to strengthen collaboration in fostering the growth and academic achievement of a child. Teachers and parents working close together remains a potent combination against poor academic achievement. However, to create this kind of relationship, you as a professional educator, must inform parents of the successes of their children as well as their failures. Parents do not always want to hear the negative things regarding their children, but the positive as well. If we can find ways to give parent more of the positive, they can bare the negative. Emphasizing the positive shows our confidence in a child’s ability to achieve.

Application

Opportunities exist throughout the school year for educators to demonstrate their professionalism, including conducting conferences with disgruntled parents as well as conferences with irate students. If you find yourself on the receiving end of one of these intense confrontations, your first response is to take charge of your feelings and maintain calmness. Put yourself into their shoes and try to understand their accusations as if what they are claiming happened to their child had happened to your child. You don’t have to actually have children to perform this. Just use your imagination regarding someone close to you, such as a niece or nephew. Practicing this response shows that you are empathic and concerned about the issue the parent is bringing to you.

Don’t try to outright contradict a parent as if they are lying about an issue. Calmly, let them know that you didn’t perceive it that way. Patiently, tell them that you are committed to resolving the problem, but that cannot happen unless the present situation settles down. If the parent or student doesn’t stand down, then you must be strong enough to reject the abuse, walk away or direct the parent to the administrative office. As an educator or a professional, you don’t have to be an open rug, on which an unreasonable parent can wipe off his or her feet. Instead, let them know with integrity, that you are willing to discuss the matter another time, when there is potential for descent communication.

I noticed this through my life in various work places, even to the extent that people who seemed to hate each other often “bonded” following taking a smoke break together. In a work place this often ostracized the non-smokers who, very often, were working when the smokers took their “smoke break”. Somehow smokers did not consider the “smoke break” part of their regular break shared by the rest of the group, and took an additional break afterwards, this would be made worse when business owners, managers, or what have you, also joined in.

In most areas smokers are now forced to smoke outside or in special parts of their building, they huddle together as if in shame, but willingly encourage each other to “have another cigarette”. They will even try to bring others into their group, offering cigarettes to non-smokers (who are welcome to join them but feel socially awkward when doing so).

Smokers often do not like smoking alone, so invite another smoker out with them, that can be a co-worker, or in some cases upper management, or lower employees (when it is upper management that wants to smoke).

It is interesting to watch particularly when lower employees take their smoke break with upper management. The boundaries seem to break down, and in ways much different than on typical breaks. Brown-nosing (the act of sucking up to ones boss) occurs all too easily, and not even intentionally. Quite simply while on smoke breaks the people get to know each other better, and they fell they have a bond.

Very often, following the smoke break, the lower employee will return to work telling their co-workers how much they hate their boss, but when promotions happen, its often that very person that has the opportunity ahead of other hard working employees.

Co-workers form tighter bonds when they come in from smoke breaks. It is a strange ritual to watch but something everyone needs to be aware of, especially employers.

Employers need to see if smokers are taking their regular break, then adding a “smoke break” on afterwards. The employer needs to be aware of some professional lines being crossed when upper management (or the employer themselves) also smoke.

Cliques will form in a work place, its inevitable, but when they form as the result of a habit such as this, it can cause ripple effects within the work place, particularly when it appears that management is involved and supportive.

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