SKILL UP (Part 2)

Dear 21st century student.

In my last letter, I addressed the subject of skills. I mentioned the two broad skill sets you would need for a successful life after school, namely hard skills and soft skills. For time and space, I only spoke about hard skills. Allow me to talk to you about the second set of skills - soft skills.

Soft skills are defined as character traits and interpersonal skills that characterize a person's relationship with other people (www.investopedia.com).

Unlike the hard skills, these type of skills are usually not job related. In fact they are generally known as transferrable skills because they are useful and important regardless of your profession. And so whether you are currently studying to be an engineer, political scientist or doctor, you need soft skills to succeed in the market place.

There are probably a dozen or more soft skills but here are just a few to get you started (in no particular order of importance):

• Communication skills – This is basically the ability to organize your thoughts and pass them across to others in clear and concise language. It doesn't end there. You should be able to master the art of non-verbal communication using body language and facial gestures; most importantly not neglecting the art of effective listening!
• Leadership skills – Companies and businesses around the world are in dire need of people who can manage themselves and others. Nobody wants to baby sit. The 21st century is too busy for that. Nobody wants to micromanage you. If you must stand out at school and after school, then you must master leadership traits like taking ownership and responsibility, motivating yourself and others, resolving conflicts and the likes. Trust me, its a tough call. I wish someone told me this back in my days at school while I was cramming my head full with definitions and theories! 
• Problem solving skills - The world is full of problems. Real life problems. You want to be the kind of person who can solve both simple and complex problems for yourself, and your organization. Another related skill that will help you solve problems is critical thinking.
• Team work and Collaboration - Hopefully, you already know by now that the world does not revolve around you, and that you usually need people to get any task done. You will most definitely work with people both at school and on your job after school. Since we all have different personalities and cultural backgrounds, it takes some level of skill to embrace this diversity and work with people. You must learn this skill.
• Adaptability Skills - The 21st century is characterized by a lot of changes. information is constantly changing at an alarming rate. What you know today is soon obsolete. You therefore need to be adaptable to keep up with trends and beat the competition. This also goes with the ability to withstand pressure.
• Interpersonal or Relational Skills - Although we've touched a little bit on this when we spoke about leadership and conflict resolution, let me just add that you should cultivate a pleasing personality. Be easy to relate with. Learn the art of politeness and courtesy. Learn to use the words, "Please", "I'm sorry" and "Thank you".

 Dear 21st century student, with the benefit of almost two decades of after school experience, I can tell you that these skills are a must have if you will enjoy success in life after school.

Your take away point should be this:

Look for opportunities and avenues to cultivate these skills through practice. Utilize every assignment, class project, social and other extra curricular activities to acquire and fine tune these skills. They will make your stay at school enjoyable and guarantee your success after school.

Cheers.