13 answers
madison
Student
Memphis, Tennessee
3
Questions
Asked
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what are some good college goals to learn?
#careers #engineering #learning
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13 answers
Simon Goldstein
Learning & Development
3
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Simon’s Answer
Your main goal in college is to pursue self-actualization. Yes, the degree will open doors, but it’s the knowledge and experience behind the degree that continues to apply to the rest of your life. You are investing in yourself to be more capable in many ways in the future.
Careers in the future are expected to be more interdisciplinary, change faster, and require some skills that aren’t prevalent yet. Learn how to learn, learn how to excel in challenging situations, and learn how to recover from setbacks when they occur. These are skills that apply widely. Try enough different classes that you learn more about what you like and don’t like (which is different from what’s easy and what’s hard - the hard classes in college are sometimes the most fulfilling). Try different study techniques until you find what leads to your best results.
A lot of self-actualization in college comes from encountering difference. Meet different people and learn what their lives are like and how to interact with them. Try to participate in the community - volunteering, clubs, etc. If there’s a view you disagree with, instead of merely judging it, try to understand it.
Find the fun in experiencing new things, ask for help when you need it, and pay it forward.
Careers in the future are expected to be more interdisciplinary, change faster, and require some skills that aren’t prevalent yet. Learn how to learn, learn how to excel in challenging situations, and learn how to recover from setbacks when they occur. These are skills that apply widely. Try enough different classes that you learn more about what you like and don’t like (which is different from what’s easy and what’s hard - the hard classes in college are sometimes the most fulfilling). Try different study techniques until you find what leads to your best results.
A lot of self-actualization in college comes from encountering difference. Meet different people and learn what their lives are like and how to interact with them. Try to participate in the community - volunteering, clubs, etc. If there’s a view you disagree with, instead of merely judging it, try to understand it.
Find the fun in experiencing new things, ask for help when you need it, and pay it forward.
This is very good advice and goals, Simon.
Sheila Jordan
Melisa Cameron
Sr. Project Program Mgr., AT&T Community Engagement
168
Answers
Chicago, Illinois
Updated
Melisa’s Answer
Hi Madison,
Great question. You already have some wonderful answers here from others, so I'll just a few more things, from my perspective.
1. Set REALISTIC goals for yourself and check your progress on a regular basis.
2. Surround yourself with others who also are focused on achieving their goals.
3. Remember to take advantage of the great resources for help your college can offer. Career guidance, tutoring, writing support and more.
Also, check out additional helpful resources below.
Best wishes to you in your personal educational and career goals!
Check out these helpful tips for setting college goals. https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-set-college-goals-793200
Here are some additional helpful resources for students. https://www.att.jobs/students
Great question. You already have some wonderful answers here from others, so I'll just a few more things, from my perspective.
1. Set REALISTIC goals for yourself and check your progress on a regular basis.
2. Surround yourself with others who also are focused on achieving their goals.
3. Remember to take advantage of the great resources for help your college can offer. Career guidance, tutoring, writing support and more.
Also, check out additional helpful resources below.
Best wishes to you in your personal educational and career goals!
Melisa recommends the following next steps:
Katherine Miller, PMP
Training Program Manager
2
Answers
El Dorado Hills, California
Updated
Katherine’s Answer
You have to remind yourself of the main reason why you are in there - which is to get the education that you signed up for.
In order to do this, you need to practice discipline, resilience (because there will be challenging days) and good time management. Surround yourself with people that have traits you admire because they will inspire you to be the best version of yourself.
I would also recommend networking. Reach out and connect to all different types of people (including professors). You will gain so much real life lessons based on your interactions with them which will help you be successful in school and help you prepare for the work-force environment when you graduate!
Above all, have fun! It's part of the overall experience.
In order to do this, you need to practice discipline, resilience (because there will be challenging days) and good time management. Surround yourself with people that have traits you admire because they will inspire you to be the best version of yourself.
