DECKER WRITES: 5 THINGS YOU CAN GRADUATE FROM THE UNIVERSITY WITH, ASIDE THE DEGREE

Incontestably, the top on the priorities for being in the university is to pursue academic excellence with the hope that a good foundation is consequently laid for the career that awaits in the post university world. 

While this assertion is not up for argument, it is also the case that most students fail to realise that the university community presents more than just an opportunity for academic growth. There are several other opportunities that will inure to the benefits of our personal development if we'll notice and grab them. 

An adequate balance between academic excellence and an appreciable stride in personal development will go a long way to help make your life a much more relishable one after graduation.

Check out these 5 awesome things you could consider graduating from the university with, in addition to your deservedly esteemed degree.

1. Learn a new language(s)

You may want to consider learning one or more new languages before graduating from the uni. Learning a new language improves your value on the job market while improving your multicultural proficiency. This has actually been made simple as virtually all universities in the country have an initiative that gets students to enrol in non-scoring courses in selected language(s) of choice at a meagre cost. These languages include French, Spanish, Chinese, among others. Typically, it takes students only 25 Ghana Cedis per language per semester and 30 Ghana Cedis for two courses per semester to enrol in such a programme at the University of Ghana, Legon. The rate is similar at KNUST. You don't need much.

2. Swimming

The beautiful and rewarding art of swimming could be the hobby you never imagined you will ever fall in love with. This is a skill you'll definitely want to consider acquiring while in uni. Swimming may turn out to be your most enjoyable workout as well as your go-to for stress relief, even now and after graduation. And yes, if you are hoping to earn mastery over breathe control, then acquiring this skill should be up there on your checklist. Again there are opportunities on the various campuses that students may consider latching on if there's the interest to add this skill to the bag.

3.  Develop strong leadership skills

This is particularly key to the development of your career in the aftermath of uni. Good leadership qualities are soft skills that'll propel you to greater heights in your career after you have acquired the requisite technical skills in your academics. One of the simplest ways of developing this skill is by joining a youth leadership group on campus. All the universities in Ghana have branches of varying youth leadership groups that you can consider affiliating with. AISEC is one such international youth leadership group with branches in literally all the universities across the country and many others beyond Ghana. You can sign-up and thank me later.

4. Something different: A new skill/craft

A friend told me this: "as long as you are alive, you have the chance to learn anything you want." I absolutely agree. But first you'll have to want it. Every university has Wi-Fi available on their campuses - a service which students are billed for, actually. With the relatively readily available access to internet on campus, you get to access so much tutorials for varying crafts. Many have efficiently learnt how to use various graphic design softwares, programming, pastry making, makeup artistry, making of wig caps, etc, just by watching tutorials on the internet. You can follow in their stead and that'll be great. It doesn't have to be related to your academic field of study. You only have to be interested in it. You could also fall on some friends who happen to be good in any craft that you may be interested in. They may be willing to help you acquire some new skills. You may  as well want to consider enrolling in some courses off campus during the vacations. 

5. You can acquire some more certificates before graduation

Did you know you can end up graduating with your degree certificate and some other certificates that will eventually boost your market value? Well, you can. Thankfully, there are so many free online courses with very flexible schedules out there that allows you the ease marrying them healthily with your regular academic schedules. These courses are usually free and only attracts some amount when one chooses to receive a certificate after the study, which is optional. The courses cut across all fields of study and are usually designed by top universities across the globe. www.coursera.org and www.edx.org are two websites you can check out if you're interested in taking an online course. Again, you may also want to consider doing this during the vacations if blending it with your regular academic schedule will prove impossible. 

So next time when you think of graduating from the university, I hope it'll be with more than just a degree. 

If this has been a helpful read, please let us know by dropping a comment. Also do well to share with your friends. And  don't forget to subscribe to this blog.

Contact Deckertheblogger via: 

Email: jeremyclint911@gmail.com

Follow me social media via:

Facebook     @Jeremy Decker

Instagram   @deckertheblogger

Twitter        @1manDecker