HOW TO BUILD A SKILL SET IN UNIVERSITY

Do you have any skills outside of school? Take a minute and write down all of the things you know how to do. Then write another list of skills you’d love to have. Now continue reading.

It has become quite obvious that we are in a skills-driven society. And more than ever, most remote jobs demand skills which are not usually taught in school. Many students now feel the pressure to learn some extra skill, take up some extra job, make some extra money.

And this is very valid at this age. The only thing is making sure you are learning relevant skills that you love, can master and keep up with. It’s not just about garnering knowledge. Is the skill useful and sustainable?

Regardless of your current university course, you can invest quality time in learning skills that will be useful for that future you envision. Even if you’re a law student, you can intentionally take-up graphic design classes and manage a side gig that will remain relevant.

You can also go through skills that are related to your career path to solidify your grasp. For example as a medical student, you can take courses in healthy diet or psychology and mental health and become an expert outside of your medical school curriculum.

The Internet is very vast and is extremely useful ìn acquiring these skills. You can easily watch a 5-minute design tutorial on YouTube from your bed at any time. The accessibility of YouTube isn’t always an advantage, however. You could get lazy or even lose motivation because of lack of structure.

If you are serious about learning a skill, you will need to invest in seriously pursuing the knowledge and dedicating time to active practice of that skill. And most times, that cannot be achieved with free and random resources.

Further more, as a student, it will take a lot of planning, self-discipline and intentional effort to attain a certain level of mastery with most in-demand skills. Before you start learning, you should answer the following questions:

1. Why do I want to learn this skill?
2. Is it going to be relevant in 10 years?
3. Can I sustain my interest in this skill?
4. What will be my challenges in learning this skill?
5. Have I estimated how much time I’ll need per day or per week to practice this skill?
6. Have I researched and do I have access to all the necessary resources to learn?
7. Do I have a plan, or at least a structured system to learn this skill?

The goal of learning any skill should be mastering it. If you are not planning to master that skill or at least dedicate enough time to it, then you should just consider spending your energy on something else.

Don’t make the mistake of starting to learn so many skills and then drop them off at some point because you can’t keep up any longer. You should be able to focus on one major skill at every point in time especially if you’re still in school.

If you’re looking to combine school work with learning skills to secure your future or even with a demanding side job, then you should read these posts on HOW TO HAVE A BALANCED LIFE IN UNIVERSITY and TOP 7 TIPS TO STAY ORGANISED EVERYDAY.

Also, if you don’t know where to start to discover which skills to get trained in from the best tutors, you should sign up at http://www.varsityscape.com. Their academy has well-structured professional courses teaching different skills ranging from copywriting to programming.

Finally, look forward to next week’s post where we will discuss which skills are most relevant for you as a student and how to go about it.