PROFILE: My journey to Professional Registration - Ndiphiwe Madikiza

Professional Quantity Surveyor Ndiphiwe Madikiza, who has always considered Professional Registration a top priority in his career trajectory, shares his journey towards that goal.

Prior to embarking on my journey of Professional Registration, I registered as a Candidate in my first month of employment because achieving professional status has always been a top priority in my career trajectory. I believed that obtaining a professional status would allow me to express my passion and practice at the highest level.

My journey has confirmed my views on Professional Registration. I believe it is the heartbeat for any hardhatPROFESSIONAL who dreams of exploring the highest opportunities in their respective fields. It is the key to contributing to the hardhatINDUSTRY and enables one to live out their dream career.

My career has been greatly impacted by my Professional Registration journey. First, it has immensely built my professional skills. I had to ensure that any work I produced was of the highest standard during my candidacy period. Second, all the challenges, learnings, and exposure I gained along the way have paved the way for me to achieve my professional registration status.

I experienced the following challenges while embarking on my journey:

• I had a great challenge in finding a mentor who was willing to share information about the journey.
• I struggled with imposter syndrome, believing that I was never good enough to become a professional.
• I worked for a company that refused to sign off my logbook hours, claiming that I was still young for this journey.

Despite the challenges I faced, I would definitely recommend this journey to all hardhatPROFESSIONALS. The Professional Registration Journey is so important. It guides one to become responsible, protect their profession and the public, encourages continuous learning and training to keep up with industry trends. Lastly, it enables one to "have the world as the oyster," as opportunities are limitless with this journey.

Here are my tips for any hardhatPROFESSIONAL planning to embark on this journey:

• Have a criteria of the type of mentor you would like to have.
• Pray for your mentor.
• Network and get yourself out there. Invite potential mentors on LinkedIn, attend seminars, etc.
• On your journey, no one owes you anything. You owe yourself.
• Your mentor is a guide and not someone who will do the work for you. Never expect them to spoon feed you. You set the tone and be willing to get help from them.

Ndiphiwe Madikiza is a SACQSP Registered Professional Quantity Surveyor with a Bachelor of Science with Honors in Quantity Surveying and a proven track record of 5 years working in the construction and mining industry. He is proficient in WinQS, DimX, and Microsoft Office, as well as feasibility studies, pre-tender estimates,preparing bills of quantities, contract management, cost control, cost reporting, monthly valuations, and final accounts.

He specializes in opencast mining, materials handling, drilling exploration,processing plant, wastewater treatment plant, mini-pit mining, underground mining development, underground ventilation, infrastructure, and contracts and project management.

If you would like to share your own journey towards Professional Registration please submit your details here.

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