Surprising tips for becoming an expert in your field

No matter what you do, or what industry you work in, it’s the goal of many people to become an expert in their field. Whatever this might look like to you, it can bring a lot of status and fulfilment to not only do a job well, but to be one of the best people around to do that job. If you want to be the go-to person for a certain job or to learn certain knowledge, there are some things you can do to help you become an expert. It can also help open doors for you, to new opportunities or career paths. In this blog post, we’ll be looking at some surprising tips for becoming an expert in your field, to hopefully help you along this journey!

What actually is an expert?

Becoming an expert will mean different things to different people. After all, there’s no one definition of what an expert is. It could be that you are one of the best people in the world for a highly specific skill. Or, perhaps you have a lot of knowledge about a certain topic that you would like to share with others. Perhaps you would like to be an expert in your local area, so that members of your community come to you for help. Or, maybe you would like to become an expert online and share your skills through the power of social media.

Overall, what being an expert means to you is personal. But in essence, it involves being someone with a real in-depth understanding and knowledge of something that they want to share with others or utilise for the good of the industry, community, organisation, and so on.

What are the benefits of becoming an expert in your field?

There are plenty of reasons why somebody might want to become an expert in their field. Here are just a few of the reasons:

They know their industry or specific skillset far better than most people. Then, they can use this knowledge to solve problems or help train and educate the next generation of experts.
Experts tend to be well trusted by people in their industry and the general public. In this way, they also tend to be well-respected. People inside and out of an expert’s industry will listen to them and trust what they have to say.
Others in the industry, and those who wish to enter it, want to work with experts so that they can learn from the best! This can lead to the opportunity to work with some really great people.
Experts can use their skillset and the prestige that this brings to build a wide network of connections that can be useful to them, in their business and wider life.
Plenty of opportunities can come out of being an expert. These could be opportunities for career growth, new businesses, the chance to comment on affairs in the press and wider media, and other new experiences not open to them before!

If being an expert, and all of these benefits, is something that you would like to achieve, keep on reading to discover some top tips to help you get there!

What are some surprising tips for becoming an expert in your field?

There’s no denying that becoming an expert in anything takes consistent time and effort, usually over a long period of time, to truly master it. But, if you are ready and willing to put in the work, you will likely be well rewarded with the satisfaction that comes with being considered an expert by those around you.

Learning the basics is the key to becoming an expert in absolutely anything

Now, this may sound like it doesn’t even need to be said, but it’s important to master the basics of any skill or knowledge before you can even consider becoming an expert in your field. For this, you need to really know the basics inside out. You’ve got to have a really firm grip on the concepts or knowledge, as these are the foundations of learning the more complex skills you need to become an expert. And, once you have become a master of these basic skills, it’s equally important not to forget them in favour of the more complex stuff. Keep revisiting them and learning more about them, in order to continue to provide a solid foundation for your expert knowledge.

What about networking to help you become an expert in your field?

Next on this list of surprising tips for becoming an expert in your field is the power of networking. While on your quest to becoming an expert, it’s important to put yourself out there as much as you can, and meet as many new people as possible. After all, you never know who you might meet, and what you may be able to learn from them. If you’re not afraid to get your name out there, you will soon appear on your industry’s network’s radar. This can bring you even more networking opportunities, and the chance to meet like-minded people and other experts in your field.

There are so many places where networking can take place. It doesn’t just have to happen at the traditional networking event! Online networking on social media sites such as LinkedIn is becoming more popular, so you can make connections and talk to people from anywhere! As you widen your network and become more well-known in your industry, you can fine tune who you connect and spend time with, to the benefit of your own knowledge and time.

How can sharing your knowledge help you on your journey to becoming an expert?

Once you have mastered whatever it is that you want to become an expert in, or are at least part of the way there, it’s always a good idea to start sharing your knowledge. Helping out others, whether they are at the start of their career journey, or just want to learn more, is one of the cornerstones of being an expert. Not only will you be helping others in your industry learn and grow, you will also be cementing your name as an expert. Talking with others and sharing your knowledge, whether it’s through mentoring, talks, or anything in between, will really raise your profile and get your name out there. And, as one of the key benefits to being an expert is being well known in your industry, sharing your knowledge with others goes full circle!

Practice makes perfect when becoming an expert

No list of surprising tips for becoming an expert in your field would be complete without this one! In fact, it’s probably not surprising at all, but practice is the number one way to become skilled at anything. You’ve probably heard the statistics that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert in anything, but it really is true. Without consistent hard work and dedication, becoming an expert will remain out of reach. Having said this, you can also look at these 10,000 hours as a positive. If you want to become an expert in anything, you are most likely hugely passionate about it. So, to reach that expert status, you get to spend all those hours doing something that you love, with all of the rewards that come with expertise at the end of it!

Consider how you can become a thought leader

There are a few things that most experts have in common. One of them is being a thought leader. How can you shape the future of your industry with innovative ideas? After all, one of the keys to becoming an expert in your field is innovation and offering something new that the industry has never seen before. By constantly trying new things, you will soon learn and develop techniques that work for you, that you can share with the world to add value and cement your position as an opinion to be respected. If you want to become an expert, think about how you can push the boundaries of what has been achieved before, and show this off to the wider industry and public.

Think about PR and media opportunities

Part of being an expert is having the opportunity to get your name out there as a respected opinion in the press and other media. But, don’t just wait for these opportunities to come along! Why not create them for yourself? Start a blog or social media page where you document your journey to expertise and share your knowledge and findings. Approach publications, TV shows, and radio broadcasters with ideas, and see if they will interview you or include you and your opinion in a piece. To be a true expert, you need to believe in yourself and your opinion, so it makes sense to take as many opportunities to show it off to the world as possible.