My career skills and competencies
As reference to the "Career Readiness: Competencies for a Career-Ready Workforce"
from the National Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE)
Career & Self-Development- To start I have been working in my field since 2017 so I am certain I am ready, finishing my degree will help me further my skills and show others my level of education and knowledge as well as allow me to apply for other jobs and certifications that require a college degree this coming year I will be getting certified as a medical exercise specialist as well as an exercise physiologist, both of which require a degree. I will always continue to further my skills, education and credentials but at this moment I am ready for most any job related to my field. That alongside the fact that I decided to return to school years later to finish my degree shows I didn't just decide based on some default or mindless follow of the path expected. I care about what I do and want to be excellent at it. That is why I meticulously created my own major.
Communication- I am a very effective communicator of Ideas and concepts. The things I speak on I use nuance and context and I am comfortable translating and simplifying with metaphors and analogies to get my point across. At times I have trouble with formality and details in social expectations in communicating. On the other side, my job as a trainer requires active listening as a cornerstone to the success, as well as the success of the client. Being able to tell how a person is feeling is critical for decision making in much of what is listed in critical thinking as well as in the end of the leadership section.
Critical Thinking- Most of my day is spent critical thinking and problem solving for clients helping them to achieve their goals. I have to map out and connect my prerequisite knowledge to their circumstances. Visuals using biomechanics and cross referencing current research on strength hypertrophy and pain science with the individuals history to make informed, long term, and on the fly adjustments. I also use critical thinking to balance my clients' different schedules. Keeping 10 schedules happy is no easy feat. Last I have to use a lot of critical thinking in mapping out and designing my gym space to effectively fit an entire commercial gyms worth of equipment effectively into a 15 by 30 foot space as well as building the equipment itself as some of the pieces I invented to fit the space while being biomechanically minded and having strength curves that can be both suited to fit the latest research or tailored to an individuals needs who may acutely or chronically have some limitations.
Equity & Inclusion- I am by no means a lawyer but I am well informed on many of the laws and regulatory bodies that help to create an equitable and inclusive work environment. More anecdotally I have grown up and live in a wide range of environments. Living in project housing. Living in parts of town where gentrification seemingly pushed most minorities and poor people as well as working in an environment where it is marketed as a luxury service and the target market is those with more than enough disposable income. Of course most people will say that they support equity and inclusive but my life experience has showed my many different perspectives and taught me to appreciate different cultures.
Leadership- I run my own personal training business. I have to have an understanding of long term planning for the success of the business, be able to prioritize my limited time in taking classes ,and running this business. Also my entire job is creating plans of tasks for people to perform and guiding them through the process and individualizing the type of feedback I give to each person to optimize their adherence, motivation and satisfaction with the work.
Professionalism- I have always aired on the side of professionalism over the side of becoming best friends with every client as some trainers do. I like to know and trust all my clients but we both have strict standards on timeliness, appropriate attire, language and communicating any schedule change. That as well as spending so much time in academia I have learned more professional language and communication across email as well as the expected education of learning formal writing for academic papers.
Teamwork- I love working in teams but I struggle to work with those who are not invested or educated on the task at hand. My job itself requires a lot of teamwork as it is two or more people collaborating to get to the same goal. Teamwork also requires strong communication skills as well as professionalism.
Technology- This is an area that historically I was not naturally inclined to the point that I didn't really use the internet much until high-school or even have an email until my last week of senior year in 2016! But over the last 5 years, I would say I have put consistent focus on this deficit and I am proud to say I often find myself explaining to people where to find things or how to do things on a phone or laptop. I run my own website, and use google sheets for my work and I have done my last three semesters completely online. I am no coder and I will never work as a tech consultant but I can confidently say I can use technology to my advantage for to daily tasks related to my business and help others with basic tasks necessary . I am hoping my background in stats and reading research will supplement my continued learning in this field as well as my background in business and law will augment my learning economic trends. All these will allow me the conceptual knowledge to continue to adapt to the ever changing specificities and advancements of tech.