How to become the best in your profession. Focus on what's not working

The largest resource Superjob has been helping employers and job seekers find each other for 17 years. According to statistics, IT specialties have been among the top five most in-demand and highly paid for several years now. If you dream of a successful career, good salary and interesting work, this option is for you! Learn and master the complex and fascinating world of IT development and programming.

Popular methods 4:

• graduate from university;
• study independently;
• find an IT guru and ask to become a student;
• complete online courses

Each of these methods has significant advantages. But more and more people prefer online learning. About 2 million people have become clients of the GeekBrains educational resource.

Online learning and university

The main advantage of studying at a university is a diploma. At some enterprises such a document is required: they will not hire you without it.

• You will have to spend a lot of time studying theory, but there will be little practice. You will have to develop it either on your own or after university.
• The training is long, at least 5 years, and the program contains many extraneous subjects that are necessary for general development, but useless in professional activities. Why does an IT specialist need history or cultural studies?
• The most important thing is that you can understand whether you like your specialty or not only in your final years, when specialization begins. It will be very difficult to change anything.

Online courses have no disadvantages of studying at a university:

• You yourself choose the areas of knowledge that are important and interesting to you. If you think you don't need a course, don't take it. But if you change your mind, you can always return to it.
• You can immediately assess the attractiveness of the profession and understand whether you have found your calling or whether you need to look further. For example, the GeekBrains resource has courses in 18 specialties. Basic knowledge in these specialties is free: you choose a profession after you “try” it. For example, you dream of becoming a programmer. Follow the link https://geekbrains.ru/basics_intensive, learn the basics of programming and realize that you were wrong. You are not interested in this, but web design is. You move on to another course and do what you enjoy. Lost time - minimum, lost money - 0 rubles 0 kopecks.

Online learning or self-study

Self-study is absolutely free. Besides, you only do what you consider necessary and correct. But:

• You waste a lot of time searching for the right material. Besides, you don’t really know what you need and what you don’t. It’s difficult to create a lesson plan on your own if you don’t understand the topic at all.
• If you have a question, there is no one to turn to for help. You can ask around on the forums, but it’s not a fact that they will answer you. Nobody likes teaching newbies.

Online courses cost money. But:

• You receive structured information presented in the required sequence.
• You save time. Which, as you know, is money. You sleep well, communicate with family and friends, and do not turn into a sullen recluse.
• There is a forum on the GeekBrains website. There you can ask any question, get advice if necessary. Students just like you communicate on the forum. They will be happy to help if they can. And you can always turn to a mentor. He will help you solve a complex problem and explain if something is unclear.

Online training or communication with an experienced IT specialist

If you know a master of his craft, and he is also a good teacher, you are very lucky. This person will be able to explain the theory to you and provide you with good practical experience. But IT specialists are rarely good teachers. These are different areas of activity.

GeekBrains courses are taught by university teachers and practicing IT specialists. They also write blog articles and host webinars. People who cannot clearly present information and convey it to students simply do not get into this project.

What after training?

The main problem of a novice specialist is to find a job. Employers prefer to hire employees with experience. Studying at GeekBrains means practical projects that will go into your portfolio: you will have something to show the employer.

Many companies are looking for employees on GeekBrains. On the page https://geekbrains.ru/career you will find a list of vacancies. These employers don't want people with degrees. They need employees who can solve specific problems for a decent salary. You can become just such a person.

Do you think success in any business is determined by innate abilities and talent? To a certain extent, of course, yes, but this is not always a guarantee that a person will become a Master. Here is the time to remember the common phrase that a talented person is only 5% talent and 95% work. And this is absolutely true.

So what should a person do if he wants to become a real professional in any field? He must work and practice his craft, hone his skills as much and as diligently as possible. There is even a rule for success called “10,000 hours of practice.” It is believed that after this conditional milestone a person can be considered an excellent specialist.

Of course, the number of hours of practice in itself does not solve anything. Classes must be thoughtful, thoughtful and very diligent. This is not the case when you can get by with such a principle as “the soldier is sleeping, the service is in progress.” No, it's setting a goal every day, making progress and endlessly improving your skills. In other words, in the morning you need to ask the question: “What can I do today to improve my skills?”, and in the evening, “What have I done to achieve this?”

You need to surround yourself with your chosen activity and increase its presence in your life to the maximum. For example, are you studying to become an English translator? Read in English, watch foreign films in the original, communicate with native speakers, in general, immerse yourself in the language completely! For me, an example in this sense is my friends, husband and wife, both doctors, who prescribe a bunch of literature on medical topics, constantly read something, discuss it, and become interested. For them, work is not a certain number of hours spent outside the home, but a true interest that is present in their lives every second.

