The points you bring up highlight some <i>very</i> important responsibilities for college and university faculty. You have a number of valid complaints about your experience in higher education, but I'm going to zero in on the role of faculty as mentors as your primary need. I had the same problem when I was an undergrad; research-oriented faculty at my large university were never given a formal role as mentors. It certainly would have been very easy to slip through the system without having ever gotten a single word of sound career advice.

However, I did find several mentors in college who were very important to me. I found them outside of the classroom. In your letter, you seem to have an expectation that your course instructors are going to set aside lecture time in order to take on the role of mentoring you in life, careers, and everything during class. It doesn't always work that way (although some profs do stuff like this, which is cool). Mentoring is really something much more personal than what can be accomplished in the classroom. Part of the challenge of being a student at a large, impersonal university is that you have to seek out your own mentor(s). It is often the case that no-one will force you to form a one-on-one mentoring relationship with a faculty member. You have to take charge of your own educational experience. You'll find that most faculty will be very happy to sit down and talk with you on a regular basis about life, the universe, and everything, if you are willing to do some work on your end too. (1) Go to their office, (2) bring questions, even if they're questions about what kinds of questions you should be asking, (3) schedule follow-up meetings to have time to really delve into topics in-depth, (4) DO AN INDEPENDENT PROJECT with a faculty member who's research you're interested in.

No one will force you to do this kind of stuff. No one can force you to learn anything in college. You have to take the initiative and take responsibility for your own learning. And faculty will be very helpful and receptive to this, it's their job! But, your mentors don't have to be professors. Do an internship, and don't just clock-in and clock-out to get the experience bullet point on your resume. Talk to people at your internship site. Schedule meetings with people who have jobs you think you might enjoy doing one day, and ask them how to get there. Don't be shy, people LOVE IT when you ask them to talk about themselves and to share with you their wisdom.

posted January 14, 2009

Jason -
I think you're "barking up the wrong tree." To expect academics to prepare you for a world of commerce and entrepreneurship, in which many of them have never participated, seems a bit off the mark. Add to that the fact that changes in many fields are occurring so rapidly that even people actively engaged in the field are having trouble keeping up: if a professor has real-world experience more than a few years old, it's past its sell-by date.

IMO, what we should be expecting of professors (and high school teachers as well) is that they teach methods of inquiry and critical thought which will allow self-responsible students to find and sort out information they need.

posted January 14, 2009

It really just depends on what you are going to school for and what your end goals are. I believe that they should require at least 2 classes before you can graduate, one on resume writting & interview skills, the other on how to LOOK for a job and remain competitive in the workplace... you just dont learn that in school at this time, and those are the two most powerful things that a recent college grad with limited work experience need!!

posted January 14, 2009

I agree whole heartedly with Ray (Mr. Gulick). I think that high school needs to teach us how to use all the tools (math, language, etc) and undergrad must teach us to think critically about the world around us and for the field with which we endeavor. The graduate levels are more for specializing.

I have attended a couple different types of schools, trade versus the more traditional university and even though both offered career courses I found the trade schools were much further ahead in this area as well as it was mandatory. The more traditional university's are starting to catch on, but they are big bureaucracies that were set up to prepare academics, not workers.

Just my two cents...
John

posted January 14, 2009

Jason,
don't just blame it on the profs, there is also an element of missed education through our parents, who where much too busy building their careers (and in my case also rebuilding the country Germany) to provide us what we need.

We will have twins this April and I am planning to be the best ever father!

Best wishes for 2009,
Martin

posted January 14, 2009

Professors are good people to CONNECT you to people to mentor you. I never took on a professor as a mentor (unless they were currently working). What you, as a student, should be insisting upon is learning critical thinking and question-asking skills. Learning how to build an arguement. Learning what has worked, and most importantly, NOT worked before. And, most importantly, standing out as the most creative, intuitive, hard-working student there is.

Don't go to college to get a job. Go to college to learn. My cousin makes $350,000 a year and didn't graduate high school. I make... well not that much... and I have a master's degree.

posted January 14, 2009

Jason, I believe the best economic solution to the problem you discuss is a return to the apprenticeship system.

