Although the importance of getting higher education can’t be denied, one shouldn’t forget that it’s not a sole thing to hold onto in a grown-up world. Many employers pay close attention to the educational background of their prospects, but a diploma surely is not a magic ticket to success.
Africa is a home to many young people who achieved success soon after graduation and even during their studies. So, a rather interesting question arises – what should African students know and do in order to get a good job after graduation or start their own business and eventually succeed?
We Learn Throughout Our Lives
Did you think that once you step out of your university, you will be free from learning for good? It doesn’t work like that. If you strive for success, you should continue to educate yourself and learn as much as possible to become a real professional in your industry.
Getting education doesn’t end after graduation; in fact, it becomes even more serious as you will need to acquire new skills and learn to use them in practice effectively. You will have to read, take courses, pass qualification tests, study some concepts and issues in detail – anything that will help you become better as a person and as an expert in your field. So, you’d better prepare for it all while you’re still studying. Thus, it won’t press on your shoulders all of a sudden.
There Are Skills You Won’t Survive Without
Success is being studied and analyzed for years, and all the essential skills that have proved to be vital for successful people are well-known. Still, for some reason, not all people manage to develop them and use in their lives.
- Time management
Time is considered to be the most valuable resource in the world. The ability to manage your time wisely is right on the top of the list of important skills because it comes with self-discipline. If you can organize yourself to be always in time and live a balanced life devoting yourself to all the important spheres, you will be highly valued in your career or business.
Modern educational systems are designed to help you build your time management skills by offering you to deal with a tough schedule throughout each semester. Besides, students are given lots of different deadlines, which allows them to learn to divide the tasks and work on them step by step. In case you fail to submit something timely, you get a punishment and learn a lesson. So, college and university years are perfect for developing self-organizational skills and learning to deal with time.
- Teamwork
There’s no person in the world who can cope with everything on their own. The ability to work in a team and show effective results is crucial for your career. And again, you can learn it while getting your education. You probably get some team projects from time to time, right? Don’t treat them as just a way to have fun with your friends. Instead, think of trying yourself in a leader’s role. Get your group organized, divide work taking into account the skills of each member of the group, enjoy an effective collaboration, and then relax together with your mates feeling proud of yourself. This will get you prepared to collaboration in a working environment.
- Money management
You will never achieve success without being able to manage your budget. Unfortunately, financial education is usually underestimated by people who make up college curricula. However, it doesn’t mean that you can’t learn to deal with your money during your student years. In fact, it’s a perfect time for that. Move out of your parent’s house the sooner, the better. Once you start feeling responsible for yourself, your will understand the value of staying reasonable and limiting your expenses. It’s also a good idea to take some financial course where they will teach you to work with bills and plan expenses.
- Public speaking
This is something that scares even the best of us. Most professional speakers admit that they feel the fear of public speaking before they come up onto the stage. So, if you have similar fears, that’s quite normal. Still, you have to learn how to handle public speaking as it proves to come in handy in many different situations during the life.
First of all, having this skill, you will be able to share your personal opinion properly. Moreover, you will be able to persuade other people and inspire them to share their own opinions. A key to developing your public speaking skills is being respectful to others. When you respect other people’s viewpoints, you will know that they respect yours, which will eliminate your fears of sharing and discussing something with an audience. Colleges and universities give enough opportunities to improve this skill, e.g. speaking clubs, discussion sessions, debates in class, different speaking contests, etc. make sure to use at least some of them to learn to speak publicly before you graduate.
- Socializing
It may sound frustrating to you, but shy people rarely succeed in life. The world loves social, active, friendly, and positive individuals. Making friends is not even a skill, it’s an art. Student years are perfect for practicing this art. If you’ve missed a chance to make many friends since your freshman year, you can always catch it up later. It’s never too late to start communicating and hanging out more. When you graduate and step into a grown-up world, you will be happy you have learned to talk with people and be social early.
Prepare Yourself in Advance
Being proactive and taking on whatever work comes across your way is a great habit. You are more likely to be hired for the desired position if you already have some experience. Learn to write resumes
Writing skills are important for your future life as well as the ability to present yourself properly and create a positive first impression. You can combine the practice of these two skills when writing a resume. In case you really have no idea about it yet, you can address writing services like 10 page papers and ask an experienced writer to help you out with your first resume.
- Send out your resume before you graduate
When your CV is ready, don’t waste time – start sending it to potential employers. You will do a great job if you manage to get hired before your graduation party comes. Note that some companies are skeptical about hiring students, which means you will need to show them the best of who you are.
- Gain different working experiences during your college years
It doesn’t need to be the experience for this particular position. Employers appreciate volunteers and students who have worked on campus during their studies. So, don’t be afraid of dirty work, roll up your sleeves, and you will succeed.