The main thing is not to be passive. Moreover, you need to constantly try yourself in your business, and not just absorb information, remaining an outside observer. Theory is theory, but practice is priceless.

In a sense, you should even be merciless to yourself. Do not limit yourself to simple repetition in honing your skills, but take to new heights. Become a kind of ruthless taskmaster for yourself who will not tolerate parasitism and passivity.

By the way, I would like to say separately about whether one should sacrifice momentary joys for such a noble goal as self-improvement. Absolutely yes. The best people I know often spend their weekends not in the usual leisure activities like walking, drinking, lying on the couch in front of the TV, but in self-education. And not necessarily in your field, but, for example, in learning another foreign language, reading, etc. And, “oddly enough,” they are the true professionals in their field who have reached the most significant career heights.

This pattern was demonstrated very well by an experiment conducted by scientists. The children were given candy and told that if they did not eat it right away, but a little later, they would get another one. Naturally, not all children were able to show such restraint: some ate the candy right away, while others were able to endure and were rewarded for it. And the most interesting thing was that the more successful people later turned out to be those who, in childhood, were able to give up momentary pleasure for the sake of something more.

I think this experiment fully demonstrates my point. By the way, in addition to everything, successful people are also introverts. After all, thoughtful, effective work requires solitude, the ability to concentrate and fully immerse yourself in the work atmosphere.

It is believed that it takes at least 10 years to develop the skills of a real specialist. Learn from your mistakes, challenge yourself, don’t look for easy, simple tasks. True specialists always focus on their shortcomings and weaknesses, as they are constantly looking for opportunities for self-improvement. Try to do better, not just good, better than yesterday.

It is important not to forget that the key to success is perseverance, the ability to finish what you have started, without giving up or giving up halfway. You need to understand that the path to your cherished goal will be long, and be prepared for this. And remember that the road can only be mastered by those who walk.

Becoming the best is a worthy goal for professionals in their field. In fact, this is the logical conclusion of a long path of self-development in a specific area.

But not all specialists achieve this, not everyone becomes the best or even at least somewhat good. So what does this depend on? First of all, from the very desire to become the best.

Do you want to become the best in your field?

Any movement begins with a goal, and the first thing to do is to set the goal correctly.

We start with setting a goal

The first and most important sign of a good goal: it motivates. When you remember her, you want to do something, she pushes you to work and pushes away laziness and procrastination.

If your goal is not motivating, then it is not the right goal.

When starting your movement, you must clearly know who you want to become and after what period of time this should happen. It should not be a secret to you why you are pursuing this goal: for money, recognition, better living conditions.

It is also important to determine the right pace at which you will achieve your goals. If you think that you can become the best in your field in 40-50 years, perhaps you should speed up a little?

Once goals are set, it's time to achieve them. But to do this, you will have to more than once overcome your habits that have accumulated during your aimless existence.

Here is a list of qualities that characterize the best in their field - from a specific profession to a favorite hobby.

Developing the qualities necessary for number 1

Surely these qualities will not be a discovery for you, but have you often thought about their development? All these qualities can be called correct, and even though truth is most often a subjective concept, they coincide in almost everyone.

Don't be late

The best in the business is not late. It’s better to arrive half an hour early than to be 5 minutes late, and there can be no excuses here.

To accustom yourself to punctuality, you can come up with different punishments for being late. For example, as Igor Mann, a famous marketer and author of books on self-development, advises, you can punish yourself by paying the total bill at a restaurant.

Keep your word

Make it a rule to always do what you promise. Of course, it will not be easy to change your mind right away if you are used to throwing words to the wind, and, most likely, you will have to come up with some kind of sanctions for yourself for failures.

Remember one thing: to avoid having to promise too much and then punish yourself for not delivering, just don’t promise something you’re not sure about. In general, try to promise less.

Learn to say no

If you're going to be the best, you simply won't have time for extraneous, meaningless requests.

Therefore, practice saying “no” to all requests that do not correspond to your plans. Although, of course, you should choose carefully: some refusals are fraught with unpleasant consequences.

Delegate tasks

If someone can do a task as well as you, delegate it. Stop pointlessly burdening yourself with everything, as you will simply waste time. Delegate tasks as much as possible and do only what no one can do better than you.

Learn to get things done

This is a serious skill that we have been told about since childhood. Nevertheless, few people complete the work they start, from large projects to small plans.

