What Is Student Professionalism - Essay Example

Professionalism What is Professionalism? There is a marked difference between professional andone being a professional. Professionalism as a concept can be perceived to be a rather difficult concept to successfully conceptualize (Davis 8), as opposed to merely being a checklist of certain things to do, it is actually a way of being. This way of being is seen to comprise of a number of different factors such as one’s manner, attitudes, appearance, openness to grow, skills, communication, approach and interactions. Professionalism is generally a combination of various taught aspects such as skills, knowledge, and the learning one gains through personal experience such as knowledge on how to behave with certain people in particular situations. Student professionalism generally implies the extension of both courtesy and respect by a student to others in both the educational setting and the particular chosen profession. In line with student professionalism, students are expected to ensure that they maintain the highest standards of professionalism not only in their university community, but also in their individual classrooms, their work setting and in all the various related public settings. Professional students should ensure that the manner in which they present themselves successfully elevates their professional image in the eyes of all who happen to interact with them. Professional students are encouraged to understand that what each of them does eventually affect the manner in which they are all viewed. Background Information I used to assume that obtaining good grades in college is an easy undertaking. However, I soon came to learn the error of this assumption as I was soon to start experiencing a worrying deterioration in my performance. However, by adopting a number of positive values, I was soon able to start achieving success in my studies, these positive values are all well encompassed by student professionalism. Obtaining a turn-around as a student and eventually emerging as a successful student has not been an easy task but as a result of adhering to the principles of student professionalism, I have been able to achieve this success. In this essay, I discuss some of these principles and their effects on my student life. In order to become an effective student professional, I have endeavored to ensure that I effect a number of strategies designed to portray professionalism in my classroom expectations, my work expectations, and my interpersonal expectations. Student professionalism is not just something that one can be able either turn off or on to suit their convenience. One of my friends who is also a fellow student told me of an incident where one day during his lunch break, he had met with some other friends at a restaurant. My friend and his group was engaging in a loud conversation, acting in a rather rowdy manner and causing the rest of the customers in the rather quiet restaurant to experience great discomfort. One of the other restaurant customers asked the group to kindly tone down on their loud conversation, and as opposed to considering this request my friend and his group threw a round of abuse at the guy, laughed at their own wit and went on to become even louder. During the afternoon, two of the group members were scheduled to interview for an internship at a certain company, but were duly shocked to discover that the man that they had abused during their lunch was actually the human resource director at the company. Needless to say, none of them passed the interview as the director ensured that they were dismissed and did not even get to take the interview. This incident serves to emphasize the fact that professionalism is a way of life, a personal standard of excellence that should be taken by all students. I have made the individual decision to be the very best that I can be in both my academic and professional lives. It is always quite annoying when during a particularly difficult lesson, someone’s phone rings and they receive the call in the middle of the lesson. This can sometimes cause the teachers to have to explain the point all over again resulting in the needless waste of time. To this end, one of the measures that I have decided to take so as to improve my professionalism is ensuring that I respect both my professors and teachers. I always ensure that I pay full attention to my teachers and classmates during lessons and presentations. This strategy is informed by the fact that the learning process is often very much what I put into it as what the lecturers teach us. Most of the classes that I am currently undertaking in my course are actually quite challenging and side conversations during the lessons often tend to distract everyone in the classroom. I always encourage my fellow students to hold private conversations outside the classroom and minimize side conversations during lessons for the mutual benefit of both the lecturers and the students in the classroom. During my first few weeks as a college student, I frequently used to be quite late for virtually all my classes. I had little regard for time management and timeless and the values that they encompassed. In the rare cases when I actually made it for class without my being late, I used to find myself not having adequately prepared for my classes. I would usually have the wrong set of books or incomplete assignments. However I soon realized that this unprofessional student behavior on my part would eventually result in my failing to obtain passing grades in my studies. I therefore decided to ensure that I observed timeliness in all the different facets of my life as a student. Time management and timeliness as a professional student does not only mean my coming in for class by the deadline and remaining seated for the entire class duration, but also extends to my having everything ready for class (Meltzer 70). Good interpersonal skills are an important factor in the development of an effective professional student (West and Turner 10). Disagreements between my lecturers other students and myself are a common occurrence and can sometimes be quite heated. As opposed to acting like some of my fellow students who take the disagreements that often arise during the group and classroom discussions quite negatively resulting in their refusing to acknowledge the point being made by opposing parties or even storming off from the discussion, I have decided that as a professional student, I should always view discussions and disagreements in a positive light as they are a part of learning and are to be expected. I always try to talk to my classmates and lecturers in a positive manner while opening up myself to understanding their views on the subject matter. As professional students, in the rare instances that we are not able to resolve disagreements during our group discussion sessions, we always seek to try and obtain the help of other students or lecturers who might be able to offer more insight on the matter. Being optimistic and maintaining a positive attitude during or discussion and arguments usually go a long way in resolving the various issues that might arise during or discussions. Conclusion It is important for student professionalism to be both well internalized and intrinsic so as for students to be able to attain self-efficacy, a sense of achievement, self-worth, a deep sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.. Different people have diverse ways of being professional students depending on their personality and context. While student professionalism as a concept can at times prove to be rather hard to define, it is however quite easy for others to spot when absent. However, students should try and maintain this professionalism as it serve to greatly affect not only their studies and relationships, but also their future professional careers as well. Works Cited Davis, Bonnie. 2002. Phlebotomy : a customer service approach : a textbook for developing phlebotomy and customer service skills. Albany, NY : Delmar Thomson Learning. Meltzer Lynn. 2010. Promoting executive function in the classroom. New York : Guilford Press. West Richard and Turner Lynn. 2010. Understanding Interpersonal Communication: Making Choices in Changing Times, Enhanced. Cengage Learning. Read More