If you go to SDSU, you might have heard of the Leadership Certificate. Offered through the office of Student Life and Leadership, the SDSU Leadership Certificate is a great way to gain leadership skills and set yourself apart. Below, I’ll go over what it is, what to expect, my experience, and why you should consider doing it.
What Is the SDSU Leadership Certificate?
The SDSU Leadership Certificate page is here, housed in SDSU’s Student Life and Leadership website. Essentially, the certificate focuses on six categories. Leadership Learning has you attend workshops to learn about leadership theory. Experiential Leadership has you get involved with various campus retreats and committees to get hands on experience. Leadership Service has you volunteer within the larger San Diego community. Leadership Role has you take on a leadership role on campus. Leadership and Mentoring matches you with a mentor in the Aztec Mentor Program. Critical Thinking/Reflection Capstone has you write a paper or do a reflective video according to the program’s criteria.
It sounds like a lot, but it’s a lot simpler than it sounds. And, as I explain below, it probably won’t take as much time as you think it will.
How Much Effort Is It?
Realistically, if you are already involved on campus or in the community, this will not be much more work. They give a time frame of 18-24 month completion. I did it in a school year without ever stressing about it. Most of the people who were in the program with me were familiar faces, and I saw them involved in other campus events. I believe it was very similar for them. Below, I’ve mapped out what I did to complete the requirements.
What it looked like for me
To give you a clearer perspective, I will break down how it was for me. I’ve included all of the components and how I met the requirements. I’ve also added the requirements and an approximation of how much time it actually took me.
Leadership Learning
For this requirement, I did the five required workshops and two additional workshops. This was honestly my favorite part of the SDSU Leadership Certificate. In these workshops, we learned about everything from leadership theory to conflict resolution to etiquette. While these were already things I was interested in (hence the International Security and Conflict Resolution major), I felt that I learned a lot. They definitely make your time worth it! Additionally, if you are part of a student organization, you likely have to do SOCIA training anyway. SOCIA (Student Organization Conflict and Identity Awareness) training counted for one of the two extra workshops. I believe they have renamed this to ILAT, but the same point stands. Again, one stone, two birds.
Requirements: attend five required, specific workshops and two self-selected ones
My time commitment: The workshops through Student Life and Leadership (including the mandatory ones) were all about 50 minutes to an hour. Because I attended SOCIA training, it took a little bit longer. If I remember correctly, those trainings were around three hours per session, but I had to do them anyway. If I had just done sessions through SLL, it would have taken a total of seven hours.
Experiential Leadership
For this requirement, I participated in the Aztec CORE Leadership Retreat and another activity that was preapproved by the Leadership Certificate Advisor. The SDSU Leadership Certificate team is fantastic and they work with you to make it possible! I completed this requirement during the pandemic, so it was virtual. Now, the in-person Aztec CORE Leadership Retreat is a free three day retreat to the mountains where you do team building exercises and learn more about leadership. It’s a great way to get to know people, especially people with similar interests. However, it will take up the most time out of all the leadership certificate requirements.
Requirements: participate in two experiential leadership events–Leadership Summit, Aztec CORE Leadership Retreat or a Greek life leadership program, serve on the committees of specific campus events, etc.
My time commitment: I got lucky with this one. The Aztec CORE Leadership Retreat was virtual, but it still took up three full days over Winter Break. The other experiential program that I did was a student showcase, and that only took p about 2-3 hours. I would budget for more time here in most cases.
Leadership Service
For this requirement, I counted some of my extra pre-teaching hours where I volunteered in a classroom, and I also counted time that I spent volunteering for Sharp. Once more, these were things that I was already doing. The guidelines here essentially say that you can’t be paid, it has to be off-campus, and it someone has to be able to sign for you. If you’re like I am, you probably did other volunteer activities throughout the years (i.e., volunteering at kids’ summer camps, events, etc.) and will get these hours easily.
Requirements: 10 hours of off-campus community service, provide log with supervisor contacts
My time commitment: I did more than 10 hours of volunteering throughout college, but I only counted the two roles I listed above. With submitting the log and everything, the total time commitment was probably about 10.5 hours.
Leadership Role
For this requirement, I used my on campus position teaching a college skills class to freshmen. However, I also could have used my position as an officer in one of the two campus clubs I was involved in OR my role as a mentor for my Honors College. As you can see, there are many ways to make what you already do work for you.