Instead of parents laying out $200,000+ on a university degree for their kids, they will instead 1) find out what the kid wants to do 2) research who the industry gurus are in that field and 3) bid out for an apprenticeship slot with the mentors they've targeted at the price they feel the apprenticeship is worth under that mentorship. The apprenticeship fee would be paid monthly. Either party can sever the agreement.

I believe a system like this would have the following positive effects:

1) Entry-level jobs would go away. Instead, companies with large numbers of mentors would find they receive the entry-level help for free, and with little or no liability because the apprentice is not an employee. This would free up employment budgets to fund more employees at a higher experience level at those companies where mentors work. This would encourage companies to foster mentorship...instead of just paying lip-service to it.

2) "Students" could decide to change mentors, change industries, etc., with no loss of credits towards a degree they might find useless anyway.:)

3) Mentors would have a vested interest in helping apprentices achieve success because the price they command would be based on their track records of turning out professional successes. ( Essentially, MLMs operate under this economic paradigm.)

As things stand now, I don't think companies demand degrees because they believe the education an applicant has will be useful. I think they demand degrees because degrees certify "you did your time and you are certified to be able to complete things." This weeds out the drop-outs...you know, like Bill Gates:) My guess is that, had he completed his degree and taken an entry-level job, he probably would have been fired or would have quit pretty quickly.

Anyway,the reason I like the apprenticeship system as described so much is that I think everyone wins. Everyone gets to "test drive" each other without any heavy commitments: companies, mentors, and apprentices.

posted January 14, 2009

Jason, which particular Universities let you down? I suspect there may have to do with a particular school, rather than a general phenomenon.

posted January 14, 2009

I don't believe it is the professors who are failing us at the university level, it is the Career Services Departments. They are the ones who should be teaching those skills.

Robert Stanke
http://robertstanke.com

posted January 14, 2009

Hi Jason,

There is so much practical stuff that is never taught...networking being one, but also personal financial management, what employers are REALLY looking for, etc, etc.

On the other hand, I'm not sure it's the place of universities to teach what amount to remedial life skills. They are places of research and learning about how to learn. I'd rather see these things taught in high schools, where more students will have access, and those that don't go on to college can learn, too.

Josh.

posted January 14, 2009

I would encourage everyone to post this question to your Alumni Groups on LinkedIn as it deserves attention and discussion. Thanks for igniting this conversation Jason, you've done it again!

First off, I would like to commend my undergraduate school for addressing many of these topics through a required freshman orientation seminar and through optional career advice seminars and that was 19 years ago, I'm sure they have come a long ways since then as far as incorporating career advice into the classroom which is a great suggestion from Jason.

Back in 1990 my college had the foresight to require all new students to have a personal computer and integrated it into our daily curriculum and they had the same foresight as early as 1996 with regards to forcing the internet on students, yes I was still hanging around there 6 years later lol. As a result graduates are very prepared for careers IMHO.

So my first counter point to your post, would be that every experience is different and if your alma matta was and still is behind the eight ball then that perhaps you should have put a little more effort into your college selection criteria back in your teenage days. (Just Cracking on you buddy).

My second counter point would be that what I really learned in College was how to learn, communicate, and be a leader, the content is meaningless IMO and this would also apply to content about career advice it would retain little value over the long run IMHO. I would probably be the one skipping class on "guest speaker" day lol. Learning the fundamentals of communication and business are essential to success in a career and/or starting a business. When I want to explore a new business idea, I am able to research the topic, master it, organize a business plan, and make a rapid determination about moving forward or not because of the fundamentals I learned in College, and this is priceless IMHO.

On a final note I would like to offer some advice that the very best way to develop expertise in career management, interview skills, resume writing, networking, personal branding, opportunity assessment, and all of the things you have mentioned a needs to know---- Is to work as a recruiter. I recommend everyone in college should spend a summer internship working at a staffing agency if you really want to master all of these topics. You will also learn a lot about which companies in your area are growing and that you might want to work at. You also may find out why so many recruiters are working from home on LinkedIn, making six figure income, and having a lot of fun helping people!

