<p>I don’t have a problem playing video games, surfing the internet and hanging out with friends, but when it comes to the extracurricular activities that college kids normally do: part-time jobs, sports, community service, fundraisers, etc, I can’t shun them quickly enough.</p>
<p>I know that one day hiring managers will punish me not doing any of those things, but I still don’t care. I mean, it’s not that I think that volunteering at a homeless shelter is not commendable, but I am just too apathetic to go out of my way do it. I also feel somewhat disgusted by the fact that most college kids who do those things just want another line to add to their resumes. If people want to judge me because I don’t volunteer, that’s fine with me, because I know that most college kids who volunteer (but not all of them) do it hypocritically anyway.</p>
<p>Since not many hiring managers share my way of thinking, am I better off ditching college for something else?</p>
<p>Frankly, I don’t think most HR departments give a damn what your extracurriculars were, unless they tie into the business. Oh, someone was in the Victorian Poetry Club? So what? Now, if their EC was learning Chinese and the business regularly communicates with a branch in China, that might get some attention. (Or if you were the president or an officer in a club, because that shows leadership.) They’re most useful for filling up white space on a resume.</p>
<p>HOWEVER. Volunteering and work history are a whole different story. These things show that you can WORK. You may be thinking, “But what does a job at McDonald’s really prove?” Well, if you got a good recommendation from your boss as Micky D’s then it means you were punctual, reliable, responsible, didn’t shirk off, were polite to customers, and got along with your coworkers. In short, it shows work ethic and that is something every business wants in its employees. Volunteering shows that you’re giving back to the community and shows that you can and will do something other than sitting on your butt all day–especially important if you’re between jobs.</p>
<p>Your last sentence doesn’t really make sense to me. It’s too much trouble to get a job, so you want to . . . quit school completely and get a job? How is that any better? Especially given that you will have fewer options without a degree?</p>
<p>“I mean, it’s not that I think that volunteering at a homeless shelter is not commendable, but I am just too apathetic to go out of my way do it. I also feel somewhat disgusted by the fact that most college kids who do those things just want another line to add to their resumes.”</p>
<p>In another thread, you mention that you’re not interested in the college life. Now, you’re saying that you don’t have any interest to participate in EC’s, community service, or employment. What exactly are you interested in?</p>
<p>Most of the students who chose to volunteer do it because they want to do it. They feel as though they have a purpose on this earth. They help people and give back to the community while in turn, develop skills (organization, communication, working as part of a team, etc.) that will serve them well when they enter the job market. </p>
<p>Other students work part time jobs–for the money and for the work experience. As an employer, I’m not going to hire a kid without job experience. I don’t care if the work experience consists of washing dishes at a restaurant, flipping burgers at McDonald’s, ringing up groceries in the grocery store, or answering telephones and filing in an office. Work experience shows me that the kid has ambition, character, and some degree of communication skills. </p>
<p>EC’s in college don’t give you a meaningful edge in getting a job. However, participating in EC’s is a good way to meet and connect with other people. Some EC’s such as the school newspaper and school Radio/TV station give one an opportunity to hone some valuable skills. Other EC’s such as political clubs or multicultural clubs provide a forum for meaningful discussions and debates with students that you may otherwise never have met. </p>
<p>I agree with Naturally regarding your last sentence. The logic to the question doesn’t make any sense to me.</p>
<p>I’ve been told by all sorts of people that without extracurricular activities I am not going to find a decent job. Since I have no intention and no desire of doing extracurricular activities, it can be concluded that if their logic is correct, I won’t find a decent job. If I am not going to find a decent job, it seems that I will get the same result with or without a college degree. (It’s not like decent jobs for people without college degrees abound.) Since I am going to get the same result with or without a college degree, I might as well save myself the cost, the trouble and the effort of obtaining a college degree. I understand that it is possible I will be better off with a college degree than without one, but since the end result is probably going to be the same or almost the same, I don’t think that a college degree is worth it.</p>
<p>What sorts of people are these who are telling you that ECs are so important to employers? (If it’s your fellow students who are saying it, how would they know?) I’ve been in the workforce for 30 years, and don’t recall ever having been asked about my outside activities. And as someone who interviews and hires, I really could not care less how a potential employee spends their free time.</p>
<p>The only big application situation you’ve experienced is college admissions. Colleges definitely look at the whole package; they want you to be good at the job of being a student, but they also want someone who will contribute to the life of the college as a whole. Employers are different. They want someone who can do the job – period.</p>
<p>Some employers value community service. They want their companies to have a good image in the community and encourage community service.</p>
<p>Previous jobs are always important as you at least know what it is like to be an employee. If you’ve been there for a while, it means that you didn’t screw up in a real job. If you’re a manager, then you have leadership potential in their company.</p>
