Don’t Go to University to Learn Date posted 6 Feb 2012 There are good reasons to go to university but if your sole reason is to attain formal education and get a certified degree then you are probably not getting what you’re paying for.Bear in mind that nearly everything that you learn in university can be learned anywhere and probably learnt more, better, and faster if you do so on your own.So the question then is – what skills do you acquire at university that you cannot learn on your own?University gives you three things that are harder to get on your own: a chance to network with your peers, the opportunity to build a support platform for your future professional career and the environment for you to discover your own personal brand. Build a Strong Network Attending university provides the opportunity to engage in group assignments and other team works. This is a valuable skill to have and it is something that you won’t learn from a book. Attending university puts you in the position of working with a lot of other people.It is also a major advantage if you go to a prestigious college or university as the people that you come into contact with during your study are likely to be movers or shakers. Remember to pay attention to members of your classmates, spotting the ones with great potential to make it big in life. These people are very likely to be the ones moving up the society or corporate ladder with you and in some cases will be your future bosses or co-operate partners. You should make an effort to get to know them and work with them. Also bear in mind that if you want to form a strong network with the elites, you should be prepared to work hard to show them whenever you can, that you are capable in doing great work and are the sort of guy or girl that will be a major asset to their team. Build a Professional Support Network Another major advantage of attending a university is that you have access to a vast network of professors who are highly experienced in their fields of study. The supports from the experienced professors will guide you through the decision making phase in determining the pros and cons of a particular career path as well as providing you with the necessary platform to leverage on their professional network through recruitment events, leadership seminars as well as the opportunity to meet with senior representative members of the respective industry. Build a Strong Personal Brand Personal branding makes you who you are, what you do, and differentiates yourself from the people around you. The university provides you the opportunity to discover your brand through what you learn and who you engage with during the pursuit of your degree. To build a personal brand, you need to ensure that your self-impression equates to how people perceive you. In simple terms, this translates to: what you think of yourself should be the same as what others think of you. Branding yourself requires you to send a consistent message to the people you engage with as well as the general public who will judge you. Thus, it is important that when carving your personal brand you place special emphasis on the 6 Cs which are: Character–your character is at the heart of your brand. Without a strong character, your personal brand won’t matter to anyone. Commitment – this is your commitment to uphold your values and deliver on your promises. Confidence – confidence is the backbone of self-esteem. Without confidence, your personal brand is unlikely to be trusted by anyone. Competence – the more competent you become, the more trust people have on your Personal Brand and the more loyal your brand following. Bear in mind though that true competence is not perfection but rather the skillsets gained from having failed, learned from the mistakes and tried again. Consistency–this involves sending out a consistent message about your Personal Brand and who you are as a person. Being consistent in your action will gain you respect and ensure that people won’t lose interest in you. Creativity –creative people are highly sought after and their ability to think outside the box means that they are always seeking out solutions to new challenges. For this reason, it is important to keep sharpening your creativity. - See more at: seekideal/2012/02/06/dont-go-to-university-to-learn/#sthash.Wcfp4KX7.dpuf
Posted on: Sun, 18 Aug 2013 06:43:32 +0000
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