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At the beginning of every academic journey, while education seemed like the stepping stone toward helping one achieve their dream, it is ok to feel discouraged sometimes but equally important is the desire and zeal to keep going strong until you can meet your end goal. Abiding by one’s study objectives is a tough decision to make and even tougher to abide by. At the end of the day, everything will work out if you remain focused on the end objective. Here are some tips to help you stay focused on your study objectives and inspire you to complete your studies. Imagine It Each time you feel discouraged about things not going your way, try to stay motivated through visualization. People say, if you can learn to imagine it, you can achieve it. So, in such cases, you can close your eyes and see yourself graduating from the University in the time assigned as per your completion schedule. You can imagine your names being called among the graduates and seeing yourself walk down the convocation arena a victor. Plan your day as per your schedule Many times, students may decide to study but their strengths may decide to do differently. It’s important to be the master of your time and plan your day as per your schedule and not by your strengths. Give studies your priority in terms of timing and whatever time was left, can be allocated to other extra-curricular activities, such as the students club, and volunteering activities, among other campus Programmemes. Let your vision be the one thing that kept you going The one thing that should keep you going should be your vision and your goals, what you aimed to achieve within the next four years of your study period at the University. When you get up in the middle of the night to study, say to yourself, that you are making this sacrifice for the greater good. Needless to say, this move has guided many people to manage their studies well. Though some people may submit their assignments at the last minute, what should matter is that they are able to meet all submission deadlines.

There are many undergraduate students who still find themselves with more free time than usual, while others have maximized their time to advance their career goals by learning skills that will boost their undergraduate potential. Career goals are a well-defined statement explaining the profession that an individual intends to pursue throughout their career after graduating from the University. It is important for every student, employee or job seeker to define their career goals clearly. It helps them to come up with effective action plans for a successful professional career. While the university may have challenged students in a number of rewarding ways, from broadening their experience with unfamiliar classes to expanding their thought process intellectually, this period should not be a time to relax and wait for time to pass by. It is important to develop the skills needed to have a productive work life, as there is never a bad time to learn something new and gain a significant advantage ahead of your peers. Here are some skills to help you boost your employability and get started. Video production/Graphics design/Creative Content Video production/Graphics design is becoming an increasingly popular medium for all things related to business. Customers love watching videos, as well as having beautiful flyers for their marketing purpose, so being able to produce high-quality content is a valuable skill. Coding If you are keen in IT skills, Coding and Programmeming are tools that are becoming increasingly relevant and important. Studying in this field can give you a greater understanding of how the technology works. It also gives you the chance to work on all kinds of projects, whether for personal or professional advancement. Analytical reasoning Emerging fields such as web analytics and big data are growing at a rapid pace. Data is now one of the most valuable commodities for businesses and companies across the globe as well as for decision making. As such, individuals who can analyse data and give insights to its meaning will find they’re in high demand. Artificial intelligence Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming a reality. Robots and AI can supplement and augment the way we work and live our lives. Those with an understanding of machine learning, big data, and other associated topics will find plenty of opportunities in the future. UX design User experience design is a field that focuses on how users interact with a product or service. Whether focused on apps, websites, or machines, UX design relates to the ease of use for the user. It takes into account aspects of design, market research, psychology, technology, business amongst others. Affiliate marketing Social media and influencers are starting to replace traditional advertising. Whether it’s social selling, leveraging industry experts, or promoting other companies’ products, affiliate marketing is one of the hot new skills that businesses are on the lookout for. Business analysis Business analysts are the problem-solvers of modern organizations. As companies generate more and more data, there is a need for people who can identify the business needs that arise from such data. If you’re wondering what to learn during the lockdown, taking a course in a field such as big data analytics could be seriously beneficial.

