Having recently entered the senior phase of my time at St Andrew’s and St Bride’s, I find myself pondering how I will continue on my journey after completing my secondary education. When we are at school, we tend to concentrate on the educational aspects of our lessons but are we also gaining valuable life lessons and habits along the way that we can take and incorporate into our daily lives when we leave school, whether it be in college, university or in our working lives? Here are five transferable skills that you may not realise you are developing:
Perseverance through tough times
We’ve all had times in our school lives where nothing seems to be going right. The maths test you sat yesterday was a lot trickier than anticipated, your english teacher has just set a second essay due for the end of the week and on top of all that, your mum won’t stop harping on about cleaning your bedroom and returning the used dishes to the kitchen. It is clear that so many situations, no matter how trivial they may seem, require a great deal of perseverance – often closely associated with resilience. It is nearly impossible to be successful at anything in life if you are not willing to work hard and for many students, this skill is brought to the forefront – whether it be learning a musical instrument, re-sitting a difficult exam to improve grades or staying in all weekend to study for that dreaded timed essay!
Organisation matters
As the saying goes; tidy room, tidy mind, A lack of organisation can lead to chaos – I know I have looked at my desk at home sometimes with numerous books and jotters scattered everywhere and felt like giving up. Being organised will give a much greater chance of being successful both now and later on in life whilst helping us save time which, as a student, can be crucial for those of us balancing meeting deadlines, preparing for exams, maintaining a part time job/voluntary work, taking part in extra curricular activities and finding time to socialise with our friends. There are many ways to develop this skill – learning to create timetables and sticking to them is absolutely crucial and this should be emphasised to younger students who should get into this good habit early on in their school life.
Mistakes provide valuable learning opportunities
No one is perfect. We all make mistakes (although some people don’t like to admit it) but we shouldn’t see mistakes as a failure on our part but instead, a valuable piece of information that we should use to help us target areas where we need some extra practice. We shouldn’t feel disheartened – speak to the teacher to understand what the mistake was, how to fix it and to gain strategies as early as possible to ensure that those mistakes are not repeated. This scenario isn’t just confined to our school life, it can and will happen when we move away from school and so taking a mature approach now by being honest and tackling any difficulties at an early stage can only benefit you later on.
Working well together benefits everyone
Teamwork is a valuable skill we learn at school. This provide us with an opportunity to work together with others who may have different skills, talents and personalities. As part of a team you are enhancing skills such as communication, creativity and time management. Working collaboratively and learning to compromise is important in working as both a team and as an individual to achieve success. It is important to understand that its each individual working together that makes a team successful. If one person does not perform adequately or leaves a team this can contribute to everyone’s failing. When we move into the world of work/further education we will also have to work in teams – many businesses now look at teamwork skills when evaluating a person for employment. A team with multiple skills can result in a better product or service when a team approach is taken. We can enhance team working skills by embracing school activities such as netball, football, Micro-Tyco, charity events and Duke of Edinburgh awards where you are working together towards a common goal.
Communication Skills: Verbal, Written and Listening
Whether it be written or verbal, communication is a vital skill in any further education or future job opportunities. School can provide the foundations to develop in this area whether it be through producing essays, debating, participating in school shows, learning a foreign language, public speaking or contributing newspaper articles. Without realising, each day we put ourselves in situations where we must successfully use communication to achieve our desired goal. Developing listening skill is just as important. Good listening build a stronger relationship and understanding with teachers and in the long term, improves our learning experience. This can then be applied in universities when listening to lectures or in the workplace when attending meetings or presenting findings to the rest of a team.
By mastering these skills early on and taking advantage of the opportunities provided in school, this will help set you up for success when you move on to further education or employment. Many career paths will expect you to have a good grasp of such skills in order to achieve your full potential.