I would also recommend networking. Reach out and connect to all different types of people (including professors). You will gain so much real life lessons based on your interactions with them which will help you be successful in school and help you prepare for the work-force environment when you graduate!
Above all, have fun! It's part of the overall experience.
thanks now i can finally find the college i wanted to be.
madison
Jorge Gonzalez Franco
Team Lead Leasing Company
13
Answers
Mexico City, Mexico
Updated
Jorge’s Answer
Selecting a degree is one of the main questions on people’s mind, as they think that they will do that activity all their life, the true thing is that the Degree prepares you for your future work, but not always on the field you thought. College helps you to develop critical thinking skills, Teamwork, acquire sense of responsibility and learn to act under pressure.
Another important thing you need to consider is that you will work all your life, so enjoy College and take all the experiences, be curious about new things, meet new people and learn to hear different opinions and work with different folks.
An important fact about our current world, is that the technology is present in all the fields, therefore you will need to be ready to adapt to new features, I recommend you learn about Data Science and Code Programming Languages.
Another important thing you need to consider is that you will work all your life, so enjoy College and take all the experiences, be curious about new things, meet new people and learn to hear different opinions and work with different folks.
An important fact about our current world, is that the technology is present in all the fields, therefore you will need to be ready to adapt to new features, I recommend you learn about Data Science and Code Programming Languages.
Marie Holmes
IT Supervisor
1
Answer
St. Louis, MO
Updated
Marie’s Answer
My advice is to be INTENTIONAL. Know why you are there. You goal in college is to gain skills that will allow you to secure gainful employment. It's also to make sure you get a return on investment. Let's face it, getting a college degree is expensive, make sure you are INTENTIONAL.
Take advantage of opportunities, volunteer or internships, study abroad. Explore while you are in college. Most of all embrace the journey and enjoy the process because it goes by so fast.
Hope this helps!
Take advantage of opportunities, volunteer or internships, study abroad. Explore while you are in college. Most of all embrace the journey and enjoy the process because it goes by so fast.
Hope this helps!
Lucie dC
Product Manager
84
Answers
California, California
Updated
Lucie’s Answer
A few college tips to reach your goals would be: prioritizing, organizing, listing, and determination.
If you can master all these (and I am sure many others), you should be set for college!
Hope this helps,
Cheers
If you can master all these (and I am sure many others), you should be set for college!
Hope this helps,
Cheers
Abhilash Suresh
Tech support engineer
56
Answers
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Updated
Abhilash’s Answer
1.Set REALISTIC goals for yourself and check your progress on a regular basis.
2. Surround yourself with others who also are focused on achieving their goals.
3. Remember to take advantage of the great resources for help your college can offer. Career guidance, tutoring, writing support and more.
2. Surround yourself with others who also are focused on achieving their goals.
3. Remember to take advantage of the great resources for help your college can offer. Career guidance, tutoring, writing support and more.
Jimmy Sirmons, CPTD
3
Answers
Updated
Jimmy’s Answer
I would emphasize what several other have said. You'll get the most from college if you:
1) Learn self-discipline. Most new college students are coming from a more structured learning environment to a less structured one. You'll need to learn how to say no to temptations that distract you from pursuing your study goals.
2) Find people who are disciplined at their studies and hang out with them. It's much easier to pick up good habits that way. And they keep you inspired.
3) Do allow for social activities and fun. Some of the relationships you build at college can last the rest of your life. But don't let your social life overtake your responsibilities.
4) Make one of your goals to have an internship prior to graduating. Good internships help immensely toward getting good entry level jobs.
1) Learn self-discipline. Most new college students are coming from a more structured learning environment to a less structured one. You'll need to learn how to say no to temptations that distract you from pursuing your study goals.
2) Find people who are disciplined at their studies and hang out with them. It's much easier to pick up good habits that way. And they keep you inspired.
3) Do allow for social activities and fun. Some of the relationships you build at college can last the rest of your life. But don't let your social life overtake your responsibilities.
