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At the beginning of this new term I want to make a rather startling point: your phone, without which you feel so lost and cut off, can actually be a roadblock to your dream career. “What???!” you say. Well, let’s unpick it.
In the time of AI, your degree is no longer a sure-fire ticket to a job. You have to distinguish yourself as an individual, as a human being.
(First, about AI: by the time you enter the workplace, it will be an integral part of every office and every job, so you need to be able to use it. Don’t see it as a threat, see it as a new tool, like a computer. Start using it now. Get to know it. Experiment to figure out exactly what it can do and where it can go wrong. We will keep talking about that in these newsletters, with the emphasis always on how to use it to learn more, not less.)
But apart from technical savvy, there is another “hidden curriculum” you won’t find in textbooks, which can determine not only whether you get the job, but also what happens afterward when it comes to promotion and salary increases. That hidden curriculum centres on emotional intelligence and interpersonal dynamics.
Today’s employers aren’t just looking for “workers”; they are looking for people who can handle people. They need someone who can manage a difficult client, mediate a team conflict, or persuade a board of directors with empathy and charisma.
All of that may sound daunting. You may think, “Well, that counts me out. I’m just not that person.” No, think again. These aren’t “talents” you’re born with; they are muscles you can build. But just as your physical muscles will atrophy if you only sit on the couch, these muscles atrophy if they are not used. And right now, many of you are letting those muscles atrophy without even knowing about it.
The equivalent of sitting on the couch is staring at your phone.
We’ve all seen it—and we’ve all done it. You’re at a campus get-together, a student society meeting, or even just hanging out with friends. There’s a lull in the conversation, or perhaps you feel a little uncomfortable and tense, because you don’t know the person standing next to you.
Your instinct is to reach into your pocket, pull out your phone, and vanish into a scroll.
In that moment, you feel safe. You look “busy.” But in reality, you are failing a lab session in human relations. Every time you withdraw into your digital bubble to avoid a moment of feeling uncomfortable, you are opting out of the very training that will make you valuable in the workplace.
When you sit in a meeting three years from now and the energy gets tense, you won’t be able to pull out your phone to escape. If you haven’t practised staying present during the “awkward” moments of university life, you will lack the emotional stamina and skill to lead when it matters.
Think of university not just as a place to gain knowledge, but as a training ground for emotional and social skill. Every interaction is a “rep” in the gym of emotional intelligence:
- The Group Project: This isn’t just about the grade. It’s a simulation of a workplace team. Practise active listening. Learn how to give feedback that doesn’t bruise egos and how to receive criticism without getting defensive.
- The Party: Don’t just hang out with the three people you already know. Practise the “art of the approach.” Mastering the ability to start a conversation with a stranger is a superpower in sales, networking, and leadership.
- The Dining Hall/Coffee Shop: Put the phone away. Observe body language. Practise making eye contact and holding a presence. These are the micro-skills that build situational awareness—the ability to read the unspoken “vibe” of a room.
This week, I want to challenge you to lean into the discomfort. If you find yourself standing alone at an event, resist the urge to check your phone. Stand there. Be bored. Be accessible. Someone else is likely feeling just as awkward as you; be the person who breaks the ice.
Your student community is the beginning of the network that you will take into your professional life. One day, someone you meet now will open a door or make a connection which can make all the difference. Build that network. Now. Start by putting away your phone.
The workplace of the future will be defined by connectivity—not the 5G kind, but the human kind. Students who spend their four years staring at their laps will find themselves technically proficient but professionally stuck. Students who look up, engage, and embrace the messy, unscripted world of human interaction will be the ones who lead the teams of the future.
Put the phone down. Your future self will thank you.
Happy studying
From the Grad team
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