When students enter college they will be expected to behave like adults.  That means that they will do their own work, solve their own problems and interact with others in an adult or professional manner.  That is just the beginning.  

To live their lives as graduates who are happy, highly respected and paid well enough to achieve their goals, they should be building the platform on which to launch their careers while they are in college.  The best career launch platforms are made up of Accomplishments, Successes, Positive Results and Strong Relationships in the areas they wish to pursue.

Students who learn five lessons and apply them to their daily lives will give themselves a greater chance for college and career success.

1. Perform To The Best of Their Ability, Even When They Don’t Feel Like It - Their effort, perseverance, timeliness, attitude and results all matter to employers.  Employers have little choice but to use past performance as a way to predict future performance.  Therefore, student performance throughout the college years (In the Classroom, During Campus Activities, In Part-Time and Summer Jobs, In the Community and During Leisure Activities) will determine how much interest employers have in any candidate.  Only students with the best reputations and the best performance will command the best job offers.

2. Make Something Better - If students want a good job when they graduate, they cannot wait until the second semester of their senior year to get started.  In college, students have 2, 4 or 6 years to prove themselves.  Employers believe that it is plenty of time for students to demonstrate their capabilities.  If students choose to coast during the college years, it is likely that they will still be coasting (and waiting) after they graduate.

3. Accept Responsibility And Demonstrate Their Capabilities - Mature, highly respected students seek opportunities to demonstrate their capabilities and expect to be held accountable for their words, actions, performance and results.  They are reliable and can be counted on to get the tough things done on time and with a high degree of quality.

These students do not blame others when things go wrong and don’t make excuses for their own mistakes and failures.  Rather, they admit their mistakes, apologize for the problems they caused and set about making things right. 

4. Show Others They Deserve Respect - The most respected students do the right things, perform well, are quick to give credit to others and always express their appreciation to everyone who has helped.  They demonstrate good manners and resist the urge to overreact or behave as an immature child might in a stressful situation.  Respected students sometimes lead, but regularly support their friends and other students who are getting important things done.  Importantly, they keep their promises and can be trusted.

5. Build Relationships With High Performing and Influential People - For students to be successful, other people must want them to be successful.  True success seldom comes to people who are self-centered loners.  We all need and depend on others to help us.  Students build solid relationships when they put others first, build them up and look out for their best interests.  

It is important for students to realize that solid relationships can only be built slowly over time with consistent behavior, so people can determine if they can trust them.  Respect,  trust and likability form the foundation of solid relationships.