College, Diplomas, and Degrees

The 6 Things Earning a Degree Actually Says About You

Breaking down the BS

After 4 long years and, notably, through a worldwide pandemic, I finally earned my BS in Business Administration from Truman State University.

But is this BS really BS?

Is having a fancy piece of paper what actually makes me qualified to work at your establishment? Come on.

Let’s be honest here. I know plenty of people who have been successful without even stepping foot in a university. And a job, let alone one in your field, is not guaranteed after graduation.

Moreover, college costs an arm, a leg, and probably my firstborn child.

My degree is, without comparison, the item in my closet with the highest price tag.

So why take the expensive route?

Because whether you go to an Ivy League, public or private university, community college, or technical school you are essentially showing on paper that you can do the same 6 essential things.

Keep reading to find out what that glorified, 8-and-a-half-by-11 piece of paper really stands for, why it matters, and what it can do for you.

1. You are capable of learning.

I have had a number of college graduates tell me that they are currently doing something completely different from what they learned in college. That doesn’t mean their degree was a waste of time, money, or space! Just having a degree accelerated their achievements, not hindered them.

Having a degree helps to quickly convey to your future boss what you are capable of. A diploma gives you a place to start–something that your employer can use to say “hey, I can work with this.

Your well-rounded education, filled with classes outside of your major, shows you can learn in a variety of subjects. In the work world, your ability to be taught is a highly valued skill.

2. You are willing to do stuff you don’t like to do.

As a former substitute teacher, I once encountered an eighth-grade student who was adamant that math was not for him. The conversation went something like this —

“Miss K, do I have to do this?”

“…yes.”

“But, why? I don’t need math. I am going to be a musician!”

“Well, even music uses numbers.”

He vehemently informed me that he was “doing just fine without it.”

So I cleverly gave him this scenario —

You are at a restaurant. You need to leave a tip on your bill. Let’s say your bill is $20, and you want to tip 10%. How much would you leave?

To which he responded, “Uhhh $10?”

He better be dining at my restaurant!

Remember all those gen-ed classes you had to take? The classes that were required had nothing to do with your future career aspirations. The courses on your schedule that your counselor justified you being required to take “because it was part of a well-rounded academic curriculum.” This signifies that your degree is a framed icon of “I didn’t want to, but I did it anyway.”

Life is full of doing stuff that you don’t want to. Whether it’s doing laundry, waiting in line, eating your vegetables, or math. We have all found at least one thing that we would “rather not and say we did.”

Having to take classes outside of your academic focus, or even outside of your comfort zone, shows that you are willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done — even if you didn’t want to.

3. You persevere when things get hard.

College is hard. Life is hard. Do you keep going or do you quit? You need endurance. You need the ability to persevere in the presence of challenges.

Maybe you upped the ante. Did you work a job on the side while in college? Were you a student-athlete? Were you involved in other extracurricular activities?

College is already a full-time job.

“For every hour you spend in class you should spend at least 2 hours outside of class studying.” — said every professor I’ve ever had.

Yeah, that age-old saying is not a lie. This means that anything extra outside of your core curriculum plus your regular studies may even add up to the equivalent of working 2 full-time jobs.

Constantly juggling responsibilities proves you are hardworking, persistent, and, above all, resilient.

4. You are resourceful.

No one has all the answers, but you need to know where to go to get them‒in school and in the real world. Your professor. Your peers. Your textbooks. Wikipedia.

This doesn’t just prepare you for your future career — it prepares you for life. Being a problem solver in the real world–when your printer breaks, when your boss gives you a task you haven’t done before, when working with a tight deadline or a tight budget–is essential and may save you a lot of money if you can do it yourself. Simply figuring out where to go or who to ask is sometimes half the battle.

Having to flex your brain muscles to think outside the box when you encounter obstacles in your path shows you are a problem solver.

5. You can get along with people.

Let’s face it, group projects mean knowing when to hold your tongue to get things done. At the end of the project, those peer evaluations are going to come down, a prime opportunity for your group members to roast you and tank your grade if you were hard to work with.

And your future boss does not want an employee that cooks up drama at every corner. Sometimes you just have to take a deep breath and let it go.

Excelling in college is largely based on building strong relationships. Getting along with your professor can mean the difference between rounding up and rounding down, which could be an entire letter grade difference–an A vs. a B, a 3.0 vs. a 4.0. As a student who frequently ended my courses with a 89.5%, but graduated with a 3.8 GPA, I can thankfully say more of my professors rounded up.

Your degree demonstrates you are able to successfully collaborate with others and have the ability to build strong relationships.

6. You are able to communicate well.

Words have power. Words have the ability to make someone smile, to make people laugh, to make one fall in love.

Words also have the ability to send a theater full of people running with a single utterance–FIRE!

“With great power comes great responsibility” — Uncle Ben, Spider-Man.

It is not just about knowing what to say. It is about the way you say it and when you say it that truly makes communication a skill to be mastered.

Your degree signifies your proficiency in communication. Your coursework simply requires it–you communicate through writing, with your peers, with your professors. Similarly, in the work world, you will communicate through emails and letters, with your coworkers, and with your boss.

Not only does building your communication skills prepare you for the work world, but it also prepares you for life–developing your ability to tackle basic human interactions with minimal stress–though every once in a while you may still kick yourself for responding with “you too” when the guy at the movie ticket booth tells you to “enjoy the movie.”

Your degree indicates that you channeled the power of communication moreso for good, rather than for evil.

My degree is an investment in my future that gives an at-a-glance, in-writing glimpse into just some of the things I am capable of accomplishing.

My degree is one of my proudest accomplishments and something that no one can ever take away from me.

Buy me a cup of coffee to support my work ❤