College clubs that actually help your career
College is filled with opportunities to join clubs and organisations that are not only socially beneficial, but also look great on your resume. Sure, join the Ping-Pong team for fun, but here are some college clubs you should join that will help you prepare for your career.
1. Become a tour guide.
We know you probably loathed doing a lot of campus tours in high school: “To your left is the first bathroom ever created on campus…and to your right is a tree.” But you probably didn’t have the best tour guide if you were bored. Being a tour guide is a great way to gain public speaking experience. When I was a tour guide, sometimes I had groups as big as 200 people. The more you speak in front of people, the easier it gets. When your boss asks you to pitch a new idea to the whole office, you won’t be as nervous. Tour guides also typically work with administration. One of the best letters of recommendation I ever got was from my administrator when I was a tour guide.
Also, being a tour guide can have perks. Some schools pay their students. For my school, we got to register first for classes, so I never had any trouble getting into a class I wanted. This incentive was amazing. Start as a freshman and give tours all four years. Campuses love hiring freshman to give tours because it adds diversity to their lineup and they know they can have you on their team again.
2. Join debate club.
Learn how to hold your own in a discussion. This skill is extremely helpful in business meetings and life in general. This club takes public speaking to the next level because it adds a sense of pressure and argumentation. Learn how to speak clearly, be poised when you’re under pressure, and voice what you believe in.
3. Get involved in student government.
Not only will you be a voice on campus representing your student body, but you’ll also learn how the school functions: what works and what doesn’t work. Being in student government opens the door to gain leadership experience on campus and work with the administration.
4. Seek out (your major) club.
If you’re in premed, join the premed club. If you’re in media, join the student media team on campus. You’ll not only meet people that are probably in your classes, but you’ll also gain networking experience with people in your field. Not to mention, you just gained a group of study buddies!
5. Consider philanthropy club.
Joining a club that does work for charity or volunteering in the community will help you gain a better perspective while you’re in college. Plan a canned food drive or get a group together and clean up your local park. Bring board games to a senior citizen home or visit your local children’s hospital. There are so many ways you can get a group together on campus to give back to your local community. Of course, this looks great on a resume, but do it for the bigger purpose, and change lives while you’re still in school.
6. Start your own!
If you’ve always wanted to have a book club on campus but there isn’t one, start it! Or if you want to get a group of people together to run every Monday and Wednesday evening, start a running club. No matter what the club or organisation is, it says a lot about your drive, organisation, and work ethic if you build something from the ground up.
Try to join a couple of these kinds of clubs your freshman or sophomore year so you can stick with them throughout your college experience. It looks better to have committed to one or two clubs for four years than to have bounced around to a lot of them throughout college. And don’t forget to throw in some fun and random clubs, like ballroom dancing or crafting!
