Skills That College Doesn't Teach You (But Should!)

Soft skills are moving the world forward. In the past, most soft skills were not talked about or considered important in any part of life. As time has gone on, college has failed to teach some dire soft skills that are needed every single day. Once you leave the college bubble, you are left with a piece of paper that says you have completed a series of courses. That is great. But have you gained any lifelong skills from it?

What College Didn’t Teach Me touches on a variety of skills and mindsets that one needs to develop on their own because college does not teach these skills. Let’s dive into some of the important ones and how you can obtain this skill and apply it to the rest of your life.

Personal Finances

If you thought finances were a mess in college, just wait until you are on your own trying to figure out how to pay for big kid living. Colleges fail to teach students how to properly manage their own money and set themselves up for success. They tell you, “You have to work.” Okay, no duh. But what you do with that money will make or break just about every aspect of your life.

Here is how you can properly manage your finances once you are on your own. First, establish income. I am a huge proponent of working multiple jobs to have income coming in from different places. For some this works, for others, it doesn’t. That is okay. Find a reliable work environment to make what you need to live and survive. Once you know how much you consistently bring in, it is time to look at expenses. Debt, monthly payments, food, and shelter are a large part of where your money goes. Choose to begin to pay off debt as fast as possible. This means sacrificing going out all the time, limiting the delivery orders from the local Chinese place, and being smart with the money that comes in. The faster you can pay off your debt, the more money you will have at your disposal. You do not want to be paying for your college degree when you are 60 years old. Pay over the minimum amount each month and watch your debt decrease just a bit faster.

You might not want to hear it, but minimizing the monthly payments will save you so much in the end. Think about what you actually need to live and move from there. Monthly subscriptions to TV, music, deliveries, and other services are all extra. Look at what your total monthly payments are and for what, and slowly begin to chip some off your payment list. Find a cheaper gym, choose one TV provider, and find cheaper options for whatever you can. And if you do not use something or use it very little, choose to go without it. Trust me you won’t miss it.

In college, a lot of people don’t know how to smartly shop for groceries. Utilizing sales, coupons, and clearance racks will save you so much money when buying food. Set a budget of what you want to spend each week on groceries and how much you want to spend on going out. It is so much easier to go out and enjoy restaurant food but it can break the bank. Find ways to cook food at home you like because it will save you so much more money in the long run. Learn self-control when it comes to going out and remember, it is okay to say no.

Your home is your sanctuary, but it is not worth going house broke over. The common rule is do not have a place that is more than 33% of your monthly income. I understand in some scenarios and places, that is just not possible. Try to find living that will save you money like having a roommate, a smaller place, or a different area, and with the money you are saving on rent, put it away for the place you want when you are making more. Make it a goal to save a certain amount for the place you want. Whether that is buying a house or renting a bigger apartment. Choose to give yourself breathing room when it comes to your home expenses and payments.

Investing your money now is essential for your older self. College teaches finances for businesses. While that is great for business students alike, that teaches you nothing about investing your money. Investing now into a ROTH IRA, 401k, stocks, and bonds will set you up for success in the future. You do not want to be working until the day you die. You want to live life and enjoy it. There are so many ways to invest your money for your future past the traditional ways. Find what is right for you even if that is real estate, crypto, and other forms of profit. Investing now will mean you can enjoy what you have and truly live the life you worked hard for.

Developing Interpersonal Skills

With our faces glued to screens all day every day, interpersonal skills are getting harder to teach and develop. Our society struggles with the basic concept of having face-to-face interaction with a random human being all because we are becoming more digitized. I am not saying the digital world is bad, but basic humanities skills are lacking.

Every day you could be developing interpersonal skills like communication, patience, responsibility, leadership, listening, and motivation by taking the time to really dissect where you are with each of these and how you could improve. College may teach some of these to an extent, but let’s face it, everyone wants to get in and get out as fast as possible so you are in a supercharging mode doing anything you can to be successful while completing these as fast as possible.

There are many ways you could work on each of these skills. Communication. We all know we need to be interacting with people more face to face to gain valuable speaking skills and to learn about interacting with others. Strike up conversations with strangers when you are out and about. Make eye contact when speaking with someone. Sit and stand confidently when speaking. Do not avoid conversations that are hard or bad, tackle them head-on. Overuse your words so that you do not leave things to interpretation, because we all know that can go south quickly. Communication in our society is dwindling, and sitting in a classroom being lectured does not help the matter, let alone improve it.

Patience is one I always have to work on. I find myself constantly complaining about waiting. We waste a lot of our time waiting but you know what, it is inevitable. Having more patience for things will bring you peace of mind, calmness, and even clarity when you are not stressed. Do what you need to do in a timely manner and remember others are doing the same. Give grace to other people but also give it to yourself. Sometimes, time gets away from all of us and we cannot accomplish what we want. Patience in life goes a long way and when you are constantly wanting everything instantly, it will cause you more harm than good.

