Whether you’re in your first semester of college or nearing graduation, you might feel like you wasted those precious years of school time. There’s so much to learn, and while some of it might seem like common sense, it’s still necessary. However, there are a few skills that you don’t learn in school that could change your life forever – and they’re not as uncommon as you might think!
In an age of information overload, it’s more important than ever to be able to learn on your own. Many of the skills people need to thrive in the modern world are not taught in school. So, this list of 6 life-changing skills that schools do not often teach will come in handy for your future. Whether you’re working or a student, these tips will be helpful!
1. Time Management
“It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?” – Henry David Thoreau
Do you remember when you were 16 years old and feeling like you had way too much time on your hands? Years later, you realize that time is a valuable commodity. There’s only so much of it in a day, and you can’t get more of it. But what you can do is make better use of your time with good old-fashioned time management skills! Here are a few of them to get you started:
- Record Your Activities: Keep track of everything you do in a day; from waking up to going to bed, your goal should be to take control over where your precious minutes and hours go – make no mistake about it.
- Don’t Multitask: This one may seem counterintuitive at first, but multitasking doesn’t save you any time. If anything, it just wastes even more of your day because there will always be some point where you switch back and forth between tasks, wasting even more time as a result.
- Take Breaks: It may sound counterintuitive again but taking breaks throughout your workday is one of the best ways to boost productivity and creativity.
- Set Goals: What would life be without goals?
2. Marketing
“To me, job titles don’t matter. Everyone is in sales. It’s the only way we stay in business.” – Harvey Mackay
One of the essential skills you learn in business school is marketing. Marketing is creating value for a company through the creation and distribution of products or services. It’s not just about promoting a service or product; it’s about understanding your target market, creating a strategy to reach them, and executing it.
Marketing is essential for any company, large or small, and it’s a skill that you can use in any industry. To give it a formal definition, celebrity branding uses famous people to generate buzz around a product or service. Celebrity branding involves engagement from celebrities with the product or service.
3. Financial Literacy
“Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.” – Benjamin Franklin
Even if you don’t attend school or college, you still need to know about money and personal finance. Learning some basic financial concepts can be one of the most important things you ever do for yourself. Whether you’re just starting your career or thinking about retirement, it’s never too late to learn more about money and financial planning. So what are you waiting for? Start learning today!
4. Networking and Communication
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” – George Bernard Shaw
One of the most important skills you can learn is networking. Networking is the process of meeting new people and building relationships with them. It can help you find new opportunities, learn new things and expand your professional reach. While it’s not easy, it’s worth it. Certain things can help you make the process a little easier:
- Attend industry events and conferences. It is an excellent way to meet people who work in your field and learn from them.
- Join relevant online forums and groups. It will give you access to a broader pool of people and allow you to build relationships with them over time.
- Don’t be scared to reach out to the ones you admire.
Let them know that you respect their work and would love to learn more from them. Chances are they’ll be happy to help!
5. Public Speaking
“The biggest risk of all is not taking one.” – Mellody Hobson
Public speaking is an essential life skill that’s not often taught in school. However, it’s a skill that can be learned and improved with practice. Whether you’re giving a presentation at work or speaking in front of a group of friends, it will help you feel more confident and prepared. Start by practicing before a mirror or recording yourself to get feedback. Visualize yourself giving a successful presentation and feel the positive emotions that come with it. Stay positive and confident, even if you make a mistake. If you prepare well and practice regularly, you’ll be able to make a great impression when it matters most.
Rowan Atkinson, popular for his role as Mr. Bean, becomes uneasy and embarrassed when he has to speak in front of an audience. For example, you can easily spot it when the actor is present on talk shows. Atkinson, like many others, devised strategies to defend himself. Many of his characters have speech challenges, and Mr. Bean is, as you may recall, an almost silent comic program. Nonetheless, when the actor felt compelled to defend what he feels is correct, he went up. Despite his obvious discomfort, Rowan Atkinson gave a sincere remark about freedom of expression in 2012.
6. Failure
“To teach someone a real skill, teach him how to take risk & fail. He will never learn this in school. No non-risktaker can ever teach it.” – Nassim Nicholas Taleb
It is a huge one. Everyone experiences failure at some time in life, and understanding how to cope with it effectively is critical to your mental health. The school does not teach you how to deal with failure since it is stigmatized. You learn that you are a failure if you do poorly on your examinations. People learn that it is desirable to avoid failure due to the negative connotations, which have ramifications for their personal growth. Learning these three truths in school would be highly beneficial:
- Failure is a necessary part of learning.
- It’s pointless to prevent failure since no one can avoid it.
- Don’t surrender at the initial stumbling block. The majority of individuals give up just when they’re about to achieve.
Conclusion:
While not every student will need to know how to speak in public or manage their finances, most students can benefit from learning these and other skills that schools do not teach. In an increasingly competitive job market, it’s essential to market yourself and your skills, and these are just a few of the many life-changing skills you can learn. With the correct set of tools and a little bit of effort, you can improve any area of your life.