Joining a student organization presents many opportunities to learn more about yourself, your goals, and your strengths. You can learn from how other students handle certain situations and test your current knowledge. You can also find out what you’re good at, whether that’s multitasking, staying organized, generating ideas, or serving others. This self-awareness will be beneficial in your future career.

Soft skills are essential “people skills” — they’re the skills that allow us to effectively interact with others, like communication, attitude, and work ethic. Participating in a student organization not only teaches you these skills but also helps you broaden and improve those you already have. You’ll learn the best way to communicate with both individuals and large groups, and you’ll gain emotional intelligence as you develop new relationships.

Another great benefit of student organizations is that you get the opportunity to network. Meeting new students, making connections, and building relationships will all help down the line when you’re looking for a college or job.  Because you’re all part of the same organization, you know the people you’re meeting have at least a few of the same interests as you, so their connections will be valuable.

Participating in a club or an organization based around your particular area of study will give you practical experience within that field. And what’s great about student clubs is that while you learn to use skills like project management, event planning, and fundraising, you get to test them out in a safe environment where making mistakes is OK.  Everyone is there to support you, so there’s no fear of messing up or being wrong.  

As students, you can apply classroom experience in your student organizations and develop leadership and life skills that help you become more effective in classroom team projects.

Chances are, the organization you choose to participate in will include a diverse group of people — you’ll be faced with the same situation in college and the working world!  Learning how different people respond and react to certain situations will help you develop your skills in presenting and implementing ideas.

Knowing how to work well with a team is an essential skill for any career. Being in a student organization teaches you how to do this by putting you in situations where you are required to take advice from others and give your own.  

Becoming a leader or an officer in an organization will help you develop leadership skills that will be invaluable in all areas of life. You’ll be presented with opportunities to improve in public speaking and gain confidence in yourself as an individual.

Many student organizations provide opportunities to give back to the community, whether through acts of service, sponsoring events, or hosting charity drives.  Not only is this good for society, but it will teach you how you can give back to your community in the future.