Previously, we discussed the importance of soft skills and how to acquire them. Here we will explain each a little further.
Leadership: Be ready to lead and to follow.
You are sometimes put into a leader position, so be open, charismatic, intelligent, passionate with integrity. You also need to listen. Most of the time you are a follower, so you need to listen, follow (when the path is a good one) and suggest an idea (when the suggested path may not be the best way). If you are timid and always fade into the background, you might be left there with no way to move forward.
Communication: Be it presenting or writing a report.
No one can live without communicating. You communicate with words (spoken and written) and with sign (hands, flags and code). The reality of the world is, sometimes the empty can gets attention. It makes the loudest noise, even when it doesn’t offer any substance. Don’t be this way. But don’t let the empty cans of the world take over your hard work because you were to shy or scared or even unable to communicate effectively.
Marketing: Not just your product, but yourself too.
If you are in business, money matters. Without it you cannot continue on. To have money, you need to sell. You may have developed a great app, but if you can’t market it right, it’ll not be the success that it should be. Same goes to you personally. Do not be a brownnoser, but do not be a wallflower either. Market your skills and ability effectively.
Research: Finding data and information.
Learning is a never ending process. There are new programming languages emerging, new platforms developed. You need to know how to get information and how to use them. Google can help you start, but you need to know what to do to fit the requirement of your task.
Thinking: Basic and Critical.
You might say, “we all can think, that’s why we are in university“. True – to a certain degree. Basic thinking is where you keep your head and do not panic. What should you do in a fire? Who should you ask a question in course registration to? Seems basic right? But do you know the answers to that? If you do – Yeay! If you don’t – Think!
Critical thinking is where you build on the basics, use knowledge and creativity to get things done or solve a problem. You can ask pertinent questions, find appropriate info, assess the situation, look for evidence, listen attentively……. (this list is not static).
Problem solving
This is a skill everyone must have. Actually most everyone have it, only at varying degrees. You need to be on the upper echelon of problem solvers, creatively solving problems while using resources efficiently. Lets review this analogy.
Problem: Door is locked. How do you solve this? You can:
- Break the door down with an axe
- Cry for help
- Get the maintenance guy
- Climb out the window
- Leave and come back when the door is not locked anymore
- Call your friend to bring the spare key
- Call the Police
Which is your answer?
A good problem solver will start with a question, “what is behind the door?”.
Professionalism: Behaviour and Ethics
Being a professional is important. You should behave in a manner that is pristine and with integrity. You always uphold ethics, faith and moral. You should always be respectful of others, be it their selves, their time, their family or their possessions. Without professionalism, you will not have a good name, a good brand. Without a good name, you are nothing.
