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Source
Proficient Skill: Leadership
“Leverage the strengths of others to achieve common goals, and use interpersonal skills to coach and develop others. The individual is able to assess and manage his/her emotions and those of others; use empathetic skills to guide and motivate; and organize, prioritize, and delegate work.”
Developing Skill: Career Management
“Identify and articulate one's skills, strengths, knowledge, and experiences relevant to the position desired and career goals, and identify areas necessary for professional growth. The individual is able to navigate and explore job options, understands and can take the steps necessary to pursue opportunities, and understands how to self-advocate for opportunities in the workplace.”
Reflection
The two skills I have chosen are Leadership and Career Management.
I believe I am proficient in leadership because I have pursued leadership positions from a young age in the classroom and since middle school in extracurricular organizations. This attribute is useful in the classroom, especially during group assignments. It is natural for a person to take charge during a project and delegate functions and tasks to the other members of a group. In elementary and middle school, I developed this skill and learned the difference between “bossing” people around and effectively managing a group to accomplish a goal. High school helped me recognize the different learning styles and skills of other people in groups I was assigned to and I became a strong leader in the classroom. This can help me in college whenever I have a group assignment. I know how to effectively distribute an even amount of work to everyone and how to work with everyone’s abilities. I am strict with deadlines and tasks, but lenient if someone has a problem and needs help to work it out. Outside of the classroom, leadership exists not only in leadership positions in an organization but also in tasks assigned. I am proficient in leadership outside of the class through my various involvement in different roles in different organizations. In high school, I led the Teen Advisory Group at my local library and the Women In STEM group at my high school, but led in a different way as a Bailiff in our town’s Teen Court. I am continuing this in college by pursuing leadership within a group through taking initiatives at events and tasks and then later pursuing leadership roles.
I joined an organization revolving around my major that is more professional in nature in order to develop my career management skills. I believe that by being a member of the Biochemistry Genetics Society, I will be able to learn more about the skills and knowledge needed to pursue higher education and later start my own career. The Society will also help me develop the training I need for the future by helping me find research labs to join and how to properly communicate with professors and professionals to achieve my goals. I hope to be involved for all of my four years at A&M with the Society so I can gain all the knowledge from people who have been in my position and from leaders within the major. I am also going to develop my LinkedIn profile in order to better network within the professional community. This will hopefully teach me how to write in a professional manner and teach me accountability for my future career.
These skills will be useful in my career because I need to be able to properly manage my career and simultaneously be a leader in order to be successful. I aim to research a disease affecting the human population while also going into the field with a public health campaign and advocate for the prevention and treatment of the disease. To be successful, I have to be a leader in the lab and in the field. I have to be able to advocate for others but also delegate tasks and manage my team effectively. I also have to be able to manage my career. I need to have the proper skill set and knowledge to pursue the job. I also need to be able to advocate for myself when it comes to promotions or raises. I have to be able to effectively communicate within my job as well as when I am working in the field.
