How beneficial are extracurricular activities offered on campus and are they helpful in finding a fulfilling job to build a career?
From the time we get our offers of admission to College or University, we are bombarded with information about joining extracurricular clubs and activities. We all know the benefits of joining a new club whether it be making new friends or developing a new skill and experience for your resume, however the question is if the investment of time is all that worth it? Statistics will tell you it is. The internet will tell you it is. The extracurricular clubs and groups will tell you it is. And the truth is that is extremely beneficial.
It is quite important to get good grades whilst in school. It is also significantly important to be involved in extracurricular as well as it enhances your college experience. It adds more meat to the bones. It helps you get practical work experience, helps you to network with people, help improve your social skills and helps you build a work ethic. It leads to a path to help build trust and commitment, in a future career. It shows a steady growth in experience, and the company would use this to see how dependable you are as a person.
As a leader of an organizational group or club, whether it be the Accounting Society of Ryerson or the Student Film Association, this shows that you have demonstrated leadership skills in your role and are able to be independent and in control. This experience is all you are going to have to prove to companies and organizations that you really are the best candidate for the job. Its about the responsibilities and duties that you have in that leadership role that can demonstrate your passion, your motivation and your communication skills. Even if it is as little as tutoring your peers, it shows knowledge, courage, commitment and dedication, all skills employers look for in their employees. Having good grades can only help you so far. Of course it shows your intelligence and passion. However, it lacks the fact that you’ve ever been exposed to practical work duties. Employers don’t like to spoon feed their employees. They expect their employees to know their way around. Having good grades and balancing an executive role shows energy and courage. It almost establishes you as a double threat.
The truth is, all your experience in your undergraduate studies is still not enough. Every entry level job looks for candidates with over 3 years of experience in a particular field. Especially in this day and age when you are in competition with every one of your colleagues who graduate with you, you need a certain edge in order to stand out from your competition. This is not to say that you have to keep a distance from your colleagues. It’s just the reality that there are a limited number of jobs out there in the field you may want to pursue. Not everyone ends up in the field they want to go into to. You may know many aspiring lawyers who now work as accountants or engineering students working in the banking field. It really is a sorry situation to see many students having to settle for jobs, when they could easily be working in jobs that they are genuinely passionate about.
The key is that, you have to leverage your on-campus leadership experience to find a meaningful job once you graduate. For example, the fact that you participated in a Law case competition can make all the difference when applying for a compliance job as it shows critical analysis thinking and an application of legal knowledge. It is about selling your experience in a smart way. It is about using industry keywords and tailoring your experience to the job. Something as simple as using a simulation game for your business class could speak volumes by applying it to a real life situation. Employers are always looking for their employees to make connections between their education and their work.