Investing in your personal and professional growth

Investing in yourself is one of the best things you can do for yourself and a great way to boost your confidence. If you have a goal or a dream, you need to be committed to working towards it yourself.

“Believing and investing in yourself is the best way to shift your thinking from a paradigm of excuses to one of solutions.” ― Farshad Asl, The "No Excuses" Mindset: A Life of Purpose, Passion, and Clarity

After I had finished my degree and got introduced to the IT field or work environment, I found that there was a lot that I didn’t know and still had to learn. When we are in university most of us tend to dwell only on what is being taught to us, I was amazed at what a big Industry It is and the fact that there were so many tools, platforms, languages, etc., that were available out there. I only focused on the languages I was being taught to a point where when I graduated the only programming languages I knew were those that I was introduced to by my lecturers. I came out only having built the applications that were given as practical work or projects, which made me realize that I limited myself so much.

These past years made me realize how important it is to invest in yourself personally and professionally, the information and tools are all out there. Read books, listen to podcasts, watch videos, research on what is available and what is required of you in the industry you want to get it, take online courses and gain certificates, build projects and learn new skills.

A year ago, I committed to working on my personal and professional skills, to build all the necessary skills I needed to become the full-stack developer that I dream of becoming. I have since learned and still am learning so much, I have worked on so many projects that have helped me improve my development skills and, I have built both mobile and web-based applications. I have learnt so many different languages and worked on platforms I didn't even know and I have grown so much professionally. I am going to share some of the things that help me stay committed and continue to learn and improve my skills.

Set Goals

Make note of what you want to achieve, no goal is too big or small.

Research

Research and find out what you need to have and what you need to do to reach those goals.

Organize your time

Plan tasks so that you complete them quickly and don't miss anything you were supposed to do and know what to prioritize.

Start Building

Build projects, implement what you have been learning, it doesn't matter whether the project is big or small. Find ways to practice and build upon the new skill you have learned.

Journal

Keep a record of your journey, this helps gain self-awareness and helps reflect on how far you have come. You can also use it to set and assess the goals and progress you have made.

I hope this helps, whether you are a recent graduate or are still a student. Self-development needs commitment and can help achieve both personal and career goals.