4) Make one of your goals to have an internship prior to graduating. Good internships help immensely toward getting good entry level jobs.
Gautam Prabhu
Engineering
3
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Gautam’s Answer
One way to think about college goals is to decide what you're hoping to get out of a college experience. Looking back, I think that college helped prepare me for some very important things:
1) Specific job skills: often, the courses you take to earn a degree will be directly applicable to your post-college profession. If you know what you want to do after college, try to pick up skills during college that prepare you for that role.
2) Critical thinking: this is a great time to learn things that *you* pick for the sake of learning. Even outside of your degree, you will have the opportunity to choose other classes that interest you. Find things that you enjoy and help expand your understanding of the world.
3) Independence: for many kids, college is the first time in their life where they've lived unsupervised. All of a sudden, they're making their own choices on diet, schedules, living arrangements, etc. And at the same time they're often picking up life skills they might not have learned at home. One good goal for college is to come away from it feeling like you're able to live a truly independent life if necessary/desired.
4) Socialization: the professional world is pretty different from the academic one, and one of the biggest differences is that it's pretty rare to work on things by yourself. Most jobs require a significant amount of teamwork, and that in turn requires being able to work constructively with a diverse set of people. Different backgrounds, ages, personalities, etc. One goal for your college experience should be to meet, socialize with, and ideally partner with a diverse set of people on projects. That will serve you well if/when you get into the working world, where on day one you will be expected to work with a large, diverse set of people.
1) Specific job skills: often, the courses you take to earn a degree will be directly applicable to your post-college profession. If you know what you want to do after college, try to pick up skills during college that prepare you for that role.
2) Critical thinking: this is a great time to learn things that *you* pick for the sake of learning. Even outside of your degree, you will have the opportunity to choose other classes that interest you. Find things that you enjoy and help expand your understanding of the world.
3) Independence: for many kids, college is the first time in their life where they've lived unsupervised. All of a sudden, they're making their own choices on diet, schedules, living arrangements, etc. And at the same time they're often picking up life skills they might not have learned at home. One good goal for college is to come away from it feeling like you're able to live a truly independent life if necessary/desired.
4) Socialization: the professional world is pretty different from the academic one, and one of the biggest differences is that it's pretty rare to work on things by yourself. Most jobs require a significant amount of teamwork, and that in turn requires being able to work constructively with a diverse set of people. Different backgrounds, ages, personalities, etc. One goal for your college experience should be to meet, socialize with, and ideally partner with a diverse set of people on projects. That will serve you well if/when you get into the working world, where on day one you will be expected to work with a large, diverse set of people.
Scott Babcock
Customer Experience/Safety Engineering
12
Answers
Chicago, Illinois
Updated
Scott’s Answer
Your main goal is to get your degree. Keep you eye of the prize! College is full of distractions, most are fun things to do with new friends like partying (if that is your thing), joining intramural sports and associations etc. take advantage of it, but not at the expense of studying when you need to. It will take discipline (you will need this attribute your whole life), as often you won't want to study when others are blowing off classes and going to happy hour or whatever.
The other thing I felt college was good for is to learn how to meet new people and learn people skills. In high school, most kids assimilate quickly to the environment as you are all from the same area. In college, you will meet people from all over the world. They have different views and attitudes on things. You may have been funny to your friends in high school, new people may not understand your sense of humor. Use your time to learn as much as you can about people. Your whole life, you will be meeting new folks. The success of your career, in my experience, will primarily depend on how your colleagues like you, respect your opinion and want to help you when they are in a position to do so. As an executive in a Fortune 500 company, be likeable it matters trust me!
