10 Ways Your Education Equips You For The Working World

They always say that every bit helps, but what does school, college and university actually offer your career? Below we take a look at 10 ways your education can get you ready for the working world:

One

Writing skills is something you get to work on every day at school, university or college. Whether you learn basic writing etiquette, how to write different types of documents or how to adjust your tone of voice, this skill will be one you will use well beyond the deadline for you 5 000 word essay.

Two

Speaking skills are important in addressing clients or suppliers and colleagues one-on-one or even speaking to a group of people. It is very important to keep in mind what you discuss, how you discuss it and how you interact with others, depending on the situation. Being able to converse in a variety of situations will help you in any industry!

Three

Group work and other projects where you have to work in teams are important for the “real world”, mainly because you will have to deal with a range of different personalities and types of people in your day-to-day life.

Four

Problem solving is an integrated part of your curriculum from preschool. In the beginning you are asked to place a shape in its allocated space or to build things with building blocks. When you get a bit older, you have a complex mathematics equation in algebra as well as other challenges such as completing something according to a ‘brief’. The ability to problem solve is applied to your day-to-day life, but is even more valuable in the workplace.

Five

Every time you participate in class or if you choose a topic for a project, you learn to take initiative. Employers love candidates who show initiative, come up with new ideas and who can track their activities throughout a project.

Six

Throughout your studies, you will be faced with deadlines. Some of them will be for larger projects that will allow you more time to meet the deadline and some tasks will have to occur in a much shorter time frame  You might have more than one subject and that means multiple deadlines. Add your extramural activities like sport, hanging out with family and friends and other commitments and you have tons of deadlines to juggle. Time management is a very important element of the working world… so start focusing on this as soon as possible, because missing a deadline in the work environment might have larger penalties than a deduction of 5% off your assignment.

Seven

Every time you choose not to copy your friend’s work or just taking information off the Internet, you choose integrity. Honesty and integrity are highly regarded values when employees look for suitable candidates.

Eight

Often your teacher will choose not to keep an eye on you, allowing you to take responsibility for your actions and for the projects that you have to do. This is to teach you responsibility. As you grow, you might not have someone available to take the responsibility on your behalf, to make decisions or to own up to problems when they occur.

Nine

By engaging in a variety of activities, you learn to develop different skills. Even if you are not sporty, partaking in sport will assist you in developing skills like hand-eye co-ordination or teamwork where as art might inspire you to get creative. By engaging in a variety of activities, you can remain stimulated and it will allow you to keep on growing your skills set.

Ten

The knowledge you learn at school, college and university will assist you directly in approaching your industry. If you are studying towards becoming an artisan, the skills that you learn are directly transferrable in the working world. Don’t discard your studies, as they can empower you to achieve even more!

Eduloan has a solution for full-time and part-time students and even offer you the opportunity to deduct your fixed monthly repayments from your salary. For more information and to speak to one of our Eduloan consultants, visit our website (www.eduloan.co.za), like our page on Facebook         (www.facebook.com/EduloanSA) and follow us on Twitter (@EduloanSA).

Here are four tips for making study or career decisions

·       Identify career opportunities that suit your interests

·       Evaluate your skills and strengths

·       Research the prerequisites of your chosen career (do you need science or biology or do you need a certain qualification to make sure that you have the knowledge to practice in your field?)

·       Constantly develop skills and experience