It is hoped that the study habits students developed at the University would allow them to strive in a fast-paced work environment. But doing well in school and life so much depends on the ability to learn quickly and combining not only their academic work but taking advantage of their learning environment as a viable option for networking opportunities that may result in a successful lifestyle.  There are many questions and talks about who should be successful and why, how many students can start the undergraduate journey and would endeavor to learn the necessary skills before graduation, and how many students will do well in school and translate such learning and development to solve real-life challenges? Earlier in 2019, we talked about the success over failure mentality for University undergraduates and the benefits for people who can hold on and learn the secrets of success. See extracts below Success, in any field, is impossible without commitment. For example, having a first-class University degree takes hard work. If you can conceive of a life without commitments, then you are going nowhere fast. John Maxwell, in his book, “21 Indispensable qualities of a leader”, linked success to character building, where he said, that character has to do with inner qualities, that is, what a person is made of. It inspires confidence in others and how you deal with the circumstances of life tells many things about who you are –Successful or a failure. Just as success is associated with commitment, failure, on the other hand, is associated with fear. Failure is a self-limitation that some people impose on themselves. It is an illusion that you are incapable of achieving a goal that you have strived to achieve. To choose success over failure will therefore demand that you examine yourselves of the commitment you put into your work, school, courses, or clubs. Fear is one of those things we’ve all experienced at some point. In times of physical danger, fear can save our lives. However, there are times when fear isn’t real, but something we create ourselves. The mind is powerful and what we tell ourselves may influence our actions and reactions. The only people who never win are the ones who quit and the ones who never try. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time or tell yourself, “I CAN DO IT BETTER”.

Skyline University Nigeria’s Library in collaboration with Skyline University College, UAE has organized an International Webinar with the theme “Research Indicators, Publishing Ethics, Predatory Journals & Academic Research Services in the Higher Education Sector”. The webinar which took place on April 6, 2022 targets Teaching Faculties, Researchers, Librarians, and Students across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. The International Webinar is part of the mandate of Skyline University Nigeria to improve digital library opportunities and awareness on the global platform, increase consumer education around information and resources as well as develop community partnerships. The Webinar was hosted via the Zoom platform and featured facilitators, such as Mr. Raja Visvanathan a Computer Scientist at INFLIBNET Gandhinagar, Gujarat, Govt of India, and Dr. J. Arumugam, Librarian of the PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The guest speakers at the virtual webinar acknowledged that some of the measurement of the quality of education for any institution is dependent on the quantity and quality of research publication of such institution/individual, the number and value of grants awarded, as well as the number of awards (e.g. Nobel Prizes). Mr. Raja, the first keynote speaker, made his presentation on the title ‘Academic and Research Services in Higher Education, while Dr. J. Arumugam made his presentation on the topic ‘Research Indicators, Publishing Ethics & Predatory Journals’. Earlier, while giving his opening remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of Skyline University College, Professor Mohammed Inairat, welcomed participants to the webinar. He stated that the second international library webinar was organized to share knowledge and experiences with colleagues from different parts of the world, cultures, and educational backgrounds in order to enrich knowledge and come out with rich experiences. He added that research is an important pillar of any higher education, without which, higher education institutions can not move forward. The Vice-Chancellor of SUN, Dr. Ajith Kumar V.V expressed his happiness for the successful conduct of the webinar. He stated that there is a high need for upskilling of faculty so that they can use some of the latest technologies to develop. “We should focus on doing local and collaborative research because real research comes when you do something which impacts the local community” He suggested. The event had in attendance, over 200 participants cutting across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, including some high-profile dignitaries from both Government and Private sectors as well as Universities.

The first year on campus for any undergraduate presents lots of new experiences: living off from home, meeting new people, and managing your own time. Moreso, there is the decision of what to bring to school, how to handle challenging circumstances that the University presents, and what you’ll be able to do to manage your academic workload. While these experiences may differ based on individual students, let us look at how the students’ organization can make a difference. There is a students organization on most university campuses. Although traditionally divided into clubs and students’ Programmemes, some students’ organizations are co-ed. In other words, they are an organization of intellectuals with supported common goals or interests. The students’ organization is therefore a way of belonging and a built-in social network of people who are members with common academic/career goals. A lot of university students take a component from not only the students’ organization but the clubs as well as the campus life to make a difference in their University, especially in terms of networking, building friendships, as well as team-building, and leadership skills. Apart from this, there is the place of building soft skills. But, there are countless undergraduate who also chooses to not join any students organizations or clubs, widely because of a matter of non-public preference. For students who have an interest in students organizations, it’s important to determine what percentage of students participate at your university, and research the organizations’ availability, functions, importance, and benefits to its members. Then, consider some things about yourself, like whether you consider yourself a social person, and if you’ll be able to handle the time commitment. At Skyline University Nigeria, the students’ organization is a student-based intellectual and career-enhancing activity that allowed students to be trained in various activities. The organization is managed by the Students service department (SSD) and houses many students clubs such as the Toastmaster, Music & Theatre as well as Arts & Photography, IT Hub, Media & Communication, etc. Let us hear from you, what is the students’ organization on your University’s Campus?