Yes, we business school professors are attuned to the comment that higher education is “too academic” and not “practical enough.” That is why we strongly support internships, on- and off-campus speakers, professional student clubs, alumni relations, career services, and a lot more. 🙂

What other lessons do we learn from higher education? Consider these observations from Lindsay Kolowich, writing for HubSpot:

“College taught us a whole slew of skills that’ve translated into the workplace, from how to address people in an E-mail to how to hack a meal together out of snack food. I chatted with my teammates and compiled their stories.”

“Google EVERYTHING.” “The ability to search the Internet on a moment’s notice has been a total game changer for students and professionals alike.” 

“Don’t bring your laptop into important meetings.“

“Being scrappy can actually work.” “I always think back to these moments when I don’t have a ton of resources at my fingertips and need to just make it work and get by.” 

“Schedule time with people you can learn from.” “You can get coffee with managers, those on your team, and even those not on your team to find opportunities for collaboration, learn how they got to where they are now, and discover cool projects people are working on.” 

“Learn to identify what really matters.” “Being able to pick up on non-verbal cues can be very helpful in saving you time and guiding your work to address the most important needs of its stakeholders.” 

“Find your working style.” “It goes without saying that college is a great time to find out what makes you more productive — and it’ll serve you well as you consider which work environments fit best with your own style.”

“Don’t spread yourself too thin.” “It’s a mentality that’s proven itself quite useful in my professional life as I learn how to balance work, relationships, health, and hobbies.”

“Introduce yourself to everyone when you’re new.” “While we all wish being a freshman was the only time we’d have to be the ‘new kid,’ it happens every time you move to a new city, join a new organization, switch companies, switch teams at the same company, and so on. The key to minimizing that ‘new kid’ status? Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.”

 
 
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