Why It’s Important to Have “Play” Time After School
Hi Babson,
Sometimes people may wonder why exactly extracurricular activities, in addition to school, are so important to employers. They are important because they show drive, commitment, passion, and time-management skills. They allow a recruiter to see that you are able to not only multi-task but perform well in all that you are involved in. During a job, or in my case, internship, you will be bombarded with tasks and will need to perform them well and rapidly, while maintaining control over the rest of your work load.
I am working on a women’s initiative for ACG New York requiring me to be motivated to complete each step in my research with professionalism. My boss understands that I have the skills to perform this task and is looking for me to complete it and give a comprehensive presentation on it. The time management skills that I have gained through participating in BDE, AMAN and my on-campus job have taught me that procrastination cannot be a vocabulary word in the work force. Just like one cannot learn a whole dance the day before a performance, one cannot complete quantitative and qualitative analysis on a company’s growth strategy in one workday; thus, planning and commitment are additional skills that I must use on a daily basis to complete this project. My project correlates to the student consultant role that I possessed during the MCFE program. Though, MCFE isn’t an extracurricular activity, it was a class that I chose to apply for and has helped me tremendously throughout my internship. I am drawing on a lot of the skills that I honed through working with my MCFE group. I am the only intern for my company this summer so I’m basically doing the work of a MCFE group on my own, which has been very rewarding because the MCFE experience has given me practical and useful knowledge. Currently, I’m completing my last week, meaning it’s time to show how far I’ve come!
What I’m trying to convey is that, you must be passionate about the extracurricular activities or programs that you participate in because only then will you gain transferable skills. If you’re in a club or group (or in way too many) and aren’t an active member, then you are wasting time that you could be using to improve your experience now and later. Plus, there must be something you like to do on your spare time. Why not create a group for people who enjoy what you enjoy and as your group grows, you can assign leadership positions and eventually manage a sector of the company you call “school.” Yes, your talent or passion itself is impressive, but what really makes you stand out are your initiative and commitment to your talent or passion.
Until the next and last time,
Atiya Sharmin
Babson ’14