The Professional in Me

Twice in the last week I’ve been addressed as "sir" by two girls that could not have been more then two or three years younger than I am. Truth be told, I look pretty official in my crisp khaki suit and Public Defender Service ID but really...am I grown up?

I often find myself marveling that my friends are grown up now too. Pat from down the street is going to be teaching other people's kids in a few weeks. Amazingly enough, I need to come to grips with the fact that I am a grown up and that grown ups aren’t entirely different from youngsters.

As we break down that parent/youth barrier it becomes glaringly obvious that things like maturity and professionalism are not guaranteed to come with age. Some of the topics of conversation I've encountered in professional environments could have been plucked straight from the gossip of 7th graders. Have you heard about how ugly Jenny’s shoes are or how David always has bad breath?

Sadly, that sort of thing doesn’t really get left back in high school. It shouldn't occur in a professional environment, but in reality the ability to rise above immature tendencies is what separates true professionals from the adults that still haven’t got it figured it out yet.

During the Washington Center orientation, I watched a presentation called the Faux Pas of Professionalism. It was informative, but in my opinion most of us already know how we should act. I’ll admit the dirt-slinging social insider of the office is often more interesting day-to-day than the worker whose nose never leaves the ledger, but that interest is short-lived. A person's reputation affects the way colleagues and superiors view the potential of a given worker.

When a possibility for advancement opens up, will the decision-makers look to an employee that's constantly on AIM and facebook or the one that always has a funny story about someone else in the office to become a leader in the organization? I think not.

Finding your professional personality is something that takes experience and for me, the process has caused a good deal of self reflection. I definitely do not want to suppress my individuality or attempt to fit a cookie cutter persona …the creative rebel in me is still too alive for that.

Everyday there’s an opportunity for an edgy joke. Every Friday there’s a chance to be the life of the party at happy hour but the truth is that when decisions about job offers are being made, professionalism often becomes the bottom line. Can this individual perform the job while positively contributing to the office environment? I try to remember this rule when I hear that edgy joke or feel tempted to tell it myself…

A Washington Center internship provides the opportunity to find your professional personality--and I plan to continue to take advantage.

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody,
IJW