SIMPLE STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO BECOME A FORMIDABLE GRADUATE STUDENT

“When I grow up, I want to be like you,” a friend once sent me a Whatsapp message. “Why?” I asked. “I like the way you do your WhatsApp posts,” responded the friend.

For over two years now I decided to make WhatsApp status be informative, empowering, and transformative. I think it has done well to those who have come across it.?

Recently, I shared a random thought on how the job market is tough. Which demands the graduates to have already packaged themselves way better, and more, than the degrees. A friend who is still in college asked, “What are these other things that we can do to be better packaged?”

I had a few in mind - in a disorganized form. I then promised them that I will organize my thoughts and get back to them.

Here are a few thoughts I have on how students can make themselves competitive and formidable at the entry-level.

Here are a few:

1. Grow your physical skills

Appropriate facial expressions

• ?Many of us do not know how to carry ourselves in professional environments. We think that offering a flirting smile or posture is going to make us unique.
• but, when you present yourself as a flirter - you are likely to attract workplace bully bosses, sexual harassment, and people imagine things that aren't supposed to be.

Ability to physically endure?

• ?While on campus, I used to imagine that when working it would be a team soft life. I mean you just go to work, then you have weekend offs and go about team soft life events. I mean, we deserve self-treatment after all this brutality of studentship.?
• It is a shock. It is tough to work. Especially in the medical field. Long hours of a shift. You get home very tired. The next day you have to be up.?
• One must cultivate a monster-like physical endurance. Spiritual endurance to is needed.?
• You can achieve this by exercising through the gym, running, biking among others. This includes consciously choosing to eat right and healthy.
• Be ready to always go the extra mile?

2. Grow your essential skills

• Essential skills are what we famously call soft skills. I think they should be called essential skills.?
• They look abstract until you get to work and realize how you need to know how to handle the attitudes of different people. Sometimes your seniors can be outrightly disrespectful. Or - how do you handle yourself when you know you are extremely good at your skills? - better than most around you?
• Many of us fall into the trap of “That's who I am”. That's an approach by someone who is lazy to read, unwilling to learn. Which altogether is a dangerous mind.?
• Graduates should learn to be able to handle their bodies, their persona, and their being.?
• Learn to be creative, honest, reliable, self-driven: never say I work well under pressure.?
• Confidence - be confident to express yourself rightly and respectfully. When you know something. Be confident to ask for help - when you don't know.?
• These are skills that you must be intentional to learn and train yourself in them. You learn by reading lots of personal development books, receive training and coaching as much as you can
• One of my personal struggles in this area as - I was not confident I could do and people could appreciate - largely because at some point my peers mocked my work. It hit hard. But at some point, I focused on listening to speakers and reading books on building a personal brand - in different aspects. I have never been the same. I am not where I want to be - but certainly way better. You could turn your essential skills around.?
• Identify the essential skill that is skeleton and scarecrow in yourself and grow it.

3. Grow your profession like a monster

• Do something that expands your professional power
• By the fact that you are a student, it means you are training towards some profession.?
• But, we do not have to graduate with a degree only. There are many degrees of the same type already. If you are looking into employment - your game must be a little higher. You can build your game right from studentship.?
• You can do projects, conduct research studies, publish papers - irrespective of your area of study. Present in conferences. Get certificates, awards of participation, presentation, and also of best of the best. Drive yourself beyond comfortable limits.?
• As you do this - try to stay relevant to your field of interest as much as possible. For example - if you are a medical student and your interest is to become a surgeon - then try to do studies or projects in line with that.? Network with senior colleagues in that field.?
• Network: please do not go to functions and just take photos for the glam only. It is better you make contacts and business cards and forget about the photos. Network with mentors in the same field, peers with similar interests.?
• Even though you are a student - learn to introduce yourself confidently - I am so and so, a student of…and I am interested in the future to become a surgeon in this…and also publish. To prepare for that, I attend such forums looking to network with senior colleagues and peers. When you do that respectfully, people take note of you. Sooner or later they will lend a hand.?
• Become extremely good at what you do. Even if being a student is your current job - become a monster at what you do. Be the best student you could ever be. If it is studying, do it and crush those tests. Gather as much knowledge and skill. Workplaces do not look for people who are looking forward to learning on the job (though there is always something to learn). Workplaces are looking for people who have upped their game. Up your skills and game as a student and you will crush it.

4. Discover yourself

• After all, the points above are listed, it is null and void when you have not discovered who you are
• Unfortunately, many of us misuse the statement of knowing who I am.?
• More often we use it in - sexual explorations, drinking, pitty parties, looseness, laziness manifesting in missing classes, not doing assignments, careless handling of your abilities
• You need to shut up, slap yourself and come to your senses
• Ask yourself where you want to be in the next one year or five or ten. Then, what do you need to do to get there?
• Once you do that then you will know the important things to channel your energy and what to scrape off.?
• Unfortunately, most students lie to themselves - I will do that later. Let me have fun. You realize the latter you waited for has its one activity that you won't even manage?

5. Utilize what you have

Those that come from financial limited homes

• ?must be able to use that a crazy driving force to build their lives and profession
• In fact earlier than anyone else. You cannot sit and cry foul and wish you had money or someone who could just pay up for things.?
• If someone did not set a high table for you - or no one is inviting you to the higher table. Do not wait for it.?
• Start building your own high table this early: look for the wood, the nails, the paint, the table cloth, the flower, the food, and the people to share the table with. Create your own high table. In a smaller way, then grow it up.

Those with a good financial basis

• You must understand that someone worked hard for such a good foundation. Maybe your parents or grandparents - and you should not feel bad about coming from a rich family. Remember it is not you who is rich - it is your parents.?
• Utilize that opportunity. I am certain that if you need money to attend conferences, seminars, conduct a project, publish a paper, and other growth-promoting activities - it will be easier for you than a colleague with a less fortunate family.?
• Do not just ask for money for clothes and food and road trips. Ask for money that turns your profession into a formidable one.?

6. Grow your spiritual life

• The importance of spiritual life is easily overlooked.
• But we need to understand that - even if you don't believe or can't see it - it exists and it drives life.
• I will not explain much, but - fix your spiritual life and build on it.?

7. Grow your beneficial social circle

• Keep friends who matter
• Differentiate with acquaintances?
• Focus on things that matter: becoming good at your profession, get as much knowledge and education, practice the skills
• Cut out on what does not matter: partying, endless meaningless charter
• Value and allocate your time: friends, physical fitness, spiritual and social interactions, studies, and projects. More time on what matters, less time on what matters less
• Do not just flow with the masses, know yourself and build your own strength and persona
• This is not the same as choosing friends with money and glamor. Many actually have money and glamor but are headed to nowhere. They are living lives with no directions. Avoid such. Because you will both head into destruction - which is well facilitated by the presence of plentiful money.?