To be successful, every college student has a long list of obligations that they must be willing to fulfill. Since these obligations are not always made clear to students, many end up falling short in several important areas. Students should be aware of the following obligations and keep abreast of their performance and progress as they progress through college.
Student obligations include:
1. Financial obligations – College is serious business. Most students recognize that college is expensive and expect to graduate with a lot of money. However, only the most serious and dedicated students will graduate with jobs that pay them well enough to live alone and meet all of their financial obligations.
Less serious students generally get less desirable jobs that make it difficult or impossible for them to live independently, enjoy their social life, and meet personal, electronics and transportation needs, college loans, and credit card debt.
The time for students to recognize and plan for their upcoming financial obligations is before and during the college years (savings, financial aid, part-time and summer jobs, along with a conservative lifestyle). Wise students make the initial sacrifices.
Upcoming financial obligations should serve as a motivator for students to do their best in college and plan for the future. Parents should not be expected to automatically support their children after they graduate from college. Expectations for parents and students should be established early on.
2. Career guidance and goal obligations – Students always do better when they are clear and focused on a career direction that is important to them, one that they know they will love. Without a clear goal, students will generally waste time, waste money, and end up taking five or six years to graduate. For students who are heavily reliant on loans, adding an extra year or two of loans to their financial obligations is not the best option.
Students are required to make the right decisions that will lead them to achieve their goals efficiently and without adding unnecessary costs. Many indecisive students would benefit from delaying their college entrance for a year while they research the jobs that motivate them, research the employer’s requirements for those jobs, and the starting salaries that are paid in those fields. If possible, during that research year, students can land an entry-level entry-level job (of any kind) with an employer in their general area of interest. That way they can gain some work experience, save some money, gather information, clarify their address, and enter college with a clear goal and the motivation it takes to perform and succeed.
Students who waste that year, fail to conduct research, fail to get a job, and are unclear about their career direction will have shown that college is not right for them, at least not at this time.
3. Obligations to perform in the classroom – In the classroom, students are required to do their best to get good grades. They must attend all classes, come prepared, read assignments, learn the subject, and study for tests. The best students are actively involved in class, showing interest, asking questions, expressing their opinions, and chatting with the teacher after class. They are the ones who accept leadership roles for group projects, thoroughly research the topics for the articles they write, and make thoughtful and engaging class presentations.
Students who avoid the obligation to work hard and try to do so can rest assured that they will fall to the bottom of the class. They are not the students employers will be looking for.
4. Obligations of participation – Students build their reputations and find ways to stand out from each other while participating in campus, community, work, and leisure activities. If they want to stand out, build their reputation, and get noticed by employers, students are required to participate in a variety of activities, events, and venues.
Students who are withdrawn, stay hidden, and do not engage in activities that allow them to demonstrate their talents and abilities will find that many employers overlook them in search of the best job opportunities.
5. Obligation of results – Employers want to know the positive results that candidates have achieved during college. Therefore, students who want to improve their employment opportunities are obliged not only to participate, but also to achieve results that will impress an employer.
Most results are achieved through exceptional effort and determination in solving a problem or exceeding performance expectations (more, better, or faster). Students who excel at something in an employer’s area of interest can often demonstrate results that will appeal to employers. The strongest job candidates build an achievement list as they progress through college.
Students with little achievement or positive results will have a difficult time competing and maintaining the attention of desirable employers.
6. Obligations to employers – Employers have job needs, expectations and requirements. They look for candidates who have aligned their college experiences, results, and achievements with the knowledge, skills, and experiences that are needed, expected, and required.
Since employers have so many new graduates to choose from, students who don’t take the time to research, understand, perform, and meet the work-related needs of their target employers will likely not be interviewed. The best candidates will meet or exceed the employer’s expectations.
7. Work experience obligations – Employers always prefer candidates who have some job-related work experience. However, some work experience of any kind is always preferable to no work experience. So if students are concerned about getting a good job after college, they are required to get some work experience while in college, at a part-time job, at a summer job, or both.
Common job options while in college: 1) No job at all, 2) A part-time and / or summer job, or 3) An internship, which can be a) A job not related to the field of interest of the student, or b) A job directly related to the job that the student will seek after college. Employers look for examples of student performance and capabilities at work and expect them to provide stories and examples. That’s why smart students always gain some work experience, build relationships with key employees, and do their best to perform at a high level, regardless of the job they occupy.
8. Obligations of references – References (college leaders, professors, business professionals, community leaders, and former employers, etc.) are the people who provide prospective future employers with first-hand observations, experiences, and feedback about the student. They will tell employers what they know about the student’s performance, capabilities, and potential. Students should not expect references to inflate their abilities or lie for them. References will not be willing to risk their reputation if the student does not deserve positive feedback and recommendations.
If students want a good reference, they are required to build a relationship with each reference over a long period of time. Those references will want to observe the student’s performance first-hand, so they can talk about what they see, hear, feel, and know about the student. References will not be willing to provide a brilliant report, if they do not know the student very well and do not have a good handle on their performance and potential.
9. Job search preparation obligations – Last year’s job search requires years of preparation. Therefore, students are required to make sure they know what to do and are fully prepared to conduct a thorough and effective job search using the information and tools they developed in previous years.
To quickly learn the things that will be needed, college freshmen and college students should do a little research, visit the Office of Professional Services, and read books like A Successful Year Senior Job Search Begins In The Freshman Year. Wise students operate with verified information, not by the seats of their pants.
Students who ignore this obligation or make a half-hearted effort will be met with many disappointments.
10. Punctuality obligations – In most cases and on many occasions throughout college, time will be everything. If students start their activity, their research, or their preparation too late, they will get lost or fail in some way.
If students want to be successful during and after college, they are required to meet start times, milestones, and deadlines set by professors, supervisors, clients, and the demands of the process. Whether it’s a calendar or a clock, time is important. Being late or lagging is not the way to impress teachers, employers, or references.
When students meet all of their obligations, the chances of success increase and work in their favor. However, when students play fast and relaxed, ignore their obligations, neglect requirements, instructions, or details, and operate on their own schedule or create their own rules, success is likely to elude them. That’s the way it is. Don’t be someone who will find out the hard way.