By Anjuli Niyogi and Amanda O’Dea

We learn a lot of different things in high school. There’s biology, chemistry, US History, even Calculus for those daring enough to take it. But there is one thing not lectured in school, one thing that may actually be the most important of all: professional skills.

In today’s world, communication is key. Whether you are interviewing for that internship, emailing a professor, collaborating with a classmate, or just plain old chatting with an adult on campus, understanding professional relations is key to success in any field. Work ethic and self-sufficiency are vital skills.

Mills students across campus gain these skills a variety of ways. Some students work internships over the summer, needing to communicate with members of the workplace constantly. High school interns are often given filing work (read: alphabetizing), copy work, and note-taking work. These sorts of tasks may seem tedious, but working in a real-live professional environment is an invaluable experience for teenagers.

Even food industry and retail jobs are important in sculpting a high-schooler’s professional skills. Needing to put on the uniform, showing up on time, understanding paychecks are all tasks that pay off in the long haul.

One of the most significant gains from professional experiences can be seen in communication skills. Strong communicators make eye contact, nod along with who they are speaking to, and have general respect for superiors. Unfortunately, there are students at Mills who haven’t developed near to any of these skills. They might stare at the floor when speaking to teachers, or even roll their eyes.

When speaking to teachers for instance, it’s professional to listen carefully to what they’re saying, make solid eye contact, and say “excuse me” and “thank you” when addressing them. It’s also beneficial to be aware of what you are saying to them and when. If your teacher looks busy, try not to hassle them about raising your grades or ask them what you missed one day when there will be another (better) opportunity to do so. It may not seem like at times, but these basic professional skills can take you a long way.

Just as in-person communication has its own etiquette, writing emails also has a vital role in determining the outcome of one’s interactions. I strongly advocate that an email-writing unit be added to freshman or sophomore year English curriculum, as it is a major aspect of being in both the workforce and academia. This specific style of writing in emails seems to be very confusing for high school students. Emails, my friends, are not to be confused with texts. All too often students have grown up avoiding emails, resulting in their lack of understanding the craft.

Teenagers today are stereotyped as poor communicators. We roll our eyes and stare at our phones. We don’t understand how to make eye contact or shake hands.

Let’s grow up a little and work to break this stereotype. Heck, we might even impress someone along the way.