life skills
School is not just about the content you learn in the classroom. And despite what your parents might think, it’s not all about the results either. School is your warmup for life. Once you get out into to the big bad world, it’s the real deal. And while I bet you can’t wait to get amongst it, do you realise what you leave behind? Teachers who care for your learning, sports coaches who want you to win, senior students to look up to, heads of school who will give you a second chance when you really mess it up. In life, many of these support networks just don’t exist.
It’s up to you to learn as many lessons as you can, while you have the support and guidance. This means you need to learn from your mistakes as well as you successes. It also means that you have to have a career plan, and the lessons for this can start in every class.
Job descriptions list the key skills required for a job. Skills are not knowledge. Skills are what you can do to function within an organisation. They are usually the same skills that require you to function in life. You can start to learn these skills at school. Here’s how:
Interpersonal skills - your ability to appropriately communicate and engage with a range of people to achieve an outcome. One way you can improve your interpersonal skills while at school is to have conversations with your teachers that are an extension of what you learn in the classroom. Perhaps you could ask about previous students and why they chose a particular subject when they were at school. Perhaps you could ask your teacher their opinion about a particular job or profession. Perhaps you could ask you coach about a decision they regretted and what they learned from it. This type of conversation needs to be initiated by you and you need to listen and ask questions based on the answers your teacher/coach provides. Be brave - have a go!
Organisational skills - Teachers often think that students are poorly organised and perhaps you are. But in a job interview, you will be asked about your ability to organise and prioritise tasks and projects. You are doing this all the time! You have 6 or 7 subjects on the go, all with assignments and exams at different times. Using a diary or planner to manage the tasks across a school term is project management. Making sure you don’t leave a task to the last minute requires you to plan ahead and leave adequate time in the term to complete the task. It also means that you can make adjustments to your schedule if something unforeseen comes up.
Interpersonal communication skills and organisational skills need to be learned and developed. Starting in school means you are well on your way to being able to show an employer that you neet those job requirements.