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A Personal Introduction - Review 2023
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Review 2023-2
‘Note to Oneself’:
Spending a lifetime of collecting paper, (qualifications) one can reach ‘a’ conclusion, ‘It’s not what you know, it’s who you know’! (This old adage, that many will ignore, has allowed me to appreciate those that have gone before me…yes! I took notice of this and it has given me an insight to listen more to my elders carefully, well, in retrospect, it was rammed down my throat by my elders at a very early age). Even though I can consider it is too late for me now especially if I was to start out again, (as I am closer to retirement now), one gets wiser with age, or so I am told, (I knew there was a reason for Alzheimer’s, it is the minds ‘Will’, no-one else can have it)! If fortunate enough to have foresight in one’s youth, (rare) our elders’ words can be very valuable; as if like gold dust… so those of a younger age, bear that in mind…
Qualifications only suggests to an employer, one can work to certain specific levels and one is not an expert by any means. Even though they, as in young people, leaving college or university may think they are the answer to ‘God and the Universe and are indestructible, and know it all! Ask yourself, how on earth have you made this conclusion? You should take a step back reflect and to see how absurd that statement is….
It can take a lifetime of experiences to become proficient in only one small aspect of a chosen profession and these professions can change throughout ones career many times over, through unexpected turns of events and/or changes within technology. One needs to be multifaceted to get ‘the best crack of the whip’; this does not make things easier; hence expanding on one’s self-development with this leading to more qualifications or pieces of paper, (hence the collection over time). One also needs to choose the right topic, subjects of study, to mainly reach a professional and/or academic level and be working towards a number of personal goals, as and when to be ready to grasp the opportunities when they arise. Within this day and age becoming an ‘expert or a person in business terms, someone that is ‘less’ expendable! Unfortunately; this vision is becoming less feasible into today’s society, although employers expect one to sell their soul, to the point of squeezing all the essence of life out of one first, only before letting you go because, you have served your purpose, and you have nothing else to offer. (As this can help with their cashflow, and it is a competitive employment market an employer can chose if they want you to remain on the payroll or not. The employer will expect also, any other speciality or qualification that could be seen as useful in terms of i.e. prestige for the company image, will also be required to come at the same price on employment, so one should not show all their cards in one hand straight away, only those cards relevant to the applied job – any other speciality allows one to negotiate during an contract renewal or for pay rises as and when specialities are required. Negotiation wiggle room when discussing contracts of employment is an edge, remembering if the employer has all the facts beforehand, they will own you, so one should leave a little mystery in one’s personal employment background as appertaining to ‘all’ qualifications, otherwise an employer can be difficult and be unforgiving to the success of any positive personal outcomes.
It can be a minefield out there to have the correct skills and to be given the positive recognition of one’s true value, it should read as an identical page, (except for those pages one wishes to keep in reserve of course) … if there is a mismatch it can prove unfavourable to YOU! This is where one can tap into one’s reserves to add just an appropriate amount of honey to keep one’s potential employer on their toes and they will have to reconsider your worth, remembering it may just be pieces of paper, however; one has also placed many hours into study of the subjects and this means one has met the required standards by meeting the expectations of an examining board and one’s peers. One should also bear in mind; this does not suggest; that the employer can buy you cheaply. There is other point to also consider and that is whether you have correctly identified the right study syllabus, as they do go out of vogue, trend or fashion so quickly as they normally arrived. e.g. (Media Studies, Health & Social Care or Tourism does spring to mind) – nothing against those topics, or the required attributes to fulfil these roles as they can be considered somewhat valuable to those that pursue them, and of course the identified professions, (note: regardless of the qualifications they can also give an employer the prestige they require within the industry and this can be the bargaining chip needed, based on the particular profession in question. (I too, can boast I have completed a selection of the latter mentioned qualifications, I did manage to find some spare time to pursue some of the one’s listed and they look impressive as an addition to one’s toolbox and CV). I digress; one does need to update one’s knowledge on a daily basis; as technology improves or changes daily according to company needs, usually at the rate faster than we can digest them. We can all develop our skills; however, we do need to hone through practice and this becomes the backbone of experience. Someone being ‘proficient’ is to combine one’s learning, with ‘experience’ as to really understand the intricacies and how certain elements fits into to the company ‘Mission’ as well as to anticipate the required expectations into fulfilling the job objectives and goals. On the whole, to make sense of the information for practical applications. Also; to appreciate what has NOT been taught, this can be a large learning curve, mainly through trial on a practical level, day to day applications within the occupation(s), this experience is considered as very IMPORTANT.
