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In today’s scenario it is highly important not to stop your studies with the secondary education level. Higher education institutes, apart from colleges and universities include professional fields such as music, business, medicine, theology, law and art.

Most of the young people attend college to learn various things including how to think in a critical manner, to gain deeper insights on various fields such as mathematics, science, art, literature and history, to be exposed to various schools of thoughts in philosophies, to learn how to manage in areas such as love, budget, food and laundry, to gain friends for life, to absolutely enjoy learning and much more. While all this is very important, there is another reason that surpasses them which is to equip them to face the real world in an effective manner.

While theories and more theories can instil a certain sense of responsibility and ability in students, it is only the practical knowledge that is taught to them at the higher education that can take them through life. There is a completely different set of skills students are expected to be adept at in order to succeed in the American corporate world.

Previously employers believed in taking fresh graduates from colleges and train them for the job they are hired for. Fresh employees were trained in various aspects including the way of working of the business world, effectively managing company resources, managing time and dressing appropriately for client meetings.
 
Fresh employees were treated as apprentices and were groomed with precision as they were considered to be an investment for the company. Employees thus trained were loyal to the company for years. All this is in the distant past. Today the scenario is totally different. Many jobs that were offered on a platter to fresh graduates such as call centre and customer service jobs are now outsourced.

A huge amount of risk is faced by corporate America today. None of the companies have the patience, time and money to train fresh graduates. Even if they do, no one wants to take the risk of hiring a fresh graduate. Finances have low and expectations are high during these tough economic times.

Universities and colleges are faced with a situation where they have to necessarily equip their students, who will shortly be on the lookout for a real world job with real world skills. A lot of universities today including the High Point University in North Carolina offer courses in liberal arts in several fields such as music, astronomy, geometry, quadrivium of arithmetic, rhetoric, logic and trivium of grammar.

At least 3000 students spanning many universities are engaged in bridging the gap between university life and real life. A useful and informative course known as LifeSkills is made mandatory before the student graduates.

Students are taught various skills designed specifically to help them succeed in their personal, professional as well as academic lives. These skills include methods of gaining self esteem, etiquette and effective time management.