Level Up Cashing in your Experience Points in

Level Up: Cashing in your Experience Points in Real Life David Kirk

WHO ARE YOU? Or who do you want to be… 2

Undergraduate 3

Graduate School ’ n i x e l f You o? br 4

I’m a real boy! 5

Akron Esports 6

y? a d ll a s e m ga y a Pl o? d n ve e ou y What do • Facility Operations • Facilities Management • Networking • Information Technology • Event Management • Content Creation • Broadcasting • Marketing • Coaching • Recruiting • Programming • Curriculum Development 7

I don’t care about esports, how does this affect me? 8

ire h I d oul h s y Wh you? 9

A degree is all I need Cash money 10

s e g e ll o C f o n o ti ia c o ss A l a n Natio and Employers • Verbal Communication • Teamwork • Problem-Solving • Setting Priorities • Finding and Evaluating Information • Quantitative Reasoning • Computer Skills • Writing and Editing • Influencing others 11

“With data from more than 40 institutions and more than 17, 000 college students we've discovered that the skills students develop from participating in student organizations, student government, intercollegiate and intramural athletics, academic organizations and honor societies - are the same skills employers indicate they want when hiring students after college. ” 12

Internships On-campus jobs Off-campus jobs Cocurricular Experience s 13

Cocurricular Experiences – optional experiences outside of the classroom in which learning can occur. Most common answer as to importance of developing skills outside of the classroom • Student Orgs • Campus Publication • Student Government • Fraternities & Sororities • Intercollegiate sports • Intramural Sports • Academic Groups • Student Government • Honor Societies 14

Skills by Involvement Teamwork Decision-Making Obtaining & Processing Information Problem-solving Verbal communication Career Knowledge Sales & Influence Computer Proficiency Analyzing Quantitative Data Writing & Editing Planning, organizing, prioritizing Cocurricular Experiences Internships Off-campus Jobs 15

Surveying students who were on a spectrum of involvement, NACE found that students who were more involved on average rated themselves higher in the 6 skill areas that cocurricular involvement impacts most. But h? c u m o o t s i how much Level of involvement is most important • The learning benefits of being VERY involved in one activity are essentially the same as being SOMEWHAT involved in multiple activities. 16

Takeaways • Use college as an opportunity to grow your skills, you’ll gain knowledge in the classroom, but you gain experience outside of the classroom • Not every student can get an internship, but every student can get involved in at least one cocurricular activity • Even if your dream job doesn’t exist yet or you’re not sure what it is exactly that you want to pursue after graduation, start gaining the skills that essentially all employers are looking for so you’re prepared whenever an opportunity may arise • If you have a job, use that as another opportunity to learn and gain some of these skills. If not, I would highly consider trying to find one as work history in general can be a deciding factor in employment 17

Finally… Getting involved isn’t just about gaining skills that make you more marketable, they also provide an opportunity for engagement with others on campus. Who knows? You might even make a few new friends! But don’t take my word for it, listen to some of your fellow redbirds… 18