If you can't complete the most basic task, how are you going to change your life and become a better person?

Cultivate this skill in yourself, do not leave a single task unfinished, and it will be much easier for you to change.

Remember all your unfinished tasks and either completely abandon them or finish them.

Learn to concentrate

This is a vital skill that will come in handy no matter what you are doing. And to become the best, you will have to learn it.

When working in a hostile environment, there are some simple tips that can help. If chatter in the office bothers you, wear headphones with neutral music or earplugs; If you can't concentrate on talking to clients on the phone, try wearing dark-tinted glasses.

Igor Mann claims that this is a great way to concentrate: “All external stimuli are turned off, and it’s as if you see your interlocutor.”

You can also use different techniques to increase concentration, such as Pomodoro. This is a technique according to which you work, stopping every half hour to rest for 5 minutes (later 10 and 15 minutes).

This technique is fairly well known, and you'll find plenty of timer apps for iOS and Android, like Clockwork Tomato, desktop options like Windows, or entire services for better concentration and achieving your daily goals like.

Learn to accept new things and constantly develop

The older we get, the more difficult it is to perceive something new. But if you decide to become the best, then standing still is no longer for you.

Try new techniques and tools, find new opportunities, develop not only in your field, but also in related ones, meet new interesting people.

You cannot win the title of the best once, and then put your cup on a shelf and rest on your laurels for the rest of your days. Only constant development will help you remain the best.

Do not give up

In one of his lectures, Igor Mann mentioned one famous saying:

Nothing can replace perseverance: neither talent - there is nothing more common than talented losers, nor genius - the loser genius is already a proverb, nor education - the world is full of educated outcasts.

Only perseverance and perseverance are omnipotent. The motto “push up” or “don’t give up” has and will always solve the problems of mankind.

Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States

A person who has all these qualities already claims to be the best and will definitely become one. And now about how to understand that you have become the best.

How to understand that you are the best

How will you prove to someone or even yourself that you are the best specialist in your field? After all, objectivity as such does not exist, and each person judges himself and others from his own point of view.

The very first thing is your projects and achievements. If you have projects or things that you are proud of, you can name them and talk about them, this is already a success.

Of course, you may have some documentary evidence recognition: a lot of money, diplomas, excellent ratings, statistics.

What's interesting is your failures can also be considered achievements. Why? Because you did something, and, as you know, only those who do nothing make mistakes. Therefore, appreciate and consider all your mistakes as achievements, the main thing is that they are not repeated.

No less important is position yourself as the best in your business. Creating a personal slogan that sets you up for a certain position in life, the right original resume, 100 words that describe you as a person, and other features - all this helps you see yourself as the best and be it.

So, if you have achievements that you are proud of, have documented evidence that is enough for you to consider yourself the best, and at the same time you continue to constantly develop and position yourself in the right way, we can say that you have truly achieved that you have become a number 1, and few would doubt it.

The rules and methods sound quite simple, but the path itself cannot be called simple. After all, one motivation is missing here: today you decided to become the best, you lived the day “correctly,” and tomorrow you forgot about everything.

Consistent actions, regular classes and constant maintenance of motivation are needed, and this can only be ensured by training with a trainer who has himself walked this path and become the best in his field.

I'm 23, I work, I entered the correspondence department. Tell me how to study it correctly in order to become a good specialist?

Answer

One of the most useful questions recently. Simple, clear and concise - keep it up, dude! This approach will clearly be useful to you in life. Let us note all our wishes and greetings with which we so ardently shower each questioner and, finally, answer the question.

First of all, let's say this: this is the right choice. Moreover, in my opinion, distance learning is the most correct choice for a working person in the Russian education system. Let's not put on rose-colored glasses, but the diploma has become worthless, and that's a fact. However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't get it. It’s just that now the process is more honest: you get a diploma only to become a better person. This, of course, is more typical of humanitarian professions. But we digress.

I myself studied correspondence at one time and this is the experience I gained, perhaps it’s just what you need.

Correspondence students are divided into two categories, one of which is complete lazy people who just want to take the easier path. The other half are working people or those who, due to life circumstances, simply do not have the time or money for full-time education. In any case, at the institute itself, part-time students are treated worse than full-time students. Although both the first and second pass the same exams and write the same diplomas. This attitude creates several significant problems during the training period. Part of the teaching staff will consider you to be a person who can, wants and will certainly pay for successfully passing the exam (after all, it works, which means there is money). Sometimes such things are stated directly. And some classmates will not be averse to collecting money for this. This is the case when you need to go against the team if you want to become a good specialist. Only real submission, only hardcore! And at the same time, do not rule out that you will often have to sort things out with unscrupulous teachers who will try to bring you down. This problem is common, and I don’t even know which institutions it has bypassed. The main thing is not to pay at all, because if you pay once, you will start paying for every slightest difficulty. What surprised me most of all were the people who paid for change without even trying to change it themselves. It was such a culture shock. They said: “I still won’t pass, why even try?”

