If you listen to most parents and teachers you will go to college believing that the only important thing for you to do is study hard and get good grades. Nothing could be further from the truth. While studying and getting good grades is a good thing and will give you a slight advantage over other graduates it is not sufficient to guarantee success in the workplace. There are a lot of other important skills that you need to learn to be successful.

Employers are looking for leaders, people who can make decisions, accept responsibility and give orders. But they also want people who are team players and can take orders as well as follow directions. Everyone has heard of corporate politics, well it is a reality in the workplace and you must have good people skills to survive the political infighting that is a fact of life in most large (and unfortunately most small) companies.

Where do you learn these skills? Can you take a class in them? Not on most campuses. You can learn these very important skills by developing a good social life while you are a student. Let’s look at how you can develop them.

Social Networks – you can create a network of friends that can last a life time and may someday be a boon to your career.

Where do you meet these people? Almost everywhere, at sporting events, parties, social gatherings, concerts and plays, in the classroom, etc. In other words, I’m taking about developing a network of friends with whom you share at least one common interest. Some of these friendships will last a lifetime.

Developing an active social life is absolutely essential for learning those all important people skills that every employer is looking for in candidates. If you master these skills and have good grades, you have a bright future in front of you.