Campus Connect Week 27 Contest | Skilling Up as a College Student

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Hello, Scholars!

Long before the second quarter of 2021, I was just a fresh-faced teenager with a birth certificate, first school leaving certificate, WAEC certificate, a CGPA of 4.1 and most importantly, zero developed skills. Having a B. A. in English and Literature was my greatest ambition until something happened that made me realize that this was not enough for the labour market. That was my turning point.

In a competitive world like ours where skilled individuals are in great demand daily, acquiring only a bachelor's degree, master's or PhD is never enough. Let's evaluate these scenarios.

Scenario 1
A start-up agro-based company called XYZ chickens is recruiting new staff. They have received an application from Applicant A who has earned a bachelor's degree in Agriculture with 5 years of experience. There is also Applicant B who has the same qualifications as Applicant A but tops it up with driving skills, records of effective leadership and voluntary service for a chicken aid program. Applicant B automatically gets more qualified for the job for the following reasons:

1. The company is small and cannot employ a driver so Applicant B's driving skill is quite valuable to help during deliveries.
2. Applicant B's proficient leadership qualities are relevant if the role is a managerial position.

Scenario 2
Ukpono just graduated from the University with a second class upper degree in English. She lives in Nigeria where there are barely enough employment opportunities for the teeming population of freshly baked graduates. During school vacations and the incessant strike actions, Ukpono had acquired some basic computer skills like how to use Microsoft Word Office, Excel and PowerPoint effectively. How can these skills help her to get gainfully employed?
Suggestions:

1. Ukpono can start up an online class for a specific demographic group.
2. She can use these skills to prepare videos, class presentations, lessons etc.

From the scenarios above, one can deduce that skills are acquired or learned as opposed to abilities. They are characterized into two categories:

• Soft skills
• Hard skills

Soft skills are personal attributes or character traits that enable someone to work and interact effectively with others. They include communication, team management, leadership and so forth. They can also be called core, common or people skills. Hard skills, on the other hand, are teachable abilities that are related to specific technical knowledge such as writing, painting, Microsoft Word office skills, computer coding etc. Acquiring both skills is pivotal since they work hand-in-hand with each other.

As a student who has recognized the relevance of skilling up, my areas of proficiency are:

Soft Skills

• Team attitude: Put me in a team of crazy minded people like myself and watch us create magic.
• Leadership: My years of overseeing children and adults at the church, organizing holiday lessons, attending leadership summits, as well as, reigning as a beauty queen in 2014 have contributed immensely to building my leadership qualities.
• Time management: Learning this was not easy and this meant being proactive and trying to meet deadlines despite inevitable factors.
• Ingenuity: Being able to solve problems by proffering solutions is one ability I have cultivated over years.

Hard skills
Apart from having basic computer skills, my dream is to complete my current courses on IT support and UX design and finally become a top-notch seamstress. As a user experience (UX) designer, my focus is on making a users' interaction with products, like apps, websites, and physical objects useful, enjoyable, and accessible.

Final Thoughts
The world is full of hot juicy legitimate opportunities for anyone and just everyone to create values and earn some hard valuable currencies too. So whether you are a student with a heavy workload at school, banker, doctor, cobbler or stay-at-home parent, what puts you at a better advantage of making a mark is by acquiring multiply skills that are relevant to your profession.

About Me | 10% payout to @campusconnectng | Nigeria