Since the inception of universities and higher education, college has changed a lot. In addition to being the way to earn a degree, it also exposes young adults to being on their own for the first time. For many, not having your parents around to tell you each and everything you are supposed to do can be a difficult adjustment. We know that our responsibility as students is to keep up with our work to best prepare ourselves for graduation. But how many of us actually give a lot of thought to how college may be helping us prepare ourselves outside of the classroom?
A recent article from Entrepreneur online claims that attitude is most likely more important than aptitude is to companies during the hiring process. That’s right. While learning enough so that you will be qualified for your desired position in the first place is crucial, it may be even more pertinent to simply have a good attitude.
Of course, this unfortunately cannot apply to all fields. If your future interests include, say medical school, for example, please do not expect that in years to come patients will be saying, “well that doctor sure didn’t help me feel better, but he was extremely nice about it”. However, on a serious and more optimistic note, this could mean a lot for all of the soon-to-be and recent graduates entering the work world.
Picture two candidates applying for the same position with similar resumes, or even that one looks better for the job. This announcement shows that although those these two seem equal competitors, one thing will set them apart: attitude. When the interview comes around, more companies will chose the person that shows they are more willing to be there and has a attitude of positivity. Even if you are nervous that your real personality might not (or might) come out for a job interview, I believe this is good information to help quell your nerves and be confident.
College helps prepare us for this aspect of real life because college is a taste of the real thing we will be exposed to when we are fully on our own. Living without parents means you have to sustain yourself, manage your schoolwork, friendships, and much more throughout the day. All of this can be completely exhausting and at times it’s easier to just be grumpy or give up.
In school, we realize after some time that it actually makes the days easier if you have a positive outlook on life and try to enjoy everything that is thrown at you. So embrace college for everything you learn in school, and make sure you are doing your best to learn a lot outside of the classroom too.
