Be
it a philosophy class or a modern art course, college classes will
offer plenty of rich and dense academic material for you to soak up.
You’ll probably be surprised how much you can still remember about
certain subjects years from now. You’ll come across thousands and
thousands of individual facts, dates, places, people, and more that
you’re all supposed to commit to memory. In that regard, learning sure
sounds like a lot of work. While it is manageable, be sure you move
beyond just the facts and learn some practical, job-related skills while
in college.
Some
jobs will require or even just assume that you’re familiar with a
variety of computer programs. Since this is the Information Age and
you’ve been using computers probably your whole life, employers aren’t
expecting to put you through Computer Skills 101 when you come looking
for a job. Common computer programs like Microsoft Word, Excel and
PowerPoint are all staples of not just college life, but job life as
well. Knowing these programs well will only help you when you’re on the
job market. Since so many jobs require using a computer in some regard,
be prepared to learn how to use new programs and adapt to new computer
systems. So when you’re working on a paper or preparing a presentation,
pay attention to more than just the project itself. Make sure your
computer skills are above adequate! There’s no need to get too
technical, assuming you’re not a computer science major, but it’s worth
keeping in mind. And if you don’t know how to create a quick pie chart
to visually display early 19th century Latin American emigration
patterns, chances are a fellow student does. So just ask!
Don’t
spend all your time holed up and learning computer programs, however,
or you’ll miss out on the social aspect of college. Going out and being
social can actually be a job-skills booster. Most jobs will have you
working with other people, so you’ll need proper communicative skills to
not only get your pointacross, but to feel comfortable doing it. And if
you dislike group projects, college is just the right time to change
your attitude. Working well with others might be first taught in
Kindergarten, but it’s a skill you should continue to hone in college.
Think your ideas are always better than others’? Work on sharing them
constructively and you may persuade others to follow your lead on group
assignments. Whether you’re someone who likes taking the lead or prefers
to follow orders, group work in college can give you the chance at both
positions. You’ll probably end up filling both roles in your working
life, so use college as a chance to practice each.
Communicating
with others goes well beyond verbal exchanges. You definitely know how
to send and receive email, yet since most jobs will have you sending and
receiving plenty of emails, how’s your email etiquette and efficiency?
Emails, like conversation, can be both formal and informal. If you’re
emailing a professor, you can pretend like you’re emailing a future
boss. Keep it polite and to the point. Managing your college email also
gives a nice lesson on timeliness. Can you respond to important emails
quickly, or do you take days? Writing email is different than writing
Facebook posts, and you’ll want to keep messages professional, timely,
and, focused to practice up for the real world.
Impressing
employers can actually be quite simple. It comes down to: what have you
done that’s above and beyond? If you skated your way through college
and your resume and grades show minimal effort, don’t think employees
won’t notice. With the right training, it’s possible to learn the ins
and outs of more jobs than you might have even thought yourself
qualified for. However, going above your assigned duties will be the
best way to impress employers when you’re in the workforce. If your
college career shows this effort, you’ll be a much better job candidate
and you’ll have proved that you’ve learned one of college’s best
lessons.
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