Soft skills for commerce students

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Commerce students need to upgrade their knowledge and skills with specialised courses in today’s dynamic business environment, advises Alice Mani.

Where will this put me after three years?” is a common question that comes in the mind of all college students before they join a course.  

Due to the immense competition students want to opt for programs that enhance their analytical and understanding ability, provide them with diverse and quality job opportunities along with a bright future.

However we all are aware of the saying “No pain no gain”. In today’s dynamic environment it is very difficult to find a course that suffices and fulfills all criteria’s required by the employers. Commerce in itself has a vast scope and there is a necessity to be aware of its component to a certain level as we are living in the era of “Jack of all trades, master of some”. 

With high rate of unemployment and turnover, competition and evolving business opportunities, there is a dire need of individuals who only just excel in their academics but go beyond the regular curriculum. 

The ability to confidently speak in public, to write professional and convincing letter’s, have a high aptitude, know a certain level of math operations, have a certain level of general knowledge and awareness etc are extra abilities which can help an individual in landing into a long successful career. 

Commerce is a field that is continuously evolving, changing and developing and thus, there is a need to be well-informed in aspects other than studies. Just graduate degrees no more fetch high-paid jobs, due to which complementary courses have to be taken up to develop ones intellectual skills. 

There is a definite talent gap between the kind of abilities colleges are producing in students and what the corporate really need. What graduate courses provide us with are basics of business, finance and economics which are generally more theoretical in nature. It does not provide us with any practical experience but helps us understand the base and basics of the subjects.

However we cannot state that it is mandatory to take up extra courses to get a good job. A commerce graduate can apply for jobs in existing banks, financial institutions, outsourcing firms, insurance companies, audit firms or work as an assistant in Chartered Accountant firms. But why we need the extra courses is for entering a higher job profile. 

Many companies now-a-days provide their employees with opportunities to do their higher studies at the company’s expense to enhance their qualification and skills.

So what do we need to do that will set us apart from the crowd and enable us to reach our goals and fulfill our ambitions? Well, there are a certain number of courses recruiters opt for and recommend.

Firstly, a commerce graduate can opt for doing CA, CS, ICWA, CFA, MBA in Finance etc and likewise courses which will give them a superior command over the subject and make them a more attractive option over regular graduates. Some of these courses can be taken up along with graduate courses. 

Another option could be SETM (An acronym for science, technology, engineering and mathematics) classes. 

These classes are suitable for science as well as non-science students and are favoured by all organizations as they give a greater insight to students in various fields and enable better understanding of subject and environmental dynamics. These classes also help in increasing ones information and analytical ability. 

Thirdly, corporate require individuals who are confident, expressive and have good public speaking skills. 

Thus if one has taken up courses like theater arts, leadership studies, public speaking etc it acts as a merit when applying for higher managerial positions as these courses instill in one qualities of confident speaking, team work, team spirit and the ability to get ones point across convincingly. 

Another aspect the students need to focus on is their awareness of the business world and the changes happening. There is a need to develop basic business skills, analyze problems happening in the business world, and learn how to communicate in a more professional manner and so on. These are skills that are expected out of employees and give a competitive advantage to those who have already acquired them. Further students can opt for courses like SAP, DBMS and so on to become technically more efficient. 

Lastly, the most effective way for a student to go beyond their restricted study schedule is by taking up as much internship as possible. Internships not only provide one with practical knowledge, but also keep one up-to-date with the changes taking place and provide ways of adapting to them. Through internships students can learn different techniques of performing a task, encounter different kinds of problems that are faced in real business world and learn how to find solutions to them which in turn makes them more-suited for working in an actual work-environment.

Commerce background helps familiarizing the individuals with the functioning of the company and makes the adaption process easier. 

Though a great emphasis is placed on extra courses, the benefit and importance of a rigorous and high quality academic course cannot be undermined as it serves as a base to understanding the subject.