Creating a niche to bring out the best in yourself always is not an easy one. In today’s world, identifying skill set, nurturing the right attributes with apt understanding of domain are the key qualities to establish oneself.
The 10 Year Rule
To be a perfectionist in a particular field, one needs 10,000 hours of practice. Let us break this into a practical way to implement.
Years 1-2 of your career goes into understanding the “working world” after spending 21 years in school/college.
Years 2-4 go into understand what the work is.
Years 4-6 go into mastering what you are doing.
At this juncture, you need to understand what you wish to do – If you wish to add professional qualifications to strengthen subject knowledge or find work which will help you broaden understanding of the subject.
Years 6-8 go into building on the learnings.
The last two years in the decade goes into establishing yourself as the Subject Matter Expert.
These 10 years will help you complete 10,000 hours of practice and help you identify, create and nurture your niche.
If you aspire to make a meaningful impact in what you do, identifying you niche is the first step.