Researching, public speaking and being in charge of a dozen kids are all activities I’ve tried to avoid at any cost.

Research is a bore, public speaking gives me anxiety and kids require too much energy to handle for more than 20 minutes. Yet here I am, in college, advocating for the very things that I never thought of pursuing professionally.  

While it seemed like everyone else had their majors set by sophomore year, it took me two and a half years of exploration and trial and error to figure out mine. Along the way, I did research, mentored preschool children, worked at a psychiatric institution, become a peer educator for sexual assault, interned at a labor union and participated in various other possible career paths in hopes that I would be charmed by one them.

Now, as I’m preparing to graduate and enter the professional world with a focus on public service, I’m realizing that I’ve learned more from these outside experiences than any gen. ed. will ever teach me. As course selection for the spring semester continues, remember that if we want to challenge ourselves and aspire to be well-rounded citizens, we all can learn from experiential learning opportunities outside of our majors.

Often as college students, we look for a straightforward path to the job of our dreams. If you’re studying pre-med, you need to take the core sciences, get a high score on the MCAT, maintain at least a high GPA and work volunteer hours at a hospital.

If you’re an engineering major, you’re likely to co-op at a large company and focus on passing your classes until you strike gold with a lucrative job offer. An English major is supposed to focus on classes, get an internship at a local publication and have a readily available explanation for why you aren’t going to be living with your parents after college.

For every major, there are certain preconditions that will lead to success in certain fields. Yet these same expectations limit us from pursuing other valuable experiences. When we focus so much of our efforts on creating an idealized but ultimately formulaic resumé, we miss out on so many other passions and learning opportunities.

If I never worked at a psychiatric hospital, I would have never learned empathy, understanding and patience in a society that marginalizes the mentally ill. Now, I have a better insight into caring for others who may be struggling to overcome communication barriers. When 18.5 percent of U.S. adults experience mental illness in a given year, chances are those skills will come in handy.

After working with children in Pittsburgh’s low-income preschools, I was exposed to the astounding inequities of our education system and the hard work and thankless jobs that early childhood education teachers do daily. The joy of watching a child learn something new because of what we taught was worth the days of crying children, uninterested in reading the story for the day and wandering off during lessons. Being a peer educator provided similar benefits and gave me the tools to overcome my public speaking anxiety, pushing me to be more confident in the causes I believe in.

By immersing myself in these different fields, I took away extraordinary lessons, friendships, newfound knowledge and a purpose. I found that sometimes we have to look outside of our own world to find out who we really are, and the best tools to do so may not be available inside a classroom.

A 2013 study by the Association of American Colleges and Universities revealed that 91 percent of employers agree that a candidate’s demonstrated capacity to think critically, communicate clearly and solve complex problems is more important than their undergraduate major.

Specifically, the most valuable skills employers look for include written and oral communication, teamwork skills, ethical decision making, critical thinking and the ability to apply knowledge in real-world settings. These skills cut across all majors and require more than attendance credit to demonstrate mastery.

If you’re a writing major, try doing research for a professor. If you’re an engineering major, take some art classes. And if you want to learn a new skill, don’t hesitate to burn some credits on service learning projects.

Having a diverse background of experiences will not only broaden your professional outlook, but it will also make you appreciate the work others do in their fields. It will challenge you to adapt to an environment unfamiliar with your own and introduce you to people you may have never come into contact with otherwise.

Experiential learning will teach you life skills that a college course simply cannot replicate. You might even find a new career path in the process.

Kirsten Wong is the Opinions Editor for The Pitt News. She primarily writes about social justice issues and education.

Write to her at [email protected]