Requirements: 20 hours of leadership in an on campus role, letter of verification from supervisor, statement of goals for role
My time commitment: I was already working around 10 hours a week in this role, so it was super easy to complete the requirement. If I had done my mentorship program (thirty minutes to an hour per week with each student) or one of my clubs (one hour of meetings, plus officer meetings every now and then), it probably would have been easily completed in a semester. The “goals email” and tracking down a supervisor to send the letter probably took an additional 30 minutes to an hour.
Leadership and Mentoring
For this requirement, I participated in the Aztec Mentor Program. I briefly discuss this in my article here about college career hunting resources. Essentially, this program pairs you with an SDSU alumnus, preferably in your field, and you meet with them over a semester. They give you advice on post-graduate life, career searches, networking, resumes…pretty much anything you can think of. This is a great way to build your network and get ahead of the game, and I was happy with my experience.
Requirements: apply through site here, open to juniors/seniors/grad students, meet for about two hours a month/8 hours a semester
My time commitment: About one hour to make the account and search for a mentor, then my mentor and I met most weeks for an hour over Zoom.
Critical Thinking/Reflection Capstone
For this requirement, I wrote a reflection paper on my experiences. Once you’ve submitted everything else, the SDSU Leadership Certificate team emails you an outline/rubric for the final paper/video/portfolio. I won’t lie–this was my least favorite component. However, it wasn’t too difficult. Basically, you summarize how you applied the leadership theories you learned and how you grew from it. I completed this pretty quickly, but I didn’t enjoy it.
Requirements: write a reflection paper/produce a reflection video/submit a reflection portfolio
My time commitment: I don’t have an exact number here, but I did it within two weeks, and I did it in the middle of the semester. It didn’t take too much time out of my day. It was also pretty easy because they set you up well for it.
Why Should I Consider the SDSU Leadership Certificate?
- Do you want to make friends on campus and get more involved? This will allow you to interact with others in a variety of settings (retreats, student government, clubs, workshops, etc.) and give you the motivation to get out there.
- Are you interested in leadership? This will (obviously) allow you to learn more in a well rounded way and get experience–all while being supported.
- Do you want to improve your soft skills and networking? This will naturally go hand-in-hand with these two important aspects of finding a career and excelling in it.
- Could you use another point on your resume? This will easily provide you with an achievement for your resume AND something to talk about during interviews.
- Do you want to learn more about leadership theory without taking up a leadership minor? Whether you don’t have room, don’t want to commit, or want a more relaxed way to learn, this is a great alternative.
- Do you want community connection? Through the Aztec Mentor Program and volunteering off campus, you’ll be able to meet others and feel more connected to the San Diego community.
- Are you into self-improvement? If you’re like me, you probably want to take advantage of everything that your university years have to offer. This is a fantastic way to grow your potential.
Is It Worth It?
While this question is naturally subjective, I found it to be very worth it. This was a great bullet point on my resume, and my experiences within the program–both theory/workshop-wise and experience-wise–gave me excellent talking points for interviews. As a teacher and young professional, I did feel that this helped me to develop my leadership skills. It was great encouragement to build my resume through various activities, and it also introduced me to some great people. I felt very involved in campus, and I enjoyed being surrounded by others who valued the same things. All of the subject matter was interesting. The SDSU Leadership Certificate team was fantastic, and it provided a really nice bridge between SDSU graduate students and undergraduates.
For me, this entire program just felt very useful, and I felt that it was centered on preparing us well for careers and whatever came next. Especially for those people who don’t know what comes next, this is a great opportunity because it allows you to explore through workshops, volunteering, retreats, and networking. It also gives you a great resume point that is flexible for whichever career avenue you decide to go down. Additionally, the extra cord and certificate upon graduation are nice.
Overall, I would do this program again in a heartbeat. It was one of my favorite activities at SDSU, and I took a lot away from it. If you’re even debating it, I definitely suggest that you give it a shot.
A Final Word
During college, it can be easy to take too much on. Finding a balance can be difficult, and it makes sense to be hesitant about adding a new thing. However, I would highly recommend the Leadership Certificate, as it truly improves you in every aspect. Have you tried it? Let me know in the comments!
