Are the universities or academic classes teaching the qualities that you need to become a successful person in today’s world? To be happy one needs to be successful not only in one’s career but also in one’s personal life.
The higher education offered by universities is formal and very academic. Knowledge is imparted through lectures and limited to the respective subject. In certain faculties practical training is also imparted. But to be truly successful in one’s career one needs to possess certain qualities too. Modern working environment is much more challenging and complicated.
A formal degree is required to get a good job. But the students are not taught useful skills like time management, interpersonal skills, decision making, how to manage stress, build up a positive attitude, and so on. Such skills are required to handle difficult work situations, so that their productivity and efficiency isn’t reduced. Such skills teach them how to manage day-to-day problems at their work place as well as in their personal life.
We need to self-management skills to be able to manage ourselves psychologically, mentally and physically. We need communication skills to be able to communicate effectively at our workplace but also with our family members. We need time management so that we utilize our time well at workplace and home. Decision making skills are essential for we need to make big and small decisions every now and then. A positive attitude makes life livable and the workplace a better place to work in. Stress management is essential for we have stresses and challenges daily.
Our personal life is not any simple in these modern times. Our life is fast paced and demands great. The present world is a materialistic world and no one is immune to it. Modern life is impacting our personal life in many ways, including our family life. So skills that are useful at the work place are equally required for family members to get along well in a healthy manner.
Some may feel that colleges needn’t waste time teaching such skills for no doubt these skills can be learnt and are learnt as we go about with the daily affairs of our life. Many learn valuable lessons from living life to the fullest and are indeed great learners.
But finally I would still like to say teaching a some of these essential skills could give an added edge to the students and make their learning faster and increase their coping skills. Failure in personal life can lead to impact success or effectiveness in work life. Hence colleges should aim to enhance the personality of their students through seminars, workshops or even a certain course curriculum. There should be a link between knowledge and real life experiences. Learning should not be only academic.
Leave a reply