3 Soft Skills You ll Pick Up In College

As a West Virginia University student, you’re obviously here with the goal of learning something. Taking classes every day of the week isn’t just for show! Hopefully, you’ll leave college having enriched yourself and learned a couple of valuable skills that you’ll carry with you into the ‘real world’. However, there are some skills that you don’t necessarily learn from any particular class. A ‘soft skill’ isn’t knowing how to navigate an Excel spreadsheet or how to multiply by 3’s. They’re more personal skills that help you interact harmoniously with the people around you. You’ll pick up a few of them along the way but these are the ones that your future employers will find the most desirable. Time Management One of the most important skills that you’ll learn as a college student is how to manage your time efficiently. You might have fewer hours of class than you did in high school but the workload is heavier and much more intense. Even though your classes end at 1 and you have tons of free time, you have to learn how to spend that time in a productive way. Sure, you could take a nap and walk around looking for more Pokemon in PokemonGO. OR you could spend it doing homework, studying up for that big test, and getting a start on that paper that’s due in a month. If you need a little help keeping yourself on track, you can try using an app to keep your schedule in line. Evernote is like a portable notebook on your phone that syncs between all of your devices so you’re never without your updated list. If you prefer to go analog, the Bullet Journal is a great physical way to keep all of your to-do lists in one place. Stop, Collaborate, and Listen You’ve been primed for it since elementary school: working in groups. Everyone has a different method of getting things done (some don’t get things done at all) but the trick is learning how to meld those methods together to complete your task before the deadline strikes. When you need somewhere quiet and out of the way to work on your group projects, reserve Pierpont Place’s conference/study room. It’s better than waiting for a table in the library and it’s quieter. Leading the Pack While it’s really important to be able to function as a part of a group, it’s also really important that you have the ability to step forward and lead. Even though it can be daunting to have to separate yourself from your classmates and lay down the law, it’s something that employers look for in a potential candidate. Opportunities will present themselves, you just have to step up and take them. Go out for student leadership positions, join a student group, and take charge during group projects in class. Your chance to prove your leadership abilities will present itself, you just have to be ready to seize it! You’ll learn a lot in college from your professors but there are a lot of things that you’ll have to pick up on your own. What soft skills have you picked up in college so far?