A common criticism of the education system is it does not teach “life skills.” Many students leave college saying they wanted to learn how to get a job, how to balance a check book or how to pay off student loans.

Students actually can learn these skills and get credit for it.

Last year I took a class called EPSY 220: Career Theory and Practice. It was centered around how to get a job and then how to act in the workplace once getting the job.

The class was a lecture-discussion that met twice a week in Wohler’s Hall. There were less than 30 people in it and a lot of participation was required.

Some days we would practice elevator pitches or giving answers to common interview questions; other days we traded resumes to fix mistakes according to what we had learned about proper resumes. We even took a test where we had to find and fix 10 errors on a resume.

The course allowed me the chance to talk to people from different majors and figure out what I liked and didn’t like about different areas of interest. The class is also great for someone who might be undecided and doesn’t know which career path they’d like to pursue yet.

During the semester, we took a test that told us our interests, skills and values in jobs that are realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising and conventional.

One of our projects that I really liked was when we split into groups and covered a different type of discrimination in the workplace.

My group made a project about those with disabilities; this taught me about the possible discrimination people with disabilities face when they start a new job.

By the end of the course, I felt more assured about getting a job once I graduate and more confident in how to conduct myself in the workplace. If you are looking for a class that is easy and worth your time, consider EPSY 220.

If you can’t squeeze a semester-long class into your schedule, then there are plenty of resources available at the Career Center. They offer similar services and ways to get ready for career fairs.

If you need help going over your resume, practicing interviews or just someone to talk to about the stress of finding a job, you can easily find all of that at the Career Center.

Brooke is a junior in Media.

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