My name is Cary J. Green, PhD, and I am the founder of Skills 4 Students, LLC. I am a pastor, author, and coach. I was a professor for 20 years before starting my own business.

But this career pathway almost didn’t happen.

I would have flunked out of school had I not learned the powerful truth that I am sharing with you here.

I graduated in the top 10% of my high school class, but I got a D in freshman chemistry in college, even though I worked very hard.

I started to doubt myself and my abilities. I thought I was not smart enough for college. I wanted to give up.

But with a little prompting from the Holy Spirit, I figured out that my chemistry grade was only the symptom, not the problem. 

The problem was that I didn’t have the skills I needed to succeed.

The skills I had developed in high school were not enough for college.

I believed I could improve my grades if I could develop my soft skills and academic success skills. 

So, I started honing my time management skills. I developed my problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

I learned how to take great notes and ramped up my test-prep and test-taking skills.

I took the freshman chemistry class again and earned an A. 

And instead of wanting to quit school, I gained the confidence I needed to move forward.

I took the next chemistry class and earned an A in that class as well.

I even earned an A in physical chemistry in grad school.

I don’t think my IQ increased, but I took the time to develop my skills, and my improved skills made me more successful in college.

Think of it this way: Succeeding in a class is kind of like learning to ride a bike.

We often crash a few times as we learn to ride. We may even think we will never learn to ride.

But the truth is not that we can't ride; the truth is that we have skimpy bike riding skills.

So, even though we have the ability to ride, we can't ride until we develop our riding skills.

And that was the problem with my freshman chemistry class; I had the ability to succeed in chemistry, but I didn’t have the skills to succeed in Chemistry.

Once I developed my soft skills and academic success skills, I got the A in chemistry I had the ability to get all along.

And despite nearly flunking out of college, I eventually earned a PhD and landed a great job as a professor.

I did not know it at the time, but my struggles in chemistry would eventually lead me to create a concept that I now call Soft Skills Synergy.

So, what is Soft Skills Synergy?

Soft Skills Synergy is the simple but powerful strategy of developing, documenting, and demonstrating leadership skills, soft skills, and academic success skills. 

Think of Soft Skills Synergy like this: Skills in time management, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem-solving are soft skills. 

These skills work together synergistically with leadership skills and academic success skills to empower your teen to excel in high school immediately and to prepare for future college and career success.

So, Soft Skills Synergy makes sense…wouldn’t you agree?

As I began teaching college students, I saw many of them struggle in my classes, just like I had struggled in freshman chemistry.

I knew many of my students could improve their grades, just like I had done.

So, in addition to teaching my course content, I integrated Soft Skills Synergy into my teaching and advising activities by intentionally helping students develop their leadership skills, soft skills, and academic success skills.

By helping students develop their skills, I was able to help countless students improve their grades and strengthen their resumes. 

And I was recognized with several teaching and mentoring awards for my positive impact on students.

So, thanks to what I learned about Soft Skills Synergy as a student and professor, I created some resources to help parents just like you empower their teens to get the grades they are capable of getting in high school and prepare for college and career success.

Please explore the products, services, and free resources available on my website, and contact me if you have any questions or comments.

Thank you for visiting Skills4Students.com.

Cary J. Green, PhD

Founder