The jobs of today look very different from the jobs our parents had. Whether you work in a cubicle or on a construction site, technology has changed — and is continuing to change — the ways we connect, communicate, and create in our careers. In the past, a college degree was enough to set you up for professional success. Today, employers want job candidates who also have the right skills to succeed.
That‘s why we’ve partnered with top employers, business leaders, and recruiters to identify 10 SKILLS that are critical to performing your best — not just in one field, but across all industries. These are skills that will prepare you for the needs of any future employer and set you up for success in a world that is constantly evolving. As you work through this and other courses, consider how you can use these 10 Skills to achieve your personal, academic, and professional goals.
Imagine you’re on a professional soccer team. You’ve been training all year to be the best player in your position, and your teammates have also been working hard to improve their technique. But in order to win games, all players will also need to be able to collaborate with each other.
Every decision made on the field— passing, shooting, dribbling, defending—is based not only on individual abilities but also on the positions, needs, and pressures of the players around you. Your own ability to navigate all of these perspectives, work effectively with others, and make the best decisions is the key to your team’s success.
The same is true when it comes to your personal or professional life. Being an effective problem solver, being aware of your own and others’ perspectives, building strong relationships, and taking initiative are absolutely essential if you want to “win” in your life and career. That’s why this course is so important!
Over the next 11 weeks, you’ll practice three essential employability skills that will help you better understand yourself and the societies around you so that you can make the best decisions and interact with others effectively.
Together, these three skills will help you apply a systematic process to understand information, make decisions, work productively with others, and maintain awareness of diverse perspectives so you can achieve your career and life goals.
As you begin with this first unit, you will explore these skills in relation to sociology. You will begin to understand how you can use these skills to examine issues in our society. You will look deeper at how improving your skills can help you understand where you are today and the steps you need to take to achieve your career and personal goals.
In particular, we will focus on the following skills:
Problem Solving
