9
Things You Must Learn to Do Before You Graduate
Self Taught
Workplace Skills
There are certain skills you will need
to have when you become part of the workforce. While they won't be included in
any formal curriculum you will encounter while in school, you should make an
effort to acquire them before you graduate. Here are nine of the skills you can
learn as a student.
Learn to Be Independent
When you're a student it's very easy
to rely on your parents to navigate through any rough waters on your behalf.
Many parents are willing to do this even if their children are already adults
and living away from home. Don't let them. Keep in mind we're not talking about
life threatening situations here but instead things like bad grades or roommate
problems. Find out what channels you have to go through to solve the problem,
come up with a plan and move forward.
Why Should You Do This? When you're working you will
have to advocate for yourself. If you learn how to do this early on you will be
a pro by the time you begin your first job.
Learn to Ask for Advice
Being independent doesn't mean you
can't ask for advice from your teachers and parents. As an independent person
you can evaluate the advice you receive and then decide whether you want to
take it.
Why Should You Do This? Learning how to ask your
parents and teachers for guidance will get you accustomed to asking mentors for advice once you are
working. And as with your parents and teachers, it will be up to you to
evaluate and decide whether to take it.
Learn to Take Feedback
You may not want to hear criticism
from your teachers but you should use that feedback to improve your
performance. Generally, it's meant to help you, not put you down.
Why Should You Do This? Learning how to take
feedback—or even criticism—can help you get through a poor performance review from your boss. His or her
feedback may not always be as well meaning as your teachers' was, but you can
still use it to make changes to the way you do your work.
Learn To Be Prepared
In high school or college, get into
the habit of always coming to class prepared. If you have a reading assignment,
show up having completed it. If your professor wants to see a rough draft of a
paper, bring it with you.
Why Should You Do This? This skill will serve you well
at work. Your boss and your coworkers will appreciate your diligence.
Learn To Say No to Fun
You may be tempted to go to a good
party even the night before an early morning class. You may think being
tired—or hungover—won't matter, but it will hinder your performance.
Why Should You Do This? While you may be thinking
"if I'm really out of sorts I can just hide in the back of the
classroom," you won't be able to do that at work. Not only will you be
expected to be present, you will have to perform well.
Learn to Be Assertive
You won't get what you want if you
don't ask for it. When you get a grade you think is unfair, talk to your
professor or teacher. Explain the problem and have proof to back up your claim.
This may not always work and you should be ready to accept defeat.
Why Should You Do This? You may have to ask your boss
for a raise or a promotion. You may have to speak up for yourself in order to
get what you want.
Learn to Ask for Help
When you have trouble completing an
assignment ask your professor or teacher for help. Take advantage of tutoring
which many schools offer. Attend extra help sessions and ask questions in
class.
Why Should You Do This? While tutoring and extra help
sessions may not exist in the workplace, you can always ask for help if you
don't understand an assignment. It is better to do that than make mistakes that
can delay the completion of a project or may be costly.
Learn to Solve Problems and Think
Critically
When problems occur you may be tempted
to wait for someone else to resolve them. If you do that you won't be
strengthening your problem solving and critical thinking skills. First you must
identify the problem, brainstorm possible solutions and evaluate them in order
to choose the best one. If you practice doing this, you will eventually become
better at it.
Why Should You Do This? Most employers value these
skills and, in life in general, it is hard to get by without them.
Learn to Manage Your Time
You will have a lot of work to do in
high school and even more in college. Projects and assignments must be turned
in on time or your teacher may subtract points from your grade. Why start off
with a lower grade for the same amount of work? And you will learn, if you
haven't already, that cramming for an exam is less effective than preparing for
it well in advance. If you have trouble managing your time, or if you tend to procrastinate, you will have to make some
improvements.
Why You Should Do This? If you always complete
projects in a timely fashion, you will not only impress your boss, you will
decrease your stress level. Rushing to complete a project in order to meet a
deadline can be very stressful but failure to do so may cause you to lose your
job.
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