{"id":9635,"date":"2020-08-17T09:46:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-17T13:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/careers-internships\/?p=9635"},"modified":"2025-11-13T20:38:46","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T01:38:46","slug":"self-upgrading-lessons-learned-from-a-hermit-crab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/careers-internships\/self-upgrading-lessons-learned-from-a-hermit-crab\/","title":{"rendered":"Self-upgrading: Lessons learned from a hermit crab"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Recently, I had the chance to visit one of Florida\u2019s beautiful beaches with my family. Walking along the beachfront we saw beautiful shells, birds, and mangroves along the shore. The crystal clear water was refreshing with shallow wave breaks that allowed to wade out several feet offshore and still see the bottom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we searched for sand dollars, I stepped on something and stopped to pick it up; to my amusement, it was a beautiful shell with a hermit crab inside. It is fascinating to see these creatures who are born with no shell but must search the seafloor to find shelter and protection. Hermit crabs use abandoned seashells as mobile homes. As the crabs grow the shell becomes a tighter fit and eventually, it needs to move into a new shell. The crab must search for a new shell until it finds the right size for its current level of growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hermit crab is on an everlasting journey of continuous growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personal growth in your career<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"Hermit<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As a career development professional, I speak to students providing guidance along their own journeys of growth. Out of the many ideas we discuss with students regarding their career after college, I always mention professionalism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 10 Traits of Professionalism<\/a><\/strong> are explained to help students understand the importance of being professional in the workplace. Consistently, I remind the students everything regarding their degree major of choice will not be learned in the classroom. Successful completion of a degree is the beginning of their education in a profession. The one trait that embodies the spirit of growth, in particular, is self-upgrading<\/strong>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Self-upgrading<\/strong> can be defined as continuing to learn and seek new knowledge in your career field. Just as the hermit crab must search for a new home to grow; students should always seek opportunities for growth and self-upgrading. Complacency can create a stagnate environment; stagnation is unhealthy for your career development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key takeaways from the observation of a hermit crab<\/h4>\n\n\n\n