You should take responsibility for all aspects of your life. I know that seems broad, but in college that taught you to take responsibility for your learning. That is helpful, but there is so much more out there to be responsible for. Your health, your time, your emotions, and all the other physical factors like your job, your living conditions, and the day-to-day tasks. Owning and accepting responsibility for what it takes to truly be successful is hard to do, but necessary to have a positive life ahead. Take charge of what goes into your mind, body, and spirit every day. Do self-enriching tasks and activities to give yourself the best scenario possible to succeed.

Most of the world goes with the flow of everyone else. Leadership allows you to stand out differently. Instead of being just another person, find a way to lead others in a good way. Whatever you are passionate about and good at, take charge and share with others. Become a person that is worth listening to and interacting with. Leading by example will not only give your credibility but also the right kind of respect from others. Becoming a leader in anything you like to do will speak volumes about who you are as a person.

In our “now now now” society that college helps instigate, we don’t take the time to listen. Sure you might hear what your professor has to say, but are you truly listening? Listening goes far above the college classroom. Are you actively listening to what is being said to you in any scenario? Listening with intent is not listening just to think of a response before someone is finished speaking. Good listening is hearing every word they say while absorbing their tone and body language to really interrupt the meaning of their words. Strive to listen to what others are saying and pause to think about a response instead of rushing into some words that did not have careful thought behind them.

Staying motivated is hard especially when you feel like you are running on empty. You are trying to juggle a job, family, friends, chores, social life, activities, and day-to-day needs. Keeping yourself motivated is hard to do but can be done in different ways. Find motivators all around you big and small. Word hard to save for that dream vacation or simply go to the gym so you can see one less pound on the scale. No matter what it takes to stay motivated, get your mindset in the right place so you can continue to grow as an individual as much as you can. Remember, you have two people in this world to make proud. Your eight-year-old self, and your 80-year-old self.

Mental and Physical Health

What College Didn’t Teach Me has two chapters on this so we are going to touch on this briefly. You might think it is common sense to take care of your personal health in post-grad life, but you will be amazed at the excuses you make to avoid taking care of your mind and body. You only get one brain and one body. That is all. So why treat it like a dumpster, filling it with trash from the inside and out? Find a balance with food and give your body the nutrients and attention it craves. Keep it moving as much as you can, no matter what that looks like. Our limbs are meant to move a lot and that is how we can set up ourselves for a positive future.

Take care of your brain as it holds your entire life in one place. Take brain breaks, seek help and therapy, find ways to challenge your thinking, fill it with useful information, and be grateful for your power of thought. Giving your brain the right ingredients to work the way you need it to will lead to a purposeful and fulfilling life.

You will need to learn how to handle stress, anxiety, and depression on your own because you might not have the same resources you did in the past. Find the internal motivation to get yourself to where you need to be by finding ways to improve your mental state. Do your research and begin to switch your mindset to help win the battle of whatever you are going through.

There are so many distractions in post-grad life, that you forget that you should be your own priority. Without you, this world would be a lot worse off. Take care of yourself, for yourself.

Adjusting To Change

College has a very consistent environment making it easy to fall into patterns of comfortability. There is every evolving change in the post-grad world making it hard to have routines, structures, and comfort. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Make yourself adaptable to your surroundings and situations. This will guarantee you making through hard times and good times smoothly when you allow yourself to have an open mind and flexibility in your day-to-day life. Buckle up because post-grad is all about change.

Navigating Personal Relationships

Friends come and go which is okay. College tells you that being surrounded by hundreds of people is a good thing. Not always. What college fails to teach is that there is a method to finding friends. Friends should be people helping you grow, encouraging you to be a better person, cheering you on at your accomplishments, and uplifting you always. There are plenty of people out there that will hinder your growth and potential as a person because they want you at their level. Choose to surround yourself with people who are where you want to be one day. Whatever success looks like to you, find those that have accomplished what you want and strive to be like the individuals that are doing good for themselves and the world. It is okay to end friendships that are not prosperous. It is okay to keep a tight group of people. You do not need to have many groups of friends. Find your core people and stick with them.

Family is the same way. If there is toxicity with people, know that it is okay to set boundaries and break away from situations and people you do not like. Find your peace, and if someone is not a part of that, that is your decision to better yourself.

It is all about having the courage and standing up for yourself. Choose to surround yourself with people like you and I promise, your circle will get smaller but tighter and better.

Embracing Failure

Since we were young kids, failure was shunned. Failing a test, grade, or class was seen as a big problem. Well, in the post-grad world, you fail all the time. Yes, it is not perfect and neither are you. You are going to fail a lot after college. You will try something and you just won’t like it or it will not work out. Why is this good? Because it teaches you so many valuable lessons along the way. You can see where you went wrong and what you need to do to improve the next time you try something. Failure also builds you up as a person and makes you more resilient. Resilience leads to a strong personality and confidence no matter the situation. You are able to push through the hard times and breeze through the good. Fail often, so you can grow.

These are just some of the skills colleges do not teach. There are so many more talked about in the book What College Didn’t Teach Me. College prepares you for a few things, but you are left with the rest of the world to figure out on your own. We are here to help. Purchase your book today!