Four Ways to Make The Most Out of a Joint Education

First, a primer on what a joint program is, if you don't know. It's a unique sort of post-secondary program that allows you to participate in both college and university education, by taking a Bachelor's Degree Program that involves classes at both schools. You'll get the theory from university, and the practical from college. Schools like Centennial College offer these programs in association with universities like Ryerson and the University of Toronto for programs including Journalism, New Media, and Paramedicine. The benefits of this unique combined experience should be obvious, and if you've decided to take this educational path, here's a few tips on getting the most out of this special kind of education.

1. Don't just interact with students in your program
   One massive advantage of a joint program is that you'll spend time at two different university campuses. You won't be alone on this journey, as there will be a group of fellow students also participating in this joint education with you. But you'll have time to get to know them, so you don't need to rush it. A student looking to advance their career would do well to get to know as many people at these two campuses as they can, as you never know what connection will advance your career, and you're getting the chance to build a double-sized professional network.
   
2. Make sure to participate in student life on both campuses.
   Another advantage of two campuses: The student life. Try joining some clubs and going to events at both schools, especially because the culture of college and university will inevitably be interestingly different. Experiences shape the person, and as a student in a joint program, you're positioned to have a broader variety of experiences.
   
3. Stay in touch when you switch schools
   Around the halfway point in your education, you'll make the move from one school to the other. That social networking you did will fall by the wayside if you don't maintain it, so be sure to stay in touch with the friends you made at one school. Visiting the campus sometimes isn't a bad idea, either, especially when the set-up tends to place the two schools close to each other, like with Centennial College and the University of Toronto.
   
4. Think about your career as soon as you begin the second half
   In other words, start looking for work before you graduate, as it's going to take time. Even if you don't literally begin handing out resumes as soon as you enter the second leg of the joint program, never lose sight of your ultimate goal in taking it: To give you the kind of specialized educational background that makes you irresistible to employers. To that end, as soon as you move from one school to another, you need to consider how this career will be shaped. Fortunately, a practical college education can be the perfect bridge between school and work, and with your professional network behind you, you have a strong platform to start your job hunt with.

Why You Need to Step Outside the Lecture Hall

If you're currently attending or thinking of attending a post-secondary institution, take a moment to consider why, and what you're there to do. While education for the sake of personal enlightenment is a noble enough goal, you're going to need a job when everything is said and done, which means you'll need to pick up some practical skills while in school. While our popular conception of both college and university is that of a student in a lecture hall, listening to a professor, there's more to the post-secondary world than that, and there has to be if a student wants to get a leg up in the job market post-school. At the moment, a few Ontario institutions, including Centennial College, offer what's known as joint programs, where a student can take an Undergraduate Degree Program at a university, then move to a college to get that outside-the-hall education. The advantages to getting more than just lectures are numerous.

You'll learn practical skills by doing
As mentioned above, lectures have their use in the educational cycle: They inform a student of the theory of a career. However, if you want to actually know how to do a job, there's no better way to learn it than by practicing it. At a good college like Centennial, if you're in media, you'll get a chance to create some, if you're in health, you'll work on a simulated hospital floor, and if you're in transportation, you'll actually get to work on whatever vehicle you specialize in. Those skills are what you'll take with you, rather than your lectures, because you won't use your lecture notes when school is done. If you think you'll refer to them later, trust me, you won't. I never did. Spend your time picking up skills, building a portfolio, and constructing a network of contacts, and you'll be far more successful.

Employers value applicants who have worked at their job already.
To be blunt, the subject of your GPA will never come up in a job interview, and your grades cease being important the moment school ends. Instead, what you know how to do will be the subject of the interview, and what will connect you to a career. You know how so many of the jobs you apply for require a certain amount of years of experience? Well, lecture time can't count for that experience, but on-your-feet job training can, particularly if you're involved in a project like a school newspaper or applied research. Being able to say "I've made media," or "I've worked on an engineering project" will put you ahead of those that simply say "I learned about it," doubly so if you have a portfolio of completed work you can show off.

While lectures are important, they're merely the first step in your journey to a career, the theoretical foundation before you learn the real skills. Don't get too hung up on them, as what comes after will be more instrumental in defining the rest of your life.