Whether it be a club officer position, being a member of a club on campus, or in a leadership position within another capacity, college extracurricular activities are an excellent way to show yourself off. In college, I was personally victimized by overcommitment. I served in SO many leadership roles within my college years – read them all here – that it definitely has helped me in the workforce, too. Today, I will be sharing ways to use your college extracurricular activities within the professional world.
Ways to Use Your College Extracurricular Activities Professionally
- You know how to work with people of all kinds – when serving in a leadership position, you learn how to collaborate and work with people of all kinds. Not everyone has the same way of working, personality type, and so much more than ourselves. Needless to say, everyone is unique and working in a leadership role provides you the lens to work with people who are different from ourselves – something that is seen everyday within the work world.
- You can work better under pressure – A lot of the times, when working, others are relying on you to get the job done. The same goes for serving in a leadership capacity in college. When others are relying on you, that can bring about a whole extra level of pressure on your end. But, you learn to work under that pressure and that will help you to succeed at your finest professionally.
- You Gain Fundamental Communication Skills – When working, communication is vital to success on everyone’s part. College leadership and extracurriculars teach you how to communicate with others in a way similar to that of the work world and further connects the bridge into the work world. As basic as this skill is, it is one that is acquired over time and one that will serve you so well in the long run.
- You Learned Something New – Extracurriculars teach us A LOT about not only ourselves but as a leader too. We learn so much from serving others in a leadership position. What you learn from those extracurriculars can ALWAYS be used in future experiences too, especially in the workforce. The skills that we acquire will help us in SO many ways, even in roles that are very different than our previous one’s.
- You are Innovative – Have an idea?! Share it if and when you can! Extracurriculars allow us to be innovative on a regular basis – something that can set you apart within the workforce. Some of the best ideas can help get the job done professionally in the best way possible. Your voice can help so many others, simply from developing an innovative spirit back in your undergraduate days.
- You Get Plugged in within Your Company – For the most part, companies offer times for you to get together and know some of your coworkers beyond the working day to day life. My company has Affinity Groups such as the Women’s Forum and LGBTQ+ Alliance and Communities of Practice such as Women in Data and Accessibility Matters that allow for employees to be a leader in an extracurricular front. Not to mention, my company also offers several professional development opportunities and events that allow for me to have extracurriculars within the working world, too. Many other companies have similar extracurriculars, too!
Through it all, every single experience teaches us something whether we realize it or not. The ways that we channel our experiences into our future successes is what matters. Most importantly, none of us are perfect. Personally, I struggle with this concept within the professional world constantly, especially as a newer employee at my company. BUT, that is OKAY – none of us are alone either! How we take our experiences and run like the wind with them is what matters.
XOXO – Katie <3