Should have, would have, and could have

It has been more than a year since I joined the workforce, and admittedly, out of the 15 months I have been working, the first three or four months were spent on adjusting to my work environment.

I thought the corporate world would demand a different viewpoint on things – a more general and practical attack on everyday tasks, nothing cerebral – that anyone could get away with doing anything for as long as common sense is overflowing.

And then I realized that the expectations of the corporate world were way out of my league. I realized that I should have done better in college in terms of developing my soft skills. This, made me regret taking the small things for granted when I was still a restless undergraduate, like going to class on time or saying no to procrastinating.

I never knew that those little things I have neglected are the values necessary for me to survive the very competitive corporate world I am currently a part of. My hard skills got me the job, but I lacked the soft skills that could have helped me transition from student to income tax payer.

I should have not just gone to class on time, I should have gone 20 to 30 minutes earlier, especially during my 8 o’clock classes.

It always pays to be early since you could get more out of your day, end your day earlier for longer rest, you get to avoid the rush hour traffic, and you would be able to prevent, if not totally erase the bad habit of being late once you get the hang of it.

Arriving earlier than most people would also allow you to have better concentration on difficult tasks, it will give you a head start on things given that you are already where you are supposed to be at when everyone else is still on their way to you. You would not be able to review for your accounting midterms if you always arrive just in time for class, worse, if later.

I should have hoarded as many journal articles and academic publications in PDF while I still had access to JSTORE and Science Direct.

We, Lasallians, are fortunate to have access to a wide range of journal articles that aid us in our research papers, theses, and presentations. For majority of us, we browse through them just to satisfy the minimum requirement asked of us by our professors. Rarely do we actually read them word per word and digest the content of each online publication that we access.

I tell you, read all the articles you could while you are still an undergraduate, read them while you still have access to the renowned journal databases. Yes, the latest young adult fiction books or steam punk novels could build up your comprehension, but it is not the type your future employers are looking for.

Bank on knowledge that you could actually use and apply after you graduate, knowledge that could supplement your chosen field of specialization. Read on Psychology if you are an Economics or Advertising Arts major. Read on Human Resource paradigms if you are a Legal Management major.

On top of that, comprehension complements critical thinking, which in turn fosters rational decision-making. All employers want that in their teams, someone who has autonomy over his or her responsibilities, and someone who does not need any watching over on.

Did I mention it pays to embrace math? Whatever math your course requires – Statistics, Calculus, Econometrics, among others – the discipline behind the quantitative training would go a long way. You will find yourself turning to math in all tasks that will be assigned to you in the future. If you can’t force yourself to love it, at least give it a chance.

Everything could be explained and presented using calculations, proofs, and logic. Thinking and deciding in terms of math will become second nature to you, unconsciously, do not be surprised.

I should have participated in more extra curricular activities that would help me land my dream job.

There are plenty of professional and special interest student organizations at DLSU, there are several student groups under the Office of Student Affairs, too. On top of those, there are external partners with La Salle Taft chapters. With all of these opportunities available to Lasallians, it is easier for a student to make bad and unnecessary choices than choose the best opportunity that could hone his or her potentials.

Choose the best one, have some restraint in overachieving, and specialize. These are the things you should be thinking of before submitting an application form to a prospective organization or before paying your annual CSO membership fee.

It has always been a misnomer that overachieving by being active in several extra-curricular activities is the best strategy to have the competitive edge over other job applicants, but it is always not the case. Employers would often find people with that background as restless and would have the tendency to leave the company after just a few months, even if it is not the intention of the applicant.

Join an organization that would hone your complete skills set, and not just one or two of your skills that would require you to join other organizations just to compensate for what is lacking. Become a leader in your chosen organization, and do it as early as you could. This could help you prove to your future employer that they could entrust you with responsibilities even at a young age.

Give importance to these little things while you still can. Use these things as springboard to your future career path. Do not undermine every opportunity given to you, and make the most out of every experience as an undergraduate. You are given the hard skills training due of you by your professors and mentors, but there is more work required of you. Start now while you still can.