1. Networking Opportunities

A major benefit of joining a club or a student organization is the valuable connections that you make with other students. Whether you are joining the tea drinking club, a student organization like AIESEC or a student association like BPK, you are networking with individuals who could provide you with job opportunities in the near future. Finding a job after graduation can be a difficult task, however through being involved, the potential to draw on your personal network will increase significantly through being part of a club or student union or organization. After all, approximately 80% of jobs today come from utilizing your personal network, so utilize your network!! Although not all faculties may have clubs associated with their field of study, joining a student union like CMNSU for Communication students or joining the Chemistry Student Society for Chemistry students are excellent alternatives. Networking with students within the same field of study is a bonus, because the people who are volunteering their spare time for a club are usually the same people who will be successful once they graduate. Why not build strong relationships now to help yourself once you are in the workplace?

2. Gain Practical Experience in a Supportive Environment

While taking on a summer internship or a co-op work term is always encouraged, another alternative for gaining valuable experience in your field is joining a club, your own student union or association. Clubs and Student Associations can provide students with valuable transferrable skills that can be applied to any career post-graduation. Whether it be skills in project management, leadership, event planning, fund-raising or networking, you are able to learn these skills in a safe environment where you able to make mistakes. In many cases in order to land a co-op work term, involvement in a club or student union often gives students the edge.  

3. Become Closer to Your School While Getting a Break from Your Studies

Let’s face it; SFU is a commuter campus, where a majority of a student’s degree is spent going from home to school without engaging with other students or feeling part of the university.  An advantage of being part of a student club or organization is feeling closer to the school, while building valuable relationships to support you in your university career. While studying at university is essential in achieving good grades, it is equally important to give yourself a break from your studies. Joining a student club or organization, enables you to socialize with like-minded students like yourself, while giving you a well needed social break. In addition, partaking in hobbies or interests outside your field gives off the impression of being a well-rounded individual to an employer when you are looking for a job.

Make sure to check out Club’s Days this month, held in the second to third week of term!