Academic and Professional Skills Development Essay

There is a naked as a jaybirdfound macrocosm in the academic and the post academic the students must ad only if themselves to. The universe has buzz off increasingly competitive and there is an exp acential magnification of k instantaneouslyledge and information and this performer that the students who ordain survive in this new world order argon the ones who will adapt to keep up with this highly dynamic world.The way universities subroutined to be has changed and they ar flat non only centres of disseminating familiarity, but as well centres of promoting change (Soontiens, 2002). This change is not serious intellectual change, it is all encompassing change that have gots a utter(a) make everywhere of the stinging material it receives in the formative years and gives out a refined product that is well shaped to tackle the emerging issues in the world.Gone are the days when having a degree was something to be cerebrated by all and sundry. Nowadays, if you have ju st the undergraduate degree, you are just an early(a)(prenominal) first among equals and you do not have any competitive favour over millions of others who have a first degree resembling you. This means that culture is a action long process and this world belongs to those who go through this f round (Verville, 1990). This is because the world is now being moved by knowledge and information, and these are two highly dynamic facets how else do you acquire them away form engaging seriously in lifelong learning (Soontiens, 2002). tear down the world economies have changed from the conventional heavy economies to the sensory systemrn knowledge establish economies where knowledge and information and not machineries and physical labour are now the drivers of the economies. The most powerful thing right now in the world is information and knowledge and students must dedicate their lives to continuous process of learning to be sufficient function in this highly knowledge drive worl d (Soontiens, 2002). some other important element that the universities are emphasizing now is critical thinking. Thinking is important but critical thinking is what differentiates a smart student or even worker from the rest (Soontiens, 2002). The much the world is changing, the more the difficultys are evolving and the solutions to these problems must be found for pass on to pull away place.These problems poopnot be solved by ordinary thinkers they can only be solved by critical thinkers. This is another area that the universities are focusing on. They are out to churn graduates with acute problem solvent skills by teaching them how to make critical analyses of life attitudes (Soontiens, 2002).For the students to be give tongue to that they have adequate problem solving skills, they must be up to(p) to use some clothes of the forefront and one of these habits is formation of perspectives which involve the governance of arguments into parts and then separate the most im portant from the least important. It also involves separating opinions from facts and then the value of each is appreciated (Verville, 1990). This is the basis of critical thinking. Another habit of the understanding that is involved in critical thinking is analysis. aft(prenominal) forming perspectives, it is important to ponder on the arguments in a way that is studyive.This involves the use of logic and also knowing the limits of the analysis. The other critical habit of the listen that is involved in the process of critical thinking is imagination (Soontiens, 2002). This is the desire to make an evolution of your view of an issue using contemporary and conventional patterns that will suffice now and in the future. A university that is not supply its students with the aforementioned abilities is in a very wrong path.The employment, just like the academic arena has changed significantly. Education alone cannot uphold one to agree in the contemporary work environment becau se of its highly social and negotiable nature. Thus the universities are putting this into consideration by ensuring that they do not mould academic giants and social dwarfs who cannot fit in todays workplace. They are churning out all round products that are quick prepared to face the challenging job market and the demanding workplace (Verville, 1990). That is wherefore you see in the workplace today, spate are not ineluctably doing what they studied.Education students are works in banks, Law students are working as news reporters and so on. This means that one thing that the universities are teaching very well is flexibility do not just follow one line, there are many an(prenominal) things you can do there with your education. In the workplace, the workers must be able to work as a team and individually. There are some more habits of the mind that can help them to fit well in the highly challenging, demanding and evolving workplace (Soontiens, 2002).One of these habits of th e mind is empathy. Empathy involves sensing reasonable views, revering all views and honoring the one that is the most persuasive. The other habit of the mind is communication which is the ability to take the duty of explaining ideas in a clear, truthful and sober way that consider all those who are listening to them or seeing them being communicated. The other habit of the mind that ought to be developed is that of commitment. This is the recognition of the necessity to act when there is an action worth attention and being patient to the situation one has stepped forward to respond to (James, 2003).The current generation takes the flak for the many ills that are happening in the society. The generation has been labeled as irresponsible, unresponsive and morally corrupt and the universities are taking measures to ensure that all the raw materials they receive will be devoid of the aforementioned tags by the era they are being churned out as products.This means that apart from jus t giving the intellectual knowledge, they are also equipping the students with skills that will make them responsible members of the society who can be trusted to take over the leadership from the old conservative generation that is far beyond the benefit of the modern information and knowledge revolution. This means that there are programs that are teaching leadership skills, social welfare skills and may other skills that can make the students reliable members of the society (Verville, 1990).The habits of the mind that can help the students to grow more responsible members of the society include, value which is the choice to apply a pattern of demeanor that is intellectual and ignoring the patterns that are less productive. The other habit of the mind is inclination that includes the tendency to apply the aforementioned behavior without crush or motivation (James, 2003).Sensitivity is another habit of the mind that will make the students to become more responsible members of t he society because of its ability to grasp opportunities and threats and also emphasizes the appropriateness of applying behavior that is intellectual in pursuit of opportunities and in evasion of threats. Capability is a habit of the mind that will help the students in application of the basic intellectual skills that are central to behavior while commitment on this platform means the desire to reflect and improve the behavioral performance (James, 2003). In conclusion, university students in the contemporary world must adapt to the knowledge and information that is expanding markedly. They must be life long learners who think critically and are flexible to be able to fit in this highly dynamic world. They must be problem solvers who can work independently and in a team.The education schema today, apart from teaching the basics of education is also teaching the students to become responsible citizens who are open minded and can communicate with people from allover the world. This new approach by the universities is a step in the right direction and should become a global concept infixed in all the academic systems. As illustrated in the essay, this new mode of learning borrows heavily from Costa and Carrick the Habit of the mind and it puts a hearty new psychological dispensation to the world of academia that will ensure the mind must change for the individual to embrace the change in the society.