The other thing I felt college was good for is to learn how to meet new people and learn people skills. In high school, most kids assimilate quickly to the environment as you are all from the same area. In college, you will meet people from all over the world. They have different views and attitudes on things. You may have been funny to your friends in high school, new people may not understand your sense of humor. Use your time to learn as much as you can about people. Your whole life, you will be meeting new folks. The success of your career, in my experience, will primarily depend on how your colleagues like you, respect your opinion and want to help you when they are in a position to do so. As an executive in a Fortune 500 company, be likeable it matters trust me!
thank you i needed someone to help me to get some tips for college and career
madison
Alyse Kobus
Designer
2
Answers
Walnut Creek, California
Updated
Alyse’s Answer
Goals for college that I wish I had accomplished or pushed myself to do:
- Immursing yourself in the college experience. Volunteering on campus, participating in school activities, going to sporting events, stepping out of your comfort zone
- Taking advantage of the resources like career counciling, writing workshops
- Getting involved with clubs or groups on campus. Open Gym volleyball was always a great way for me to meet people and get some exercise, but I wish I was more involved in clubs that focussed on the community and getting more involved.
Goals I accomplished:
- Study abroad. If you have the opportunity, go :) Being exposed to other cultures and lifestyles was the most rewarding thing I did in College.
- Building relationships within your major with classmates and professors. You never know where your profession will take you and who you could either help, or who could help you in the future. I have found when moving to a new area or trying to find a new job your network is something you can always rely on.
- Getting to know the community your school is in. I went to a college in a college town and worked year round in restaurants, it was interesting to see the town both with and without students and really get to know the area.
- Get a part time job. I would recommend having a job for at least a portion of your time in school. My job started to show me a little of what life after college would look like and helped me figure out how to fully balance school, social life and a job.
- Immursing yourself in the college experience. Volunteering on campus, participating in school activities, going to sporting events, stepping out of your comfort zone
- Taking advantage of the resources like career counciling, writing workshops
- Getting involved with clubs or groups on campus. Open Gym volleyball was always a great way for me to meet people and get some exercise, but I wish I was more involved in clubs that focussed on the community and getting more involved.
Goals I accomplished:
- Study abroad. If you have the opportunity, go :) Being exposed to other cultures and lifestyles was the most rewarding thing I did in College.
- Building relationships within your major with classmates and professors. You never know where your profession will take you and who you could either help, or who could help you in the future. I have found when moving to a new area or trying to find a new job your network is something you can always rely on.
- Getting to know the community your school is in. I went to a college in a college town and worked year round in restaurants, it was interesting to see the town both with and without students and really get to know the area.
- Get a part time job. I would recommend having a job for at least a portion of your time in school. My job started to show me a little of what life after college would look like and helped me figure out how to fully balance school, social life and a job.
Joe Berberian
Director of System Performance / RF Engineering
8
Answers
Montville, New Jersey
Updated
Joe’s Answer
The other answers you got are really good. I will likely be repeating some of the same ideas here.
Going to college can be such a challenging yet rewarding experience. Obviously, everyone associates going to college with getting an education in various fields - math, science, language, history, etc. But it isn't just about getting an education in the classroom. You will also get an education in life skills.
You will learn how to manage your time between classwork, sports, clubs, other activities, socializing, etc. There are times where you will have to work. And there are times where you will have fun. You will have to find that healthy balance.
Some people will be living on their own for the first time, so they will need to learn how to take care of themselves - laundry, cleaning, shopping, eating, etc. You will learn a lot of self help skills, which prepares you for life as an adult. Do these chores properly so that they develop into good habits.
Perhaps the most important education you will get will be with social skills. Chances are you will be living with a roommate. You will have to navigate the gives and takes of that relationship. You will also be meeting new people, whether it be in class, sports, clubs, labs, group projects, etc. Learning how to be a good team player is very important, because most jobs require people to work on teams. You will need to learn how to lead at times and how to follow at other times. You will learn how and when to negotiate and compromise. Hopefully you will learn empathy (putting yourself in someone else's shoes so you can better understand their perspectives and challenges), integrity (doing the right thing even when no one is watching) and respect (treating others the way you want to be treated). These are all very important life skills that will make you successful both as an employee and as a human being.
