5 Things We Wish Were Taught in School for Career Success

What characteristics are most common in your top performers? Chances are, the ability to “solve for x” or recite the process of mitosis aren’t among them!

Some of the material taught in school is invaluable later on in the professional world, but sometimes, what’s taught in school just doesn’t meet companies’ needs. Here are the top five traits that employees need in order to be successful in their careers, but often are not taught in school.

1. Kindness

No one wants to work with a pushy or rude coworker, or be managed by a mean supervisor. But children often learn to be mean and compete with one another in the classroom, creating a culture of “survival of the fittest.” Sometimes, this can even turn into bullying in school. If schools focused on teaching kindness and acceptance, people would be more apt to include others collaboratively, and appreciate themselves and others.

2. Business Skills

Being book-smart is a boon on the path to career success, but it isn’t everything. Great business skills include possessing an understanding of business principles, being creative enough to come up with innovative strategies, and having as the street smarts to put them into practice.

3. Social and Emotional Learning

Experts agree: social and emotional learning (SEL) programs lead to measurable improvements later on in life, long after students have graduated. SEL helps students develop valuable characteristics like self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and the ability to make responsible decisions.

4. A Professional Attitude

A diploma isn’t enough to guarantee career success. As students gain knowledge about academic subjects, they must also be taught about professionalism. This means how to act in the workplace in an ethical, professional manner and represent their employer well to customers, stakeholders, and others.

5. An Entrepreneurial Mindset

Being successful in any career isn’t easy. It’s fraught with obstacles, setbacks, and hard work.

Resourcefulness, a hardy work ethic, and perseverance will help along the journey to success.

So, to be successful — as an entrepreneur or employee — teaching all students to have an entrepreneurial mindset will serve them well no matter what route they choose for their career.