5 Reasons You Should Join a Student Club or Society

 From meeting new people to gaining administrative, creative, and leadership experience—joining a student club can set you up for wild success.

Well let us say you want some of that nice-looking baked goods, or that swag (which is often free) from one of the groups in your school or university but you know it comes with a cost that nobody has told you about which is time spent listening to the students offering said goodies and explaining why joining their club will be one of the best things to ever happen.

Here's the thing : they're probably right.

Whether you are joining a group or starting a new one, getting involved with the right student club or society will help you in ways that will drastically improve your experience of being a student.   

1. You meet new people.

 

You might not identify with one student club or society. Perhaps you just want to join one to do something in spare time that you have. Either way, you're almost guaranteed to make new friends. If you are joining to explore the latitude or scope within your field of interest, you can find ways to meet professionals at companies in which your interest lies. Certain clubs and societies even coordinate experiences to connect students with these professionals, some of whom happen to be alumni. This could make your life a whole lot easier when you graduate and pursue a career in your desired field.

You will be able to meet amazing professionals through the society you join. You will be able to meet education coordinators from companies like Microsoft at their headquarters! Opportunities like these will help you understand that whether the company/role is a fit for you or not, which is still a valuable thing to learn early on.

2. You find people who have similar interests. 

 If you are someone who has no idea what so ever about the career you want to pursue, participating in extra-curricular activities will bring you closer to people who have the same hobbies or interests as you. By surrounding yourself with people who have similar interests, you gain :

• Peer Motivation. Their hard work, motivation, and dedication to their education and professional development will positively impact your mindset. Your friends will push you and encourage you to study, attend events together, and keep you liable.
• Shared Information. Your friends want what is best for you. On occasion, they will share opportunities or information about important companies, career paths, job fairs, and professional conferences with you.
• Empathy. You've got a stronger shared experience with your friends. You'll understand their goals, challenges and their feelings a lot better.             

  You can also use this opportunity to explore different interests. You don't need to be a philosophy major to join a philosophy club. Want to learn how to sing? There's usually a club for that too. You get the idea.

3. You discover that there's more to school than assignments, tests, and a degree.

In the words of Steve Jobs :

    "Do what you love. Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow        already know what you want to become."  

Although a college dropout, Jobs created a company worth $ 1 trillion and initiated several paragon shifts in consumer technology. Joining a student society or club will bring you closer to people who want to do big, creative, and visionary things. In fact, it's how Steve Jobs met Steve Wozniak.

By being around people you want to be like, it's easier to feel motivated and to know that you are on the right track. Most people around you in school or college focus on classes only to go home soon after. By making friends and connecting with a community who are constantly striving to do more with their time, you will find it easier to do more with yours.

4. You get valuable administrative, creative, and leadership experience.

 

 When graduation comes around, you will quickly notice that your academic experience is not always enough. With internships, co-op placements, and facilitated networking happening all around, you need to take advantage of every competitive edge you can get. It might seem like "just a student club", but in reality, being a part of student club builds a lot of valuable skills, including : 

• Team Management
• Budgeting
• Leadership
• Volunteer Coordination
• Stakeholder Management
• Sales
• External Relations 
• Event Planning 

 Many of these skills can be transferred to a wide variety of industries. They can be the difference between you and another candidate. Make "fail fast, fail often" your mantra; by putting yourself through more experiences, and giving yourself more opportunities to make mistakes and learn from them. It's better to make mistakes while in school than at your first job.

5. You can find job opportunities through club alumni.

 

  

                           

  Some societies focus on connecting students to alumni who graduated with same degree as theirs. They curate events where students meet with alumni who took on jobs in industries they are interested in. Some students often are lucky enough to score job opportunities using these connections. These events are so important because they make first year students fell comfortable connecting to the alumni, who went through the same struggle as them. Knowing that the hard work would pay off someday encourages them to stay motivated.

BONUS : Even more reasons to join students club or society.

 

And if all the above mentioned reasons are not enough for you, here's a quick list of even more. You will....

• Get to indulge in you passion and build your skills.
• Have valuable experience to put on your resume when you graduate.
• Learn to make mistakes with fewer consequences.
• Be able to pursue your own ideas with funding and human resources available to you.
• Learn how to communicate.
• Wear multiple hats. If you work for a small company, you will learn how everything works. In a club, that holds true even more strongly.
• Be more productive.
• Experience the joy of providing meaningful and valuable opportunities to other students. 

University doesn't always challenge you in practical, hands-on ways. A student club or society can. Remember : you're a student. Your co-workers are student. You get it. In a club or society, you can pretty much find the most accommodating work experience you will ever get.