I recently went for a job where you had to state your skill level. The highest was “Expert – a professional who works intuitively”. I love that description, and it got me thinking.
Incidentally, the other levels were…
- Working Experience of
- In-depth Knowledge of
- Advanced Knowledge of
The full description of Expert was “a higher degree of knowledge, professionals who work intuitively and use the skills they’ve developed in their field, with (typically) several years of experience and relevant professional qualifications”.
In news and journalism, it takes years to develop a ‘news sense’. What makes a good story? What is the top line? What can you say legally? Where is the line where we start libelling people? What is in the public interest? Does that just mean something the public is interested in? How can we make this interesting and relevant for our audience? How can we take a ‘dry’ story and make it more engaging?
Incidentally, all these skills are also needed in PR, the other side of journalism. And they are needed in all comms – no point writing stories that are dull and a ‘switch-off’.
I teach all of these skills in my courses, passing on the techniques, skills and knowledge that I have spent years learning and perfecting. And I use them – almost without thinking – every day. This is the so-called ‘intuitive’ use of the knowledge that I have accumulated over the years.
Of course, some aspects of my work are relatively new to me; technology is ever changing – I am regularly having to master new software, new apps, ways of communicating, editing and creating content. One client uses x, one client uses y… and I have to swap between these different technologies and methods all the time. But it keeps me stimulated, my synapses firing, my brain active!
My point is:
It’s fantastic to be expert at something, at the top of your game, working intuitively with skills that people value and will pay for. But it’s also good to be constantly learning, developing and moving forward. Don’t be static, keep embracing activities that you find interesting.
