Angela Xiao (9) | STAFF REPORTER
Throughout our life, we obtain skills that help us in school, work, etc., and these skills can be separated into two categories: hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills are technical skills that are relevant in certain jobs, such as having the knowledge of accounting or languages. On the other hand, soft skills are usually related to personality, such as time management or leadership skills. However, the debate remains as to which of these skills are more important.
I strongly believe that hard skills will get you into good universities and technical jobs, but soft skills can get you far beyond. Unfortunately, in the modern day, people tend to prioritize hard skills. Students become great on paper and have an abundance of knowledge, but this can only get them so far. Soft skills such as teamwork, leadership, and most importantly, communication, are slowly forgotten when in fact, with these skills, your route in life opens up to countless possibilities. We do need a good combination of both because without one the other would be useless. However, in our daily lives, soft skills are certainly more important than hard skills.
Soft skills contain one of the most crucial skills of all time: communication. Communication is what bridges people together, with the power to create strong and important connections. Such networking not only introduces you to numerous people but also numerous opportunities as well. These connections are like tree roots: the more people you know, the deeper and thicker the roots become while endlessly intertwining with one another. Additionally, soft skills such as teamwork and critical thinking are difficult skills to gain, while hard skills can be acquired through enough training and education, which is why we mostly see the appearance of hard skills rather than soft skills. This makes soft skills more valuable and useful.
In contrast to my opinion, there is no doubt that hard skills also play a huge role in our lives. With these skills, we are able to navigate life with our knowledge and technical skills. While there is no doubt that we need both types of skills in life, we cannot ignore the fact that soft skills have a greater impact in comparison to hard skills.
