Success Skills Journal
To get, and keep, a job you typically need a repertoire of technical skills. Dentists need to know how to fill cavities. Secretaries need to type 100+ words per minute. Accountants need to be certified.
Beyond the technical skills, though, which dentist do you go to? The one who is pleasant and takes time to answer your questions; or the one who treats you like a number in a long line of numbered mouths?
Which secretary do you retain when times are lean? The one whose attitude is positive and upbeat, and who is always willing to help; or the one who is inflexible and has a hard time admitting mistakes?
Likewise, think about accountants. The one who has a great work ethic and encourages his colleagues is the one who will, most likely, excel in his position and organization.
In these situations, and all the others like them, it’s the soft skills that matter.
While your technical skills may get your foot in the door, your people skills are what open most of the doors to come. Your work ethic, your attitude, your communication skills, your emotional intelligence and a whole host of other personal attributes are the soft skills that are crucial for career success. — “Why Soft Skills Matter: Making Sure Your Hard Skills Shine”
This module addresses “soft skills” that are necessary for success in both college and professional life. While these skills aren’t usually taught in school, you will be expected to have them in order to do well in classes and to succeed in the workplace.
The Success Skills Journal will ask you to reflect on the individual components addressed in this module of the course. You will assess how strong your own “soft skills” are at the moment, and what you might do in order to improve them.
Rubric
In order to successfully complete this assessment, a submitted journal must reach “Meets or Exceeds Expectations” in all categories.
| Criteria | Ratings | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Habits for Success Journal Entry | Meets or Exceeds Expectations
|
Approaching Expectations
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Does Not Meet Expectations
|
| Critical Thinking Journal Entry | Meets or Exceeds Expectations
|
Approaching Expectations
|
Does Not Meet Expectations
|
| Time Management Journal Entry | Meets or Exceeds Expectations
|
Approaching Expectations
|
Does Not Meet Expectations
|
| Writing in College Journal Entry | Meets or Exceeds Expectations
|
Approaching Expectations
|
Does Not Meet Expectations
|
| Computer-Based Writing Journal Entry | Meets or Exceeds Expectations
|
Approaching Expectations
|
Does Not Meet Expectations
|
Habits for Success Journal Entry
To Do
For this activity, create your own definition of success. Dictionary.com defines success as “the favorable outcome of something attempted.” For many students in college, success means passing a class, earning an A, or learning something new. Beyond college, some people define success in terms of financial wealth; others measure it by the quality of their relationships with family and friends.
Here is an example of a brief, philosophical definition of success:
To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded. –Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ultimately, before we can know if we are successful, we must first define what success means for ourselves.
Develop a 200–400 word journal entry defining what success means to you in college and beyond. To help you write this entry, consider some of the following:
- Find a quote (or make one up) that best summarizes your definition of success. Note the author of the quote, and use quotation marks as appropriate.
- Why does this quote best represent your personal definition success?
- What people do you consider to be successful and why?
- What is your definition of success?
- What will you do to achieve success?
- What is the biggest change you need to make in order to be successful in college?
- How will you know you’ve achieved success?
Worked Example
Journal entry assignments tend to be more flexible than other types of writing assignments in college, and as a result they can be tailored to your own experiences as long as they answer the primary questions asked in the assignment.
One model of a successful entry about this topic can be found below. Feel free to include your own experiences and examples from real life as they pertain to the issue at hand.
Habits for Success Journal Entry
by Sandy Brown
I found this quote online, and I thought it was both funny and true: “Success is often the result of taking a misstep in the right direction” by Al Bernstein. I’m not sure exactly who Mr. Bernstein is, but he hit the nail right on the head. It seems like the best things in my life have come from some initial screw-up or unintended action on my part.
I enrolled in college the first time right after I graduated high school, but it just didn’t work out for me. My dad offered me a job instead, when he saw how miserable I was, since his office manager had just quit. I’d been helping out at his place all my life, but I didn’t know anything about managing the books. I made some silly mistakes, and some sort of serious ones, but I figured things out pretty quickly.
Now that my dad is looking towards retirement, I’m come back to school to get formal recognition of the work I’ve been doing for the past fifteen years. I originally thought I just wanted to get a Payroll Accounting certificate, but my adviser here talked me into pursuing a full AA degree. I’m glad I made that decision, but it’s been hard. I came home everyday the first week too exhausted to speak to my family. Withdrawing from a couple of classes was the right thing for me to do, even if it means I’ll only be a part-time student for now.
