When I first came to university, the adjustment to my life style, the increased work load, and other added stresses just made extra-curricular involvement seem like it would be the straw that would break the camel’s back. Of course, we all get preached constantly about the importance of getting involved, so despite my fears, I joined a campus recreation football team. Next I joined a hockey team, and then started going to the gym regularly with someone who at first I barely knew, and then in the spring I started playing soccer. One thing led to the next, but before long, I had made many new friends and had found a fun and healthy way to relieve the stress of university and stay fit and active.
Being in accounting, I knew that if I wanted to get a job in one of the international firms, extra-curricular involvement would not only be encouraged, but essentially required by recruiters. I decided to join a non profit operating within the College of Commerce called ace:saskatchewan. Joining this organization was not only a great way to have fun and make new friends, but now I also had something to add to my resume.
Things don’t always go as planned. The following spring I applied to be a part of the accounting club executive. Unfortunately, I was not selected for the position I applied for. Looking back to when I applied my biggest fear was being denied what I wanted, but when the actual denial occurred, I realized it wasn’t so bad. It was better to apply, make some new friends on the executive, and not get the position, than to not apply at all.
The next opportunity to come my way occurred at the end of my second year, when the University Learning Centre was recruiting for structured study session coaches for the commerce math class. Originally I was hesitant, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how great of an opportunity it was. I applied, and got the position and here I am today as a PAL posting to this blog. In addition to gaining great skills in speaking and math preparation, I had the opportunity to meet hundreds of first year commerce students in my work with the math class. I also made many great new friends at the University Learning Centre, and have become really good friends with a fellow accountant, who was essentially my partner in the structured study session program.
In the fall, I got the job I wanted. They flat out told me they were impressed by my extra curricular work. I’ve been given the opportunity to represent the Edwards School of Business in an accounting case competition next week in Vancouver. Our ace:saskatchewan team just got back from a competition in Calgary and I’ll have the opportunity to apply to go to Toronto to compete in a national competition. In addition I recently applied again to be a part of the Accounting Club executive. On top of it all, my involvement has led to several job opportunities.
The point I am trying to get at is that my experience with extra-curricular involvement has been amazing. To me, university is fun simply because I’ve had the opportunity to do so much. It’s to the point now where I don’t even want to graduate, which is a dramatic change from when I first started with the intention of getting my degree as quickly as possible. It also seems that opportunity stems off opportunity. The more someone does, the more doors will open for them. So during the next few weeks, when many university organizations are recruiting for the next year (including the University Learning Centre!) I would encourage everyone to get involved in whatever way they can. I promise it will be worth it.
I attended a banquet last night (another extra-curricular involvement opportunity). The key note speaker was a co-founder with Murray Edwards (Edwards School of Business) of FirstEnergy Capital, an investment banking boutique in Calgary. During his presentation he gave a list of 10 codes of ethics from a book he deeply believed in. The number one item on that list is to “live each day with courage”. He said this does not mean living without fear, but rather accepting that fear without letting it stop you.
Being a relatively shy person, and a person that values getting high marks and devoting a lot of time to academics, I can understand fairly easily why some people are reluctant to get involved. Again however, I encourage everyone to take a step forward and try something. The university offers tons of opportunities. Whether you are interested in campus clubs, academic involvement, student politics, or campus recreation, there is something out there for everyone if you take a look around. If you already are involved, why not encourage someone who isn’t!
From the mind of a PAL,
Paul