The following advice immediately follows from this. If you realize that your teachers are crap, and you just want to pay your classmates, then you shouldn’t become part of the team and make acquaintances. Sooner or later the team will begin to put pressure, which will definitely not work in your favor. However, being a correspondence student, it is difficult to become part of the team, because you rarely appear at the institute.

When the first classes arrive (correspondence students also have them, if anyone didn’t know), then pay attention to those teachers who are not lazy to talk in detail about their subject. It is better to have a good relationship with them and always do what they ask, because, as mentioned earlier, even among teachers the attitude towards correspondence students is not very good, and when you find those who do not care about you, then you should stick with them. Due to the fact that there is a lot of material, but, on the contrary, there are few pairs, and they are given in a very short time (we had 5-6 pairs a day for 2-3 weeks), many students study from session to session. This is the wrong approach if you want to retain your knowledge. Get a list of the literature required for your specialty already in the first days of your studies and study it all year. Even if you read something on the weekends for 2-3 hours and take notes on it, such tactics will give you a significant advantage. You won’t need to grab your head during a session and study the material that has fallen on you at night.

Never leave finding out educational information until later. This is a rule that I learned from my personal experience. Your supervisor, no matter how good he is, most likely will not pay the same attention to your course as a full-time course. It is completely stupid to rely on the headman (although there are exceptions), so show independence and establish contacts with all teachers. They may be annoyed by it, may be mad at the annoying student, but you have to figure out your course syllabus long before your session starts.

There are “free” exams. In the worst case, 20 percent of them turn out like this. To pass the subject, you need to memorize a couple of dozen terms and smile at the teacher. So, this may seem like manna from heaven at certain moments, especially when you are working (after all, so much time has been freed up), but in the meantime this has a terribly impact on your professionalism. Therefore, you will have to show willpower and still study the subject as it deserves. In general, in my opinion, correspondence students often produce much better specialists than full-time students. Because this form of training requires independence and responsibility from you. Yes, you are deprived of many academic hours, but there are always books that can replace them.

Still, the lack of information can have an impact. Therefore, do not shy away from any opportunity to attend a professional conference, open lecture, training, etc. They are often held by the institute as optional events for attendance, but it is better to attend them, because a visiting specialist may have a much better understanding of the subject than a local professor. Do not exclude third-party sources of information and any additional literature. As a rule, standard recommended textbooks are written in dry and dull language, but in stores and on the Internet there are analogues that are much more pleasant to read.

More than once or twice the thought will come to your mind that all this training is complete crap and you are wasting your time. Since you are a correspondence student, it’s easier for you to give up the whole thing, but it’s better to think about it more rationally and not make hasty conclusions. On days like these, relax, have a beer with friends, remember why you did it and what you wanted to achieve by doing it. When you get your thoughts in order, continue further. Self-responsibility and willpower are what you need first of all.

As a specialist, the first thing that comes to mind is to graduate from some educational institution. At all times, a person who has acquired a certain amount of knowledge enjoys respect and authority among others. However, you should not rush and call yourself a specialist immediately after receiving a diploma or other document that certifies the completion of your studies. Of course, the quality of knowledge is of great importance when applying for a job. Experienced managers know very well how and by what criteria they need to select employees for their company.

Almost all capable people know how to become a good football player. Or a hockey player. First of all, you need to have physical characteristics and a predisposition to play sports. If these qualities are present, then everything else is very simple. You need to work hard and a lot, train, keep yourself in excellent physical and psychological shape. Today every boy knows about this method. In this regard, it should be noted that not every outstanding athlete can become an equally outstanding coach. In practice, the opposite often happens - a mediocre player suddenly reveals himself as an advanced mentor.

For a leader, as well as for a coach, it is very important to express your thoughts clearly and popularly. It is no secret that each person’s information perception organs operate differently. Some people perceive written text better, while others. In some situations, you have to help subordinates and explain to them how to become a good performer of a particular production task. And this needs to be done in such a way that a person does not feel offended, but, on the contrary, is inspired and active.