College, Fun and Job!! Let’s bust some myths!! College means fun! It means long cafeteria hangouts, it means selfie with friends, it means hostel life, it also means getting the best of education! But once the college life is towards the end it also means worrying for a good job. Afterall who would not love to have that big fat paycheck at the end of the month!  Well, employability is the end result of quality education. Once you get that first offer letter it will boost your confidence to next level. What can be better than finding that dream job, having five offer letters from the best of the companies while still in college! Research shows that there is a huge demand for fresh talent who will add value to any organization and millennials will constitute 75% of the workforce just by 2025. So, this is the right time to invest yourself in a good institute that not only claims but prepares you for the job market, an institute that assists you not just till your graduation but for a lifetime whenever you are in need of a job! Let us bust few myths about the success in job market. Myth- Employability of college students is often characterized as ‘their’ potentials or ‘abilities’ to get the first job. Reality– In reality your education from a good institution is one of the major criteria of your selection. For freshers what makes you more employable is your transferable skills ones that you are taught at your college. Myth– As a fresh graduate you will have to have all the skills required for the job position. Reality– Since most colleges provide only basic training in the name of assistance, often the failure to land a good job is pushed on the shoulder of a student. Educational organisations, should impart the right mix of technical skills and soft skills that are vital for selection. Myth– Your ‘aptitude’ test is the only criteria of hiring you. Attitude doesn’t matter! Reality– Along with learning skills you need to have a great attitude, be a quick learner, keen on learning and updating yourself. Once You are in the job market you will get that hold on to your dream job which requires the right attitude. Grooming session by colleges are thus very important to develop this skill. Myth– If you are good at your job the team spirit doesn’t matter. Reality– Understanding how a team works within and organization is a major step to success. Thus, select colleges that offer compulsory internship during your three or four-years course. That way you will be prepared to understand the hierarchical structure of an organization. College, Fun and Job!! Let’s bust some myths!! Choose the right institute Reflect on your academic and extracurricular experiences in and out of college Implement the skills you learnt Pay best attention to grooming yourself Understand the skill of communication Connect with people, weave a network Remember when you step out of your school life it is important to understand what you want in future. Choosing the right institution that will shape your future is of utmost importance. It can either make you or break you. Write to us in comments if you think there are other myths related to jobs.

The Covid-19 Pandemic has made all of us aware of what is social distancing. In a couple of months’ time each one of us are, at least 6 feet away from our family members, our BFFs, that 2am friend and name whoever you want. But social distancing from social media? Is it even possible? FOMO is real so is our love for TikTok and whoever can even remember a life before Instagram or Facebook! Then one fine morning it struck us, real hard! When the Indian government banned 57, yes you heard it right, not 10, not 20 but 57 mobile applications in India! And, suddenly our virtual worlds came crashing down. First of all, the physical distancing and then that. It is a well-known fact that ever since lockdown social media has seen a rapid growth of virtual presence. According to a report published by the Financial Express the average time spent by users on Facebook was 41.4 minutes in comparison to 66.9 minutes during lockdown ever since March 29th. The average time being spent on TikTok went up from 39.5 minutes to 56.9 minutes, and on Instagram, from 21.8 minutes to 35.4 minutes. Let us all agree that our virtual media presence increased as a compensation to the physical distancing we suddenly faced. Ever since the first phase of lockdown social media has been instrumental in keeping our contacts alive. A simple cake baking video would make us want to try it at home. Physical exercises became popular only because of the urge to upload it online. Comments and likes made lockdown easier to handle. But have we ever given it a thought, what if there was no social media at all to ease our lockdown days? Seems impossible and crazy? Well, let us try imagining something like this. Let us see if we can survive at all without social media. Although many of us would agree that this is the ‘new normal.’ However, we should at least try to think of an alternative that will be handy if tomorrow the virtual world vanishes! So, here are few tips that you can implement to see if you still can survive if ever there is a virtual media pandemic: Schedule your Mobile/Laptop time– Remember, when you would put an alarm for waking up so that you do not miss your college bus, or you are right on time or class? Well we all were part of a schedule or a routine that made our life easier. So, try making a similar schedule for your presence on the virtual world, making sure that you turn off your apps once your time for the day lapses. Find a new hobby– We agree that during lockdown many of us tried new activities inspired by social media posts by our friends, family members or any random influencer that you may follow. But once done it’s important to get over that hangover! It is time you do not end up