Develop Your Skill Set

Writer: Tajera Cunningham

“A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” This idiom is known by many and it simply means that it is better to be skillful in many areas than to have adequate knowledge in only one.

 During my year, sitting in my first class at the Northern Caribbean University, a lecturer once told me,“try to learn all the different areas within your programme of study because you never know where you

may end up after university.” I never took this seriously until I had advanced and seen students who

studied Radio for example, working within the Journalism field. As a media and communication student,

if your university is anything like mine, you learn a little bit of everything; Journalism, Public Relations,

Radio and Television even if you specialize in just one. With this opportunity, why not take advantage to

gain all of these as a skill? 

Here are a few reasons why developing your skill set is important. 

1. It enhances your employability. 

2. The skills section of your resume tells employers that you are capable of taking on the role that you are applying for. Employers are looking to hire employees with both soft and hard skills. According to Bleich, hard skills are those skills that are learned through schooling or on the job training (e.g computer skills and communication) while soft skills are personal attributes (e.g leadership and time management). 

3. It helps you stabilize situations when a crisis strikes in the workplace. Most of us will experience changes in the workplace at some point; companies want to hire useful people who have the ability to find solutions outside of their normal responsibilities. People who are flexible are highly prized by managers and businesses because this simply means that they are versatile, responsive to change and problem solvers. Imagine working at Television Jamaica (TVJ) within the Marketing and Sales department and one of the most important journalists is unable to attend work. The problem is, no one else knows how to deliver the news for that specific broadcast. If it is not done, the broadcast for the night will be chaotic. Being a flexible employee, you would be able to temporarily fill that role with the possibility of even getting a promotion and raise in salary someday. Sounds amazing right? Hence, you should aim to be flexible. How to Develop your Skill-Set

1. Do Not Fear Trying Out New Things. 

Write down all the things that you desire to learn or develop, and make efforts to master those skills. During my early years of university, I would fear learning new things because this would mean diverting out of my comfort zone. Additionally, as a university student seeking to be more marketable after graduation, diverting out of your comfort zone is unavoidable. The Bible says in 2nd Timothy 1:7, God did not give us a spirit of fear. If you are not the best at public speaking like myself, do not shy away from hosting or roles that are out of your comfort zone. Try new things, step out of your comfort zone and GROW. 

2. Keeping Your Eyes And Ears Open To Opportunities. 

Currently, I have joined the University and College Ambassadors- UCA Limited's telegram chat

where I am able to see all job postings. I was given the opportunity to work temporarily and develop my skill set as communication’s specialist. There are many opportunities out there but it takes research and keeping your eyes and ears open to them. A good place to start searching for opportunities is on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIN. Make contacts with people that you know. If there is a friend with a business that would benefit from your marketing knowledge, take over their social media and build their customers. Add this to your portfolio and there you have a developed skill. 

3. Treat Every Lecture As Important. 

In my early years, I would complain whenever I am taking a class that does not entirely focus on my major/emphasis. As a Public Relation’s student, why do I need to learn how to write a hard news story? You are being taught to be skillful in every area, adaptable to change and well rounded. All of which contributes to being a marketable graduate. As a PR student, if you are taking a class called ‘News Writing,’ use that opportunity to learn how to write a hard and soft news story and develop your writing skills because PR involves writing as well.  Treat every class as if it is your emphasis because you may have to utilize the knowledge learned, in the future. 

Where can you develop your skill set?

• University and College Ambassadors (UCA) Caribbean is a youth marketing agency that improves youth marketing in Jamaica and across the Caribbean. 

• Google Digital Garage is an online platform where you can gain both Free and Paid certifications within the areas of Digital Marketing, Career Development and Data. 

• Coursera is a global online learning platform offering both free and affordable courses to up-skill yourself.

• School productions. Keep your eyes and ears open to productions that may happen within your school and practice the different roles such as camera operator, host or hostess, director, producer, floor manager and more.