For me, success will be getting my first accounting job after I graduate with my degree and pass the certification exam. I want my future employer to recognize not only the years of experience I have but also the formal education I get with my AA. Success is also being a good role model for my daughters. I don’t want them to just settle for “good enough” like I did when I became an adult, and want them to work hard in order to get to a place where they’re comfortable.
Critical Thinking Journal Entry
To Do
- Visit the Quia Critical Thinking Quiz page and click on Start Now (you don’t need to enter your name). Select the best answer for each question, and then click on Submit Answers. A score of 70 percent or better on this quiz is considering passing.
- Write a 200–400 word reflection on this activity. Based on the content of the questions, do you feel you use good critical thinking strategies in college? In what ways might you improve as a critical thinker?
Worked Example
Journal entry assignments tend to be more flexible than other types of writing assignments in college, and as a result they can be tailored to your own experiences as long as they answer the primary questions asked in the assignment.
One model of a successful entry about this topic can be found below. Feel free to include your own experiences and examples from real life as they pertain to the issue at hand.
Critical Thinking Journal Entry
by Sandy Brown
The thing I like about critical thinking is that is applies to everything. If you get better at using critical thinking in school, that means other things in life get easier, as well (at least that’s what I hope is true).
I didn’t do so great on the critical thinking quiz. I got a 50% the first time, but I think I would have done better if I had understood the questions more clearly. Question #9, the one about having autonomy, I got wrong because I thought it was saying it was important, rather than it wasn’t. Now that I think about it, I guess that’s an example of where I could be a better critical thinker—I could take the time to read these questions more closely, and be sure that my answer makes sense to what the question actually asks, rather than what I think it asks.
I was happy with parts of this, though. There were a couple of questions about fair-mindedness, and I got both those right, even though I didn’t remember seeing the words “fair-mindedness” in the textbook. That phrase makes a lot more sense to me than “first order” and “second order” thinking.
For me, I think that I’m a better thinker when I’m not in a rush. I tend to panic when I take tests, and then I answer questions too quickly. For things that don’t have a timer, like homework or out-of-class assignments, I tend to do a lot better because I can take as long as I need to figure out what exactly I’m supposed to do. So I guess one way to improve my critical thinking skills would be to practice going slower for timed tests, and giving myself time to check my answers before turning something in. I don’t want to make mistakes like the one I did on this quiz, when it counts against my actual grade.
Time Management Journal Entry
To Do
- Assess your time management skills by using Ohio University’s self-assessment. Make note of your results.
- Review the University of Georgia’s Time Management: 10 Strategies for Better Time Management and consider the strategies that seem most appealing to you.
- Reflect in a 200–400 word journal entry on your current time management skills, and discuss how you might apply new strategies to improve time management in your life.
Worked Example
Journal entry assignments tend to be more flexible than other types of writing assignments in college, and as a result they can be tailored to your own experiences as long as they answer the primary questions asked in the assignment.
One model of a successful entry about this topic can be found below. Feel free to include your own experiences and examples from real life as they pertain to the issue at hand.
Time Management Journal Entry
by Sandy Brown
I’ve always considered myself pretty good at time management. Having a full house of a husband, three daughters, and two dogs will do that for you! But I’m realizing that I’m slipping a bit now that I’m going to school on top of being a full-time mom.
The Ohio University quiz was a bit eye-opening. I only scored a 55, which seems very low to me. I liked its advice at the end, and I went back through and clicked on each question to read more about it. One question that I put Never for was “I review my lecture notes after class each day.” I hadn’t thought about how that might be important before. I usually have some time to kill after classes are over, before I go home. Usually I do something dumb while waiting for my ride, like check Facebook. But I could use that time to look at my notes, and maybe start a bit of the reading before the next class.
One question that I got full points for was the “I allow time for proper meals and exercise” one. We have a family dinner every night, even if it’s just fish sticks or chicken nuggets. And I have a regular running schedule. If don’t run, I go crazy.
