What's Your Competitve Advantage?

I remember first starting here at Bay State College. I didn't know anyone and I was just hoping to make it through the first semester in one piece. I never spared a passing thought for any of the student organizations because I didn't really think they were for me until I was convinced to give DECA a try. DECA is the longest running student organization on campus, the business organization, but far more than what you'd expect. Joining DECA I was really uncertain if that was really a place that I wanted to be. I expected something completely different than what I was faced with.

You get to meet all sorts of people that you may not have had the opportunity to meet before. Because DECA isn't just for business students. DECA is for everyone because everyone needs the basic business skills to be successful. It was open, inviting and drives you to do your best; not only for yourself, but to prove that you can stand out. Because that's what is so good about DECA.

It makes you better.

Not just as a person, but it really connects the things you learn from the class into real life situations. We compete among each other and with other students all around the world in our competitions. We build creativity by developing new ideas for fundraising around campus and executing them all on our own. DECA allows you to experiment and try out different areas that you may never known you had a knack for like marketing or finance! And with no penalty. Everything in DECA is fair game and it's truly give and take. You put in the amount that you want and you can get back that same amount.

When I first started, as some of my professors love to joke about, I barely felt comfortable speaking in public. Group projects made my skin crawl and getting me to do a presentation was like pulling teeth. Since joining DECA, I've been speaking at Open Houses, doing better in my classes and group projects aren't even as bad. I run meetings for DECA now and I'm apart of the council for the chapter.

All within two years.

And that makes the resume shine. It helps you stand out. It helps me stand out. Because DECA is not your average organization. It's a community that helps you improve your weak points, polish your strengths and have some fun along the way. Free pizza at meetings never hurt either.

I can honestly say that while not quite as expected, DECA has made college, finding work and overall helping me feel that competitive edge a better experience.