Work Experience vs. Academic Qualifications – Which Way Does the Wind Drift for Personal Development?

Today’s business landscape is more about its swiftness than any other aspect. Employers are ready to make tough decisions just to ensure efficiency. Unfortunately, some efforts come at the expense of employees. Fortunately, there are ways to counteract that and take any obstacle head-on. There’s also the possibility that it can hinder personal development in the employee’s quest to achieve professional growth. The following discussion is about acknowledging that personal development is just as important as professional development. This also answers questions regarding work experience and academic qualifications, and what works best for personal development, especially in pressure environments.

personal development

 

Why Work Experience Matters

Work experience is essential for someone who wants to excel in the professional arena. By definition, it’s the work you did to achieve something in your field. You might even consider experience as the work history on your resume. But there is more to work experience than what meets the eye. Let us elaborate on it further. 

Employers Want Someone Who Can Handle the Pressure 

These days, employers want someone fearless with a suit on. Yes, there are points at which you will be placed outside your comfort zone, and you will have to adapt, improvise, and overcome. However, this is not everyone’s cup of tea, and there’s a good chance that some of us may find ourselves in a rut. For that, we need to be mentally ready to face everything and improve our skills with time. 

pressure enviornment

 

It Allows You to Improve Your Self-Esteem

Experience allows you to broaden your horizons, resulting in better self-esteem. The key element here to understand is to list down self-assigned goals and work on them individually. With experience comes the power to create direction and add confidence to the mix. When you feel good about yourself and your abilities, your performance will get better. 

Improves Work-Life Balance

One of the highlights of bringing the experience to the table is that it improves work-life balance. This is an area that’s most discussed in the current organizational arena. Research indicates that more than 57% of job seekers believe poor work-life balance is a deal breaker, no matter how huge the organization is. Poor work-life balance causes mental distraught and affects our thinking capabilities.

This is one of the reasons why most people are stressed, and it creates a domino effect that all trickles down to a weakened mental stature. This is where your work experience and mental health care comes into the picture. With better healthcare, you can create a work-life balance that will allow you to improve yourself as a professional. Further, as you gain more experience, it will become easier for you to improve your work-life balance.

work-life balance

Academic Qualifications in a Nutshell 

In the last few decades, there has been a lot of decision to increase scientific attention to the role of personal development among individuals. Unfortunately, this area can’t be highlighted enough. However, how does academic qualification play a role in personal development? Let’s shed some light on the subject.

Helps in Working with Teams 

If you aren’t like Elon Musk, who took the social media world by storm with his Twitter takeover, you will work in a team structure. There’s literally no place where you can work without interacting with others. The first instance where you can learn to work in teams is during your academic life. This is one of the reasons why employers ask in interviews whether people have enough teamwork experience. They ask about completed projects, results produced by working in teams, and other aspects of the employment. 

Unfortunately, one can’t learn about teamwork from just academics. Sometimes the pressure gets to us, and as we experience growth in our respective fields, we might lose the plot in the process. This is one of the reasons why working on personal development is crucial to establish a team-like persona.

personal development

 

Recognizing Your Weakness and Working on It

Most schools in North America are clear-cut in their requirements. They give students the perfect trailer of what real life is like. One of the pieces of the puzzle is recognizing weaknesses and flaws. We must believe that others highlighting our mistakes is a tough pill to swallow. However, one can go through that with personal development training. If we have the mental stability to ensure that, there’s no landscape we can’t conquer.

Understanding the Value of it All

Throughout our academic and professional journey, we seek value and validation. Sometimes, the latter more than the preceding one. Unfortunately, that’s how we are built; validation drives us forward. It might be because of the social media-driven world that we’re living in. However, academic experience allows us to not take value for granted. Students have it in them to improve their personality, enabling them to perform in all environments. However, what if a student is stuck in validation rather than on values? It elevates the importance of personal development training. Perhaps, this is the missing piece of the puzzle that drives us forward. 

The Benefits of Personal Development Training 

It’s true that even with a world of academic and professional experience, one may not achieve their objectives. That’s how life is. However, what makes a dependable professional is the drive to not falter by failures but to rise above challenges and difficulties. The goal is to commit to oneself that personal development will always supersede everything else. We discussed the imminent benefits of work experience and academics throughout the discussion. This part of the discussion is solely on the benefits of personal development. Let’s dig in.

Self-Awareness 

Personal development begins with self-awareness. We addressed something like this in the previous section. Personal development allows us to think about ourselves and where we lack in our efforts. When you’re chasing your dreams, you’d also want to soak in the journey. In hindsight, self-awareness is the fundamental step in the personal development process.

A Sense of Direction 

Once you’ve understood your limitations, you have a direction to work with. Personal development training allows you to make better decisions regarding yourself and your associated responsibilities. You will be clearer in your efforts and objectives and realize what requires your attention and what does not.

Improved Focus and Effectiveness 

With personal development comes clarity, accompanied by a better sense of direction. It’s important to note that multiple tasks require your attention even if you know what you need to do. Remember, improved focus and commitment are qualities that every employer search for, irrespective of experience.

More Motivation 

Knowing what you want makes it easier for you to see those benefits. Even when things are not enjoyable, you will have the conviction to move forward. Remember that age-old saying, “when there’s a will, there’s a way!” It’s more than just a saying that our ancestors derived; it still holds meaning.

 

How OH E-Learning – The Answer to Your Personal Development Concerns

Different parts of our existence rely on how we perform on the biggest stage. However, unlike a common phenomenon, it doesn’t majorly depend on professional development. At HOW OH E-Learning, we believe that personal development training is just what you need in the larger context of things. For instance, trainings like meditation, drawing, and anything out of the “professional development paradigm” can be the change one needs to get ahead in life. After all, the goal is to reach those heights that were once deemed unachievable. 

Explore all courses: HOW OH E-Learning

 

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