What distinguishes a professional from a tradesman? There are professional definitions everywhere. A professional has a four year degree. A professional uses less physical demand and more mental knowledge on the job. A professional belongs to a guild or other society with specific standards. While some of this may ring true, they really don’t encompass what a professional is.
So if those aren’t what make a professional, what does? A professional doesn’t just take, they give back. There are many ways to do this. Play to your strengths. For example, maybe you’re a good speaker or a teacher and you could use those skills to help others. While teaching your normal courses does benefit others, you could broaden your reach and teach a seminar. There are many people that could benefit from a free course. Maybe someone is trying to become a professional and they’ll be inspired by your seminar or perhaps someone can’t afford classes but still want to learn. You could even raise money for a scholarship. Not only could you give back in your field of study, but you could also volunteer. For example, if you’re good at crunching numbers and doing taxes, you could volunteer to do them for people in a senior community.
There are three questions to ask yourself.
1. What is your strong suit?
2. What does your community need?
3. How can you bridge that gap to use your talents and services to help your community?
It’s scientifically proven that endorphins release in the brain when a person does something good for others. While being a professional in your field is fast paced and rewarding, you could achieve a different level of happiness and joy from helping other people.
While giving a speech you could have a turnout of hundreds of people. Create a free informational YouTube video, thousands of people could see it on the internet. Giving back feels good, but sometimes you even get a return from giving. It’s similar to the saying ‘what goes around comes around’. You don’t have to always use your skills to make money, because even volunteer efforts can help your career.
Do you disagree? Let us know in the comments and tell us what you believe a professional is.
