College is a great time to sample the offerings life has to offer before deciding what you’d like to focus on. If you’re having a hard time deciding what classes to take next semester, we polled out Career Experts for suggestions on classes that every college students — including you! — should take to become more well-rounded individuals and better prepared for integration into the real world.
Speech/Communications recommended by GJ Mueller. Communication is a critical 21st century skill that you will use every single day in your personal and professional relationships. We can always use more practice, guidance, and reflection on communication skills. (Sidebar: Ballroom Dancing was a close second for her! You won’t find many other classes where touching members of the opposite sex is mandatory.)
Psychology 101 recommended by Greg Narayan. While this may be a basic course, the experiments and theories you learn are referenced so much in everyday media and lingo that you’ll use what you learn on a regular basis. I can’t say how many times I’ve thought back to Psych 101 when I encounter an everyday dilemma at a store, restaurant, or at work.
One class outside of the norm, recommended by Beth Campbell Duke. Taking a class that you wouldn’t normally will allow you to meet a totally new set of people and possibly even their friends. I had a lot of fun taking ‘Popular Culture in the 16th Century’ during my science degree. My husband Tony met the daughter of the chief of police for Frankfurt, Germany while taking a Russian language class. Expand your horizons and your networks!
Statistics recommended by Tracy Brisson. Even if you’re on a creative career path, taking a statistics class will be a reliable resource for you professionally. You’ll be asked to present data and results over and over again in your career and statistics will teach you how to think about information in different ways.
Professional Development recommended by Keith Lipke. Many schools are offering these courses because of the need to build a more well-rounded individual. How do they act, and interact once they have a job? What kinds of “life issues” can young people run into, including such as debt, personal finance, budgeting, as well as job searching.
Is there a class you’ve taken in college that you think everyone else should, too?
Fabulous! This post is really helpful to our young professionals out there who are having some queries on what classes to take in college. It would be great to include core business classes on the list.
Thanks Classy Career Girl! On part two which will be coming out shortly, we’ve listed business classes as well.
This is such a great article! So many young people ask me what kind of classes they need to take, no matter what their degree is.
Hopefully this will become a future resource for students that ask you what courses they can take. Really, anyone can benefit from these classes, even if it’s just a continuing education class on the side.
An anthropology class would also be a great class to require, especially one that focuses on the basics, like ethnocentrism, worldview, and such. Students need to learn to look beyond their own preconceived notions, especially the ones they aren’t aware of.
Reema, I completely agree — it’s important for us all to stretch their awareness. Thank you for sharing!