<p>Skip the EC’s if you don’t have any interest in participating. However, you should consider getting a job—either part-time during the academic year or full time during the summer (or both). Your other option is to do a meaningful internship somewhere. </p>
<p>From you posts on CC, you seem to imply that you’re not enjoying college and you haven’t the desire to go above and beyond just showing up to class. You almost sound as though you’re hoping for someone on CC to give you permission to quit school. College isn’t for everyone. If you don’t want to continue, then take a leave of absence from your college–work for a year–and figure out what you really want to do with your life.</p>
<p>Honestly, I have about one line on my resume where I list my extracurricular activities. This is not high school anymore, nobody cares if you help the homeless in your free time, just don’t come off as an arrogant prick in your interviews.</p>
<p>I haven’t met a single college student yet who does such things simply because they want to load up their resume. Not to say there aren’t any out there, but it’s a very small number. I’m personally extremely involved around campus because I’m interested in what I do. My roommate, meanwhile, frowns upon anyone who “wastes” their time volunteering or working and thinks they’ll be the ones to fail out of college. Polar opposites, but I can’t say who’ll get the better job.</p>
<p>What I have noticed, however, are the differences between these groups of people. I was also involved in high school, and my roommate was not at all. I have better time management now because I’ve used to wrestling a dozen things at a time. I get work done faster, I push my hardest (since GPA mattered in HS to keep in clubs), I’ve developed pretty good social skills (from doing public relations and speech competitions), I have networks and know people from around the community who are more than willing to give me a job after I graduate. Again, not to say that people who aren’t involved can’t do these things, but it’s something I notice more in people who are involved. Employers don’t look through all your clubs and hire you based on that.</p>
<p>However, I agree with the person above who asked what you’re interested in since you seem to be apathetic about college life and ECs. What is it?</p>
<p>I want a degree but I ask myself why I am doing this if in the end my effort might not add up to anything since I did not do extracurricular activities.</p>
<p>College is for me. College life and extracurricular activities aren’t.</p>
<p>Nothing sounds interesting, and nothing is worth the effort. My suggestion: take a leave from college and get a job. Pay your own way for a while. Save up some money and travel. Forget the video games and internet and talk to people. You will never find anything interesting in life if you never look beyond your own little comfortable world.</p>
<p>Even if you are brilliant and have a 4.0 and lots of EC’s, nobody is going to hire somebody who doesn’t care about anything. They can tell.</p>
<p>“EC’s in college don’t give you a meaningful edge in getting a job”</p>
<p>It depends on the EC. Someone who has planned events, raised money or led an organization has made contacts and learned social and business skills that translate into things employers crave.</p>
<p>For instance, I know people who organized major campus-wide events like dance marathons who at graduation were able to get events marketing jobs with major companies. I know students who were student government leaders who were able to get jobs with public officials. </p>
<p>Most successful business people also are very active on nonprofit boards, etc. because they genuinely like to help their community, and they also know doing such things is a good way to meet people who can help their business. Such people seek to hire those who do similar things in their spare time.</p>
<p>Getting a part time job is important when an employer looks over your resume. It shows work history and experience. They are more likely to hire someone that has a vast amount of dedicated work ethic than a student that has a bunch of extracurriculars at college.</p>
<p>Plus you get paid, so that’s always a plus.</p>
<p>I don’t participate in volunteering either because I don’t feel like I’m getting anything back. Call me selfish, but I have better things I could be doing with my time. I do however, get involved in private activities and sports. I wouldn’t put them on a resume because employer simply don’t care about that aspect of your personal life.</p>
<p>College life isn’t for me either which is why I live at home and have absolutely no connections with my school (with the exception of classes). I’m happy and productive.</p>
<p>I’m sure you read my post #5 in full. While I mentioned that EC’s will not give a meaningful edge in getting a job, I did explain that valuable skills can be learned and connections can be made by participating.</p>
<p>I don’t disagree with you, I just don’t like doing extracurriculars and don’t plan on forcing myself to do them, even if it means I will end up with a smaller network and less skills than everyone who did extracurriculars.</p>
<p>Extracurriculars isn’t limited to volunteer work though…where do you want to work after you graduate? Join an organization that is related to your field of interest.</p>
<p>I want a degree but I ask myself why I am doing this if in the end my effort might not add up to anything since I did not do extracurricular activities.</p>
<p>If you earn decent grades, earn your degree, present yourself in a respectful manner, nobody will give a rats ass if you don’t list a single EC on your resume. </p>
<p>I was recently reviewing my resume with a career advisor, and I had a section titled “organizations and professional societies” which included a few memberships and one lone club I participated in for one year. He suggested removing it, and I did. It did not show my skills, experience, or talents. And it certainly did not provide a reference. </p>
<p>Bottom line: If you are learning, college is worth it.</p>