What is one type of career-related skill you can develop in school?
To help you develop career-related skills while in school, we asked business leaders and CEOs this question for their best insights. From self-motivation skills to collaboration skills, there are several types of career-related skills that you can develop while in school.
Here are fourteen career-related skills that you can develop in school:
- Self-motivation
- Find Comparative Advantages Within Teams
- Learn a Trade
- Be An Effective Team Player
- Networking Skills
- Research and Writing Skills
- Time Management
- Build Communication Skills
- Explore and Pick Up Digital Skills
- Interview Skills
- Make Inclusivity and Diversity a Way of Life
- Emotional Intelligence
- Public Speaking
- Collaboration
Self-motivation
Grades and teachers motivate students, but only for the basics. When students aim to achieve more in their education journey, they must set goals and motivate themselves to reach them. Later on, their self-motivation allows them to succeed in their career. One may never advance in their career without that skill.
Karolina Zajac, Passport Photo Online
Find Comparative Advantages Within Teams
A typical challenge when working in a group with fellow students is distributing the work. Facilitating a productive discussion that leads to optimal task allocation is a life-long skill. Discussing your strengths, preferences, and bargaining with your peers teaches how to use your own time and resources and present one’s skills. It is also an excellent occasion to develop negotiating and convincing skills.
Michael Sena, SENACEA
Learn a Trade
Learning a trade can definitely be developed in school. This is a resource that can help many people go far. Trade skills are often in demand. These hands-on skills can be used to venture into different fields. These include pursuing a career as an electrician, plumber, carpenter, or auto mechanic.
Shaun Price, MitoQ
Be An Effective Team Player
Being an effective team player is an important skill to develop while in school. Working well with others and honing effective communication skills will not only help you in the workplace but also so help you [better way to say: express needs, goals] and manage conflict efficiently. These skills will be beneficial in any industry or field you decide you enter so take the opportunity to polish those skills while in school.
Sara Shah, Journ
Networking Skills
Networking isn’t new to us and if we take a good look at this skill, it’s something we start doing from a very young age. From meeting new classmates every year, forging strong bonds, working on different assignments and projects together, and even being connecting new people together — schools and classrooms are perfect for honing interpersonal relationships. One way that students can further polish their networking skills is by being more proactive in their approach as well as nourishing the relationships they’ve built so far.
Riley Beam, Douglas R. Beam, P.A.
Research and Writing Skills
You can develop a strong set of research skills in school. This will allow you to find information quickly and efficiently when you are looking for a job. Additionally, you can also develop strong writing skills so that you can create quality resumes, letters, and memos.
Matthew Ramirez, Paraphrase
Time Management
Time management is something that will be helpful no matter what career you choose. While in school, you will have the opportunity to figure out your own time management skills and techniques. Everyone will have different ways of managing their time that are unique. Some people can power through tasks, while others need frequent breaks in order to stay focused. Take the opportunity while in school to determine what works best for you.
Rachel Roff, Urban Skin Rx
Build Communication Skills
Students invest a lot of time and money to reach their higher education goals and lead them to their dream job, but without career related skills this can still prove to be a challenge. One of the top skills any student can develop in school is a strong communication style that allows them to collaborate effectively with teams, whether in a traditional, hybrid or remote setting. This means having the ability to relay information clearly and listen to coworkers and leaders so that you may work together seamlessly in any work environment.
Adam Shlomi, SoFlo Tutors
Explore and Pick Up Digital Skills
In a learning environment that has peers experimenting with just about anything that’s the latest trend, school is a great place to start working on your digital skills. Today, with easy access to laptops and the internet, students can spend their free time picking up on digital expertise that doubles up as career skills. With digital tools like coding even finding their way into the curriculum, students only have to explore these available opportunities further to make the most of their time at school.
Jerry Ford, 4WD Life
Interview Skills
You can practice interviewing skills in school. Teachers can set up mock interviews with their students to promote professional strategies to approach employers successfully once they have grown enough to enter the workforce.
Students can even interview each other to start building the interpersonal skills necessary to present themselves to potential employers. There is less pressure in being questioned by your peers on your skill sets and experiences than in being questioned by someone with authority over you.
Schools should aim to set their students up for success not only in navigating their lives but in entering the workforce. Mock interviews are a great way to gain interview experience with low risk and low-pressure stakes.
Laura Berg, Kong Club
Make Inclusivity and Diversity a Way of Life
School is a great place to learn how to make inclusivity and diversity a part of our student life and our everyday lives. Gone are the days when a diverse workforce was a rarity. Today, it is the norm in most workplaces, and every employee has to learn the skills required to navigate a diverse and inclusive work environment respectfully. In addition to friends and teachers from diverse backgrounds, schools also provide opportunities to learn more about the world around us in a more understanding and people-friendly environment. Moreover, it is a lot easier to teach younger minds how to respect and love those around them even if they seem different in their own unique ways, a trait that will result in a better world for everyone.
Azmaira Maker, Ph.D., Aspiring Families
Emotional Intelligence
No matter your career goal, one of the most important skills to develop while still in school is emotional intelligence. For most of us, school is the last setting in which we will be continually surrounded by a large population of our peers; it’s the same reason why students have an easier time making lasting friends. School is the perfect place to practice networking and expand your experience interacting with many different people. Challenge yourself by seeking out new groups, engaging with opposing perspectives, and navigating the politics of student organizations. Not only will this vastly expand your ability to empathize and understand others, the people you meet can lead you to brand new career opportunities.
Charles Hua, Poised
Public Speaking
Communication is routinely ranked by employers as one of the most highly valued skills, and while being a generally good communicator is crucial to be successful at all career levels, having the ability to stand in front of a group and share a compelling message is a game-changer. For one, public speaking is still one of the most dreaded activities, so you are already setting yourself apart from the crowd. More importantly, no matter how incredible an idea is, if nobody hears about it, it’s useless. Confidently take your message to the board, to conferences, or even just to your project team and you’re more likely to be successful getting what you need. Public speaking is like any other skill – some people have natural talent, but almost anyone can learn how to be good, and most people can even be great with enough time and practice!
Sarah Ratekin, Happiness Is Courage
Collaboration
School projects teach students collaboration which is something that translates very well to most career fields. Understanding how to ask for help, provide support for teammates/coworkers, and communicate properly are very important parts of success in our careers.
Kevin Mako, Mako Design + Invent
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