There are only two more days until I graduate with my Associates degree! That, of course, means that I’m knee deep in the middle of finals week. So far so good—I’m done with two of my classes and I have three more finals to go. See you on the flip side after Thursday.
This post is part seven of a series on the ten habits you should develop as a college student. You can find links to the rest of the habits in the introduction.
I almost passed out the first time I auditioned for a solo in high school choir. My heart began to pound the moment our teacher had announced that auditions would be held on that day, and it gradually got worse and worse as others auditioned. I focused on my breathing and tried to ignore everything that was going on around me as my mouth and throat began to feel parched. I drank half of my bottle of water, but it was still as dry as before.
Finally, it was my turn. I stood up, trembling uncontrollably. I opened my mouth and began to sing. My voice sounded good, and singing was fairly easy, but the rush of adrenaline coursing through my body was overwhelming. I finished the solo as quickly as I could and sat down. My hands continued to shake for another hour and a half.
“Man,” I said to myself. “If that’s what happens when I sing in front of the class, what’s going to happen if I get the solo?”
I don’t remember if I got that particular solo or not. For a long time, standing up in front of anyone was the most terrifying thing in the world to me. My intense stage fright has lessened quite a bit since then, but I have only accomplished that by forcing myself to face my fear.
Even though we are not all destined for public service or the performing arts, we will probably have to do some public speaking at some point in our lives. If that thought makes you sick to your stomach, then you probably need to work on developing the ability to speak in public with confidence. It’s not as difficult as you may think, and it can be very rewarding. Continue reading Speak in Public With Confidence…
This post is part six of a series on the ten habits you should develop as a college student. You can find links to the rest of the habits in the introduction.
We’ve all experienced them: the unprofessionals. The people who stand behind the desk and smack their gum and look as if they’ve never heard of the term customer service in their life. They’re personally offended that you have interrupted their phone conversation by walking into the office and daring to ask if Mr. So-and-So is in.
You wonder how they ever got hired in the first place. I’m not really sure how that happened, but it must have been a fluke. In general, employers don’t usually like to hire people who act unprofessional, and that is why professionalism is the sixth habit you should develop while you’re still in college.
If you want to be successful in school or in the workplace, you have got to look and act professional. Now, what is considered professional will change depending on where you are. Professional attire and even, perhaps, behavior is going to be dramatically different if you’re an intern at a law firm versus an intern at a hip literary journal. But there are some elements of professionalism that are universal. Continue reading Have a Professional Attitude…
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