What makes org work such a popular college tradition?
If joining college organizations has somehow become an item to check off on your bucket list of “Must-Try Experiences Before You Graduate College,” I can't blame you! Aside from making resumes look more appealing to companies, doing org work can be a fun yet enriching chapter in our lives. You can just check out how many times people change their display pictures (DPs) on Facebook to participate in org events for proof. And FYI, no one is immune to the DP blast experience—not even me.
Fun stuff aside, signing up for an org means more than participating in different projects. You’ll also be balancing this with doing schoolwork and having time for your social life. Keeping up with all three takes a lot of effort, but knowing what you can handle for the school year is the best way to stay on top of things.
Without further ado, here are helpful tips for you to know more about org life.
Take org work as an opportunity to learn many things
Org work can be a good way to learn more about yourself! A quick tip: take your interests as a guide for what role you want to take. From project management, accounting, graphic design and partnerships, these are some of the committees you can apply for in organizations! Taking up a specific role can let you hone skills necessary in the working world and in general life, too. The experience will have you adapting quickly to doing new tasks and learning how to communicate with people—and these are just at the tip of the iceberg. Be open to new experiences because they can teach you the most about what you need to know.
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You will make a lot of mistakes; don't take them personally
If you did something wrong, don’t worry too much about it! It is a part of any learning process, especially if you’re just starting out. Let's say you sent the wrong contract to one of the organization’s partners, coordinating with your superiors about this and keeping a level-head can solve the mishap—no problem. If you need a hand, seniors can help you with many different things, such as processing documents or even handling tech issues for events! Trust me, I had some help with my mistakes and everything turned out fine in the end.
Remember, don’t beat yourself up if you do something wrong. The next time a similar situation comes up, chances are you already know what you need to do. At the end of the day, it’s more important to take what you can learn from it rather than focusing on what the mistake you made.
Don’t compare yourself to others
It is fun to learn what you are passionate about when doing org work! However, make sure to not compare your journey to other people. As someone who has done that a lot before, it weighs down on you and your achievements. Keep in mind: college is a time in your life when you meet so many people at different points in their lives and journeys, so it would be easy to compare yourself to others. But remember that you have your own dreams, so focus on you.
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You deserve to rest
Don’t let the load of org work fool you into thinking you always need to be on the go. Take time to destress and replenish yourself. Word of advice: it is okay to turn off your notifications when you need a break. If you push too hard, you can burn out. Choose to rest when you need it, and because you deserve it.
Cherish the memories
Time goes by incredibly fast when you’re a student. Take it from me; I worked for my org last year, and now I’m off to new things! I’m grateful for all the lessons I learned from the time I spent with my org. I will always remember the experiences that shaped who I am today and the friends I made along the way. You know, finding your group of friends is another wonderful reason to join orgs. You get besties for life; what a way to make the most out of college!
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Keep these things in mind, and don’t let your expectations dictate how you see org work. In fact, the best way to learn is through the experiences that you don't expect. Whatever the case, have fun in your college journey, and try not to take everything so seriously.
Words Moira Luga
Art Matthew Ian Fetalver