From the “Ten Strategies” reading, there were some good tips in there. Some were pretty obvious, but others made me think. The one I have a hard time with, but should be better about, is #6, Delegate. My girls make such a mess of things, that a lot of times I just end up cleaning myself instead of asking them to do it. I could put more responsibility on them. And my step-mother is always offering to help. I feel guilty about taking advantage of that very much, but I should get over that and call on her more.
Writing in College Journal Entry
To Do
The video above discusses beliefs students hold about college and demonstrates how those beliefs relate to test performance. Consider how beliefs might also impact a student’s performance on writing assignments.
Develop a 200–400 word journal entry that identifies three beliefs, mentioned in the video or discovered through your own observations, that relate to a student’s ability to write academic essays. Explain how these beliefs might be adjusted through the practice of metacognition to improve writing results.
Worked Example
Journal entry assignments tend to be more flexible than other types of writing assignments in college, and as a result they can be tailored to your own experiences as long as they answer the primary questions asked in the assignment.
One model of a successful entry about this topic can be found below. Feel free to include your own experiences and examples from real life as they pertain to the issue at hand.
Writing in College Journal Entry
by Sandy Brown
Belief: Learning is fast
Related to writing essays, I could see how I could easily fall into this trap of thinking that fast is good. I have such limited time in the day to work on school assignments, that I think that whatever I can manage to get done must be the best possible work that I’m capable of doing. I should allow myself more time, though that’s easier said than done. Even with smaller writing assignments, like this one, if I give myself a day or two to sketch out ideas for what I want to say, and then reflect on it before writing it, I think I’ll do a much better job in the long run.
Belief: I’m really good at multi-tasking
This one is very related to the “learning is fast” idea. Watching the girl in the video do a million things while she’s studying is just like watching my own kids at night! And I’m pretty guilty of this, as well. If I can set aside a quiet part of my night, and just focus on only one assignment at a time, I think I’ll do a lot better with my writing overall. And I’ll be happier with the results.
Belief: Being good at a subject is a matter of inborn talent
This is actually not a belief I personally hold. I always loved to read growing up, and I still do read fiction as much as time allows. But working as a business administrator for the past 15 years has shown me that I’m pretty good with numbers and bookkeeping, too, which I wouldn’t have guessed before this job.
One of my daughters is very drawn towards English and writing, and another struggles with it. They both seem to feel this is a matter of fate. I’m going to share this video with them, because I think there are ways that my daughter who struggles can be empowered to think that she CAN get better at writing, if she just keeps practicing. (This is also something I’m going to do myself…I’m very out of practice with writing for school!)
Computer-Based Writing Journal Entry
To Do
Develop a 200–400 word journal entry describing your proficiency with using word processors, and what you might still need to practice further. To help you write this entry, consider some of the following questions:
- Would you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate, or advanced user of word processors? Why?
- What do you find yourself frustrated by, when you use a word processor?
- What comes easily to you, when you use a word processor?
- What do you feel you need more practice with?
- What do you feel you could explain how to do to others?
Worked Example
Journal entry assignments tend to be more flexible than other types of writing assignments in college, and as a result they can be tailored to your own experiences as long as they answer the primary questions asked in the assignment.
One model of a successful entry about this topic can be found below. Feel free to include your own experiences and examples from real life as they pertain to the issue at hand.
Computer-Based Writing Journal Entry
by Sandy Brown
I would categorize myself as an intermediate word processor user. I’ve used Word a lot, both for work and for personal use. I write letters, and have no trouble with the basics like saving or attaching to emails. I have definitely had the experience of losing documents in Word, which is very frustrating. I would like to know more about how I can prevent that from happening again.
One of the classes I withdrew from was going to use Google Drive for submitting essays. I’ve never used that before, and I’m a bit nervous about other classes that may require the same thing. I set up an account but didn’t get very far with it.
I consider myself much better at programs like Excel, because I use those all the time for work. Some of the things I recognized in the Word tutorial videos were things I do regularly in Excel, like changing formatting. Changing the default settings seems like a good idea, because it sounds like many instructors will require the same kinds of document formatting for the written assignments I turn in. I don’t know why the default settings are different from what we use in school, but that’s okay. It helps knowing that I can change them once and then not have to worry about it anymore.
I’ve never had to do bibliography pages before, though my oldest daughter has for school projects. I hope that she can help me figure out the harder parts when it comes time for that. And having these videos to refer back to will be very helpful, as well.