"PROFESSIONAL"

The word "professional" is such an ambiguous one, making for much confusion in the life of a twenty year old. I often feel that on the expedition to maturity one must always find themselves at the "professional stop." This stop includes decisions that seem so small and yet can have a debilitating or advantageous effect on one's professional future. For example, if I put this picture on my Facebook, is it possible that I could be overlooked as a candidate for a job? Can I hide this tattoo from a potential employer? Is Times New Roman the only font that is acceptable in this professional blog? If I write my true, yet offensive, political beliefs on Twitter could I be fired from my job? Luckily I have never had to make a decision even remotely close to the latter. However, I wonder what "professional" really is.

As a young adult I often wonder what it takes to be professional. Does one have to work in a particular profession to be a professional? Can one be professional outside of the workplace? Most importantly, can professionalism itself be detrimental to one's professional life, if overdone? For example, shamefully, I watch the show entitled "I Want to Work for Diddy 2" ( http://www.vh1.com/shows/i_want_to_work_for_diddy/season_1/series.jhtml ) My favorite contestant was a young man named Daniel. I felt that he was a strong worker, possessed the mind of an individual and the traits of a leader. He made it to the final episode and was not chosen. One thing that I liked about him was his ability to speak effectively and present himself in a professional manner. However, I feel like those traits worked against him, in that they portrayed him as unable to perform tasks and more so able to make the task sound good. I wonder if because I can present myself in a professional manner that it causes people to question whether I speak well or am actually an effective worker.

I am twenty years old and a full-time student. My major is Sociology Pre-Law and I minor in African American Studies. Understanding the society that one lives in and the societies that he or she connects with is important to the functioning of that society. African American Studies should be important to more than just African Americans because it is a part of the American society and the functionality of all the world. Hopefully my time in school will prepare me for a future in something, maybe sociology or maybe something I never expected. All I know is that I need to possess this quality called professionalism to get there. Therefore, with this blog, I plan on sharing, with all of my readers, my journey to PROFESSIONALISM. Who knows what that will entail but hopefully what I learn will help me to develop the necessary traits of a professional.