There is another aspect to consider when learning and this is recalling information, for me at least; this can be a ‘Hercules heal’, an ideal scenario is to have a photographic memory and information to be placed in certain pigeon holes ready for instant recall, combined with the ability to make the occupation less stressful. This can be a stretch to the imagination at times and for the likes of me, a photographic memory is just not there, it remains a dream and I know it will never happen for me my lifetime, unless implanted through advanced technology, it could be possible with the daily advancements, at a great cost, who knows?
Based on the quantity of qualifications one has collected, (for the small percentage of us with society) most employers should offer the going rate, to reflect this accomplishment, this does not always happen as they want your soul at the cheapest price, if they can get a qualified person for nothing they will and make you feel guilty for applying for the job at the same time as you both know, there is always someone that can fill the position. It can also depend on their standards required per applicant. (‘Feed them peanuts, they get monkeys’, does spring to mind and can be a fine balance). An employer can always ask, ‘can you remember all that stuff and are you experienced to fulfil the tasks?’ The answer to both of these questions is usually NO for both questions especially if one has been out of work for any length of time, so securing a job can become difficult as one can be seen as associated more towards academia. It is important to keep in the ‘know’ of one’s profession as to project the fundamental practical aspects of the job. Some elements may emerge and seem familiar during the struggle to recall, (As it only depends on how one’s long-term memory can retain the data, or how one’s short-term memory bridges the gap to execute the data from the long-term memory, for that all important instant recall… and that process fails for 99.9% of us. To use an analogy: One can compare it to visiting a garage for a car MOT. The test certificate is normally only valid for the day of the test however; it does cover us for a 12-month period, or 1 year respectively, even though the brakes of a car could fail the very next day. At this point the car is deemed as unfit for the road and illegal or at least until the problem is repaired or rectified, this without a further test. This vehicle can be seen as dangerous if unaddressed, people will still drive a car that is unfit for the road Using the same scenario, just think, of our qualifications, many are to serve us for a life-time… (there are many dangerous people out there, Doctors? Surgeons, Politicians, Judges, this can make one think)!
As for employers, let’s just say there are mixed abilities and can vary on a sliding scale, greatly. There are many that don’t have qualifications or have taken other possible routes ‘learnt on the hop’, or ‘by the seat of their pants,’ (to coin a couple of phrases), or they had been side-lined, based on not being suitable for promotion, some through incompetence, or through missed opportunities due to life events, some may have worked their way up to gain their practical experience and have been assisting their bosses and are seen to be useful, dependable where they are, and therefore blocked from further advancement.
Spending a lifetime of collecting paper, (qualifications) one can reach ‘a’ conclusion, ‘It’s not what you know, it’s who you know’! (This old adage, that many will ignore, has allowed me to appreciate those that have gone before me…yes! I took notice of this and it has given me an insight to listen more to my elders carefully, well, in retrospect, it was rammed down my throat by my elders at a very early age). Even though I can consider it is too late for me now especially if I was to start out again, (as I am closer to retirement now), one gets wiser with age, or so I am told, (I knew there was a reason for Alzheimer’s, it is the minds ‘Will’, no-one else can have it)! If fortunate enough to have foresight in one’s youth, (rare) our elders’ words can be very valuable; as if like gold dust… so those of a younger age, bear that in mind…
Qualifications only suggests to an employer, one can work to certain specific levels and one is not an expert by any means. Even though they, as in young people, leaving college or university may think they are the answer to ‘God and the Universe and are indestructible, and know it all! Ask yourself, how on earth have you made this conclusion? You should take a step back reflect and to see how absurd that statement is….
It can take a lifetime of experiences to become proficient in only one small aspect of a chosen profession and these professions can change throughout ones career many times over, through unexpected turns of events and/or changes within technology. One needs to be multifaceted to get ‘the best crack of the whip’; this does not make things easier; hence expanding on one’s self-development with this leading to more qualifications or pieces of paper, (hence the collection over time). One also needs to choose the right topic, subjects of study, to mainly reach a professional and/or academic level and be working towards a number of personal goals, as and when to be ready to grasp the opportunities when they arise. Within this day and age becoming an ‘expert or a person in business terms, someone that is ‘less’ expendable! Unfortunately; this vision is becoming less feasible into today’s society, although employers expect one to sell their soul, to the point of squeezing all the essence of life out of one first, only before letting you go because, you have served your purpose, and you have nothing else to offer. (As this can help with their cashflow, and it is a competitive employment market an employer can chose if they want you to remain on the payroll or not. The employer will expect also, any other speciality or qualification that could be seen as useful in terms of i.e. prestige for the company image, will also be required to come at the same price on employment, so one should not show all their cards in one hand straight away, only those cards relevant to the applied job – any other speciality allows one to negotiate during an contract renewal or for pay rises as and when specialities are required. Negotiation wiggle room when discussing contracts of employment is an edge, remembering if the employer has all the facts beforehand, they will own you, so one should leave a little mystery in one’s personal employment background as appertaining to ‘all’ qualifications, otherwise an employer can be difficult and be unforgiving to the success of any positive personal outcomes.
