On average, a career person will hold 11.7 jobs between the age of 18 and 48. That’s a lot of switching jobs. Why do people change jobs? It’s because they are dissatisfied with the company and sometimes, with their own performance. They are looking for growth, which they think they will find when they switch careers.
The truth is that growth ever truly happens only when you become an expert in something. While you will continue learning in the various fields that you enter, growth will only happen when you become the go-to expert in your field. That’s when you will finally feel fulfilled.
But how does one become an expert on anything? What makes people think you’re an expert, and why should they believe you? Is it in your knowledge alone or the way you present and sell yourself?
Learn, Train, and Practice
Do not be afraid to admit that you don’t know everything. Nobody does. What’s important is for you to try to achieve the knowledge you need to become an expert in your field. This is why a lot of training companies are now offering online HVAC product seminars. With a strong need for HVAC systems today because of the extreme weather conditions and temperatures, this particular expertise is in demand and on the rise.
Consumers have become more learned and experienced over the years. You cannot hoodwink them anymore with flowery words and praises. They want actual proof that you are an expert.
Best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell said that it takes 10,000 hours of practice for someone to be an expert on something. If you think about it, this is simply five years for those who work 50 weeks per year for 40 hours per week. Five years is not that long to hone your skills, improve your knowledge, and apply what you learned.
Educate Your Audience
Your audience will only recognize your expertise if they can learn from you. What good will your skills be for them if you don’t share them? Becoming an educator is part of wanting to be an authority on anything. That will take a lot of time and courage. You have to communicate with your audience regularly. That means publishing blogs, producing videos, and offering free printable resources.
Do not be afraid of being judged. It’s normal for experts to receive scathing comments. However, when you are confident of your knowledge, these comments will be nothing but a slight hiccup. Remember that to be an expert, others have to see you as such. It’s not about proving to yourself that you’re an expert. Your audience has to believe it.
Look for New Techniques
Experts are not stagnant. They are not contented with whatever knowledge they now have, even if they are considered experts in their fields. Rather, they have to look for new ways and techniques to improve their fields. They need to lead the industry in looking for new and innovative strategies.
Experts have to be at the forefront of the battlefield, so to speak. Others have to look up to you and the concepts that you come up with. When you’re already leading the pack, that’s when you know you’ve become an expert at this.
Write for Mainstream Publications
Do not be content with your online blog. Start writing articles for news sites and journals. If your industry association has a newsletter, offer your thoughts there, too. While blogs are great, everyone can have a blog whether they are experts or not. You have to back up your blogs with the legitimacy of an editor and publisher recognizing your work as an expert piece. If possible, commit to having a column in your local newspaper or magazine. Your audience needs to read about your thoughts regularly.
Learn From Your Mistakes
Along the way, you would have some hiccups here and there. This is normal. No journey is smooth. Everyone will go through scenarios that you think you can’t get out of. Take the challenge. Even if the roads seem fraught with risks, take them on. You will be more of an expert after you make some mistakes and learn from them. That is the true mark of an expert—the ability to turn a failure into a success.
If you want to achieve something in your life, you might as well do it with all your heart, soul, and body. Pour yourself into your work, and you’ll never lack for anything. They said that the combination of hard work and passion is potent. It is true. When you are truly in love with something, and you put the work into it, the chances are that you’re going to succeed eventually.