College will throw a lot of problems and challenges at you. Learning how to solve these problems and overcome these challenges will prepare you for life after graduation. And you will be even more confident in your ability to succeed in the face of adversity if you overcome these challenges in college.
College can also be a lot of fun. Make sure you pick good friends - where you can help each other learn and grow and have fun. Make good friends and be a good friend. I often tell others that one of the most important decisions in your life is where your freshman dorm room is located. Most of my closest friends right now are the ones that I first met on my floor in my freshman year of college - and that was in 1983!
Hopefully your college is experience is one that will make you smile when you look back on it.
Going to college can be such a challenging yet rewarding experience. Obviously, everyone associates going to college with getting an education in various fields - math, science, language, history, etc. But it isn't just about getting an education in the classroom. You will also get an education in life skills.
You will learn how to manage your time between classwork, sports, clubs, other activities, socializing, etc. There are times where you will have to work. And there are times where you will have fun. You will have to find that healthy balance.
Some people will be living on their own for the first time, so they will need to learn how to take care of themselves - laundry, cleaning, shopping, eating, etc. You will learn a lot of self help skills, which prepares you for life as an adult. Do these chores properly so that they develop into good habits.
Perhaps the most important education you will get will be with social skills. Chances are you will be living with a roommate. You will have to navigate the gives and takes of that relationship. You will also be meeting new people, whether it be in class, sports, clubs, labs, group projects, etc. Learning how to be a good team player is very important, because most jobs require people to work on teams. You will need to learn how to lead at times and how to follow at other times. You will learn how and when to negotiate and compromise. Hopefully you will learn empathy (putting yourself in someone else's shoes so you can better understand their perspectives and challenges), integrity (doing the right thing even when no one is watching) and respect (treating others the way you want to be treated). These are all very important life skills that will make you successful both as an employee and as a human being.
College will throw a lot of problems and challenges at you. Learning how to solve these problems and overcome these challenges will prepare you for life after graduation. And you will be even more confident in your ability to succeed in the face of adversity if you overcome these challenges in college.
College can also be a lot of fun. Make sure you pick good friends - where you can help each other learn and grow and have fun. Make good friends and be a good friend. I often tell others that one of the most important decisions in your life is where your freshman dorm room is located. Most of my closest friends right now are the ones that I first met on my floor in my freshman year of college - and that was in 1983!
Hopefully your college is experience is one that will make you smile when you look back on it.
Srinivas Kini
Senior Analyst
1
Answer
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Updated
Srinivas’s Answer
My advice or direction is to develop a future vision and start working towards it. Before you are out from your collage, you should have a strong vision on which you have already worked on or started working. Below will help you to put some ideas and efforts in growing it.
- Develop a Social Network. Apart from meeting people on Facebook, Twitter or Snapchat. When we talk about building a social network, it’s
about creating connections. Learn to reach out to family members, friends, professors, mentors, colleagues to help you build a foundation for
your career. Their experience will give you lot of benefits in deciding your path.
- Draft your budget - Instead of lavish spending, learn to save money which will help you to be self dependent and also adds as a motivator in
your decisions.
- Participate in School and Social activities - Participation is the perfect way to build a social network. You get to meet a variety of individuals
with different social backgrounds. However, be sure to join these organizations with nothing but good intentions.
- Develop a Social Network. Apart from meeting people on Facebook, Twitter or Snapchat. When we talk about building a social network, it’s
about creating connections. Learn to reach out to family members, friends, professors, mentors, colleagues to help you build a foundation for
your career. Their experience will give you lot of benefits in deciding your path.
- Draft your budget - Instead of lavish spending, learn to save money which will help you to be self dependent and also adds as a motivator in
your decisions.
- Participate in School and Social activities - Participation is the perfect way to build a social network. You get to meet a variety of individuals
with different social backgrounds. However, be sure to join these organizations with nothing but good intentions.