Teaching students to create success in college and life are some of the goals of the “Strategies for Creating Success in College and in Life” workshop in the Career Center.

Ken Gaines, academic counselor, developed the workshop so students could accomplish more in life.

“I developed this workshop because I often see two students that have some courses they have completed,” Gaines said. “They have a similar anticipation of what they want from school, but one student is very successful and the other isn’t.”

Two workshops will take place this semester, one on Monday from 10:30 to noon and the other on Wednesday, Dec. 8, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Both workshops will take place at the Student Service Center in Room 106. Interested students may sign up by calling (310) 660-6137.

The workshops aim to detect what keeps some students from being as successful as others in different aspects of their lives. From school to work or relationships, the workshops teach students how to make intelligent choices. After problems are detected, strategies are developed to help students overcome their troubles.

“For me and the counseling department, that’s something to look at and try to understand why students aren’t being successful,” he said. “We try to develop programs to help students gain skills to deal with that situation.”

The Student Service Center also offers several resources for students who are undecided with what they want to major in or who have a hard time deciding what classes to take.

“Some students don’t have a clue and don’t know where to go and don’t know how to use our services to get a better understanding,” Gaines said.

As important as helping students is for Gaines, however, he said it is ultimately up to the students to be responsible enough to take the steps necessary to be successful.

“Students need to learn how to use their talents and gifts to pick a major or a career,” he said.

Among the areas most commonly in need of improvement are personal responsibility, mutually supportive relationships and actively creating a positive experience in life.

“Students need to learn personal responsibility for creating the quality they want for their lives,” Gaines said. “Students also need to discover a motivating purpose in life.”