acquiring a hobby just for the sake of show-off on the virtual platform. Click pictures, do yoga, cook delicacies, dance your heart out but avoid posting them online. In that way soon you will develop a hobby that will be long-term! Spend time with the people around you, sans the mobile phone– seems impossible again? Most of you are living with your parents during this lockdown. Try having a daily conversation with your parents at least for an hour where your mobile phone will not be with you! You might initially get distracted or feel something is missing, not being able to concentrate on the conversation. But practise makes one perfect! You will see that you have been missing a chunk of your life because of the mobile. Prefer alternatives for social media urge: That urge to go online, check out the latest post, hit a like and comment can be put under control only if you find another serious activity to do. List out things that you like doing. Then sort out the ones possible without social media. Even if you find one such thing, start meditating on that. Very soon you might feel that your virtual presence was your ‘want’ and not exactly the ‘need.’ On this note may be its time we understand that our survival is not complimented by our social media presence. There was a world just sometime back when we survived without the urgency to go online and all of us are capable to doing it again! Social media of course, is a boon. It connects us with the worldwide, but one should be careful not to let it rule your life. So yes, social distancing from social media is a thing! It is possible and is highly recommended.

Deciding to go to college is a difficult decision for many young people and their parents. Where should you go to college? Why should you go to college? What should you study? How can you pay for your college experience? Today, more than ever before, students are also asking whether or not attendance in a university setting is worth it. Why not just do all your coursework online? It will be less expensive and more convenient to attend college courses online. Many reasons exist, however, for physical attendance at a college or university. A college education will teach you many things beyond academics. Consider the following reasons for attending college or university: Learning to live with others is a lesson you will not learn through an online college. In today’s world, many young people have not had the experience of sharing a room with someone else. In a university setting, you often have at least one roommate. College attendance will teach you how to live with other people. Who will clean the room? How will you share the space of a dorm room or apartment? You can learn valuable coping and people skills by having roommates. You will encounter people who are not like you. Attendance at a university provides you with opportunities to meet people who are different from you. They will have different backgrounds, different economic situations. Religious and political beliefs may differ from yours. You will meet people from different countries and cultures. You will have the great advantage of expanding your understanding of the world around you through the people you meet at college. Attendance at the physical campus, instead of just online, gives you opportunities outside the classroom setting to learn from new people about their ideas and cultures. How will you react when faced with new opinions and ideas? It is very easy to adopt the ideas and belief system of people we are surrounded with. College attendance will expose you to new ideas and new beliefs. How will you react to these new ideas? Will you explore them? What if they conflict with your ideas? Can you learn something from beliefs other than yours? Will you learn to respect those whose ideas are different from yours? College is a great place to learn how to do this. Do you know how to handle responsibilities? When you leave home to attend university or college you will not have your parents to help manage your life. You have to assume responsibility for your own life. Here are a few examples of these responsibilities: Scheduling – You must learn to schedule your time and to follow your schedule. Do you have time for that party, or do you need to be studying for the exam? Your mom is not there to tell you when to study, or when to go to bed; you must learn to deal with schedules on your own. Deadlines – When is that paper due? Which day is the final exam? At what time does that assignment need to be turned in? You are responsible for keeping track and meeting all these deadlines! Laundry – Yes, you are responsible for doing your laundry. Do you know how? If you stay home and take online courses your mother can continue doing laundry for you, but at some time you need to grow up and do your wash! Bills – Have you ever had to pay bills before? Do you know what happens when you are late with a credit card payment? Going away to college often means learning to pay your bills. And pay them on time! You will also learn how to manage your own personal and moral responsibility. Going away to college requires personal and moral responsibility and accountability. Whose moral code will you choose? Do you accept responsibility for your actions? Your parents are not on-site with you to tell you how to live or how to act; what will you use as your moral compass or guide? What are your grounding principles for life? Facing these questions on your own can provide you with a great growing experience. Even though doing your college degree through online coursework may be more cost-effective, it may also deprive you of many valuable experiences and learning opportunities. The full college experience goes far beyond academic learning to encompass broadened awareness of the world around you and personal growth and development.