It can be a minefield out there to have the correct skills and to be given the positive recognition of one’s true value, it should read as an identical page, (except for those pages one wishes to keep in reserve of course) … if there is a mismatch it can prove unfavourable to YOU! This is where one can tap into one’s reserves to add just an appropriate amount of honey to keep one’s potential employer on their toes and they will have to reconsider your worth, remembering it may just be pieces of paper, however; one has also placed many hours into study of the subjects and this means one has met the required standards by meeting the expectations of an examining board and one’s peers. One should also bear in mind; this does not suggest; that the employer can buy you cheaply. There is other point to also consider and that is whether you have correctly identified the right study syllabus, as they do go out of vogue, trend or fashion so quickly as they normally arrived. e.g. (Media Studies, Health & Social Care or Tourism does spring to mind) – nothing against those topics, or the required attributes to fulfil these roles as they can be considered somewhat valuable to those that pursue them, and of course the identified professions, (note: regardless of the qualifications they can also give an employer the prestige they require within the industry and this can be the bargaining chip needed, based on the particular profession in question. (I too, can boast I have completed a selection of the latter mentioned qualifications, I did manage to find some spare time to pursue some of the one’s listed and they look impressive as an addition to one’s toolbox and CV). I digress; one does need to update one’s knowledge on a daily basis; as technology improves or changes daily according to company needs, usually at the rate faster than we can digest them. We can all develop our skills; however, we do need to hone through practice and this becomes the backbone of experience. Someone being ‘proficient’ is to combine one’s learning, with ‘experience’ as to really understand the intricacies and how certain elements fits into to the company ‘Mission’ as well as to anticipate the required expectations into fulfilling the job objectives and goals. On the whole, to make sense of the information for practical applications. Also; to appreciate what has NOT been taught, this can be a large learning curve, mainly through trial on a practical level, day to day applications within the occupation(s), this experience is considered as very IMPORTANT.
There is another aspect to consider when learning and this is recalling information, for me at least; this can be a ‘Hercules heal’, an ideal scenario is to have a photographic memory and information to be placed in certain pigeon holes ready for instant recall, combined with the ability to make the occupation less stressful. This can be a stretch to the imagination at times and for the likes of me, a photographic memory is just not there, it remains a dream and I know it will never happen for me my lifetime, unless implanted through advanced technology, it could be possible with the daily advancements, at a great cost, who knows?
Based on the quantity of qualifications one has collected, (for the small percentage of us with society) most employers should offer the going rate, to reflect this accomplishment, this does not always happen as they want your soul at the cheapest price, if they can get a qualified person for nothing they will and make you feel guilty for applying for the job at the same time as you both know, there is always someone that can fill the position. It can also depend on their standards required per applicant. (‘Feed them peanuts, they get monkeys’, does spring to mind and can be a fine balance). An employer can always ask, ‘can you remember all that stuff and are you experienced to fulfil the tasks?’ The answer to both of these questions is usually NO for both questions especially if one has been out of work for any length of time, so securing a job can become difficult as one can be seen as associated more towards academia. It is important to keep in the ‘know’ of one’s profession as to project the fundamental practical aspects of the job. Some elements may emerge and seem familiar during the struggle to recall, (As it only depends on how one’s long-term memory can retain the data, or how one’s short-term memory bridges the gap to execute the data from the long-term memory, for that all important instant recall… and that process fails for 99.9% of us. To use an analogy: One can compare it to visiting a garage for a car MOT. The test certificate is normally only valid for the day of the test however; it does cover us for a 12-month period, or 1 year respectively, even though the brakes of a car could fail the very next day. At this point the car is deemed as unfit for the road and illegal or at least until the problem is repaired or rectified, this without a further test. This vehicle can be seen as dangerous if unaddressed, people will still drive a car that is unfit for the road Using the same scenario, just think, of our qualifications, many are to serve us for a life-time… (there are many dangerous people out there, Doctors? Surgeons, Politicians, Judges, this can make one think)!
As for employers, let’s just say there are mixed abilities and can vary on a sliding scale, greatly. There are many that don’t have qualifications or have taken other possible routes ‘learnt on the hop’, or ‘by the seat of their pants,’ (to coin a couple of phrases), or they had been side-lined, based on not being suitable for promotion, some through incompetence, or through missed opportunities due to life events, some may have worked their way up to gain their practical experience and have been assisting their bosses and are seen to be useful, dependable where they are, and therefore blocked from further advancement.
This was initially written as a sub-note for a video in my DVD and VHS collection and thought it was apt, looking on from my Educational Career, this is what I had concluded. (subject to change as and when).
Continued....