Respectfully,
Greig Wells

posted January 14, 2009

Robert, I agree with you. I used to work in the Career Services department of a college. On the whole, it was much better than the Career Services department where I attended college; however, the faculty could have done much more to support us. Instead they sometimes treated us like competition.

Professors should encourage students to visit Career Services and work with them. In an ideal situation, the two complement each other to the students' benefit. They can help connect their associates in the business world with Career Services. They can share information on industry trends and listen to Career Services staff about what employers are seeking in graduates.

Lastly, students can benefit from internships--an opportunity to get a taste of work in their chosen field while they still have close access to educational resources to support them.

Er, I'll get off the soapbox now. <sheepish grin>

posted January 15, 2009

I think a lot depends on where you go to school and what you study. I studied music which in no way prepared me for the world of business.

Our older son feels cheated and thinks he got more out of reading books in the school library than what he was taught in class. Our younger son, on the other hand, is going to a unique school where students are taught to be life long learners. There are no lectures, no grades and no tests...just 4 years of the Great Books, 4 of Math, 3 of Science, 3 of foreign languages (1.5 of ancient Greek and 1.5 of French), and a year of Music. They come to class prepared to discuss and defend their opinions about what they read and discuss it sitting around a big table. They become good communicators and able to state their opinions without offending others and being able to respect the opinions of the other students. In fact in class they refer to each other as Mr. Jones and MS Smith! Instead of tests, there are lots of writing assignments. Everyone takes the same curriculum for the four year period and there are no specialized majors.

In such an open and highly intellectual environment, students who make it through the full four years gain great self-confidence and are willing to take on anything thrown their way even if they never studied it because they know that if they analyze in depth what they are being asked to do, they successfully can take on any challenge put their way. I hasten to add that significant number find the rarefied intellectual environment not to their liking and transfer out or are asked not to return based upon their performance.

Oh yes, in case any one has a son or daughter who would enjoy this type of environment and thrive, it is St. John's College which has two campuses one in Santa Fe, NM and the other across the street from the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD.

posted January 15, 2009

I work almost exclusively with career coaching clients who have a bachelors, many have additional degrees. They are relatively unequipped to make career choices, manage their careers, and job search.

The professors are not the problem. There are few courses for them to teach in how to manage their careers. I credit the failure with the University leaderships first and the career centers second. The college educated chickens are coming home to roost .. at their parent's houses. Why? Because most Universities are not interested in improving their competencies in educating their graduates in these areas. This is a fact for most of the universities with which I have communicated. The career centers don't want to admit they are failing because it would be just that... and admission of failure.

On a positive note, I am seeing some light at the end of the very long tunnel because (1) some of the university ratings (like MBA programs) are rated on placements of grads and (2) those numbers are tanking and (3) the grad schools are highly motivated to keep their comparative ratings up because (4) they know they will get more students and revenues if they keep their ratings up. That is the equation I see that may painfully force universities to start putting some sincere effort into helping their grads get jobs.

Links:

• http://www.executive-impact.com

posted January 16, 2009

I don’t think that it is fair to make the generic statement that professors and/or institutions are failing their students. So the question becomes, are some professors failing their students?

The answer to this is absolutely. Many students graduate and come out into the workplace completely unprepared. In his book, Never Eat Alone, Keith Ferrazzi referenced a study by Thomas Harrell at Stanford University Graduate School of Business that analyzed the traits of their most successful alumni and found that grade-point average had no bearing on success. “The one trait common among the class’s most accomplished graduates was “verbal fluency’. Those that had businesses and climbed the corporate ladder with amazing speed were those who could confidently make conversation with anyone in any situation”. Ferrazzi goes on to connect verbal fluency to the ability to grow and maintain relationships. Many professors today, simply fail to address the “softer skills” and properly set expectations.

The next question is, why are some of our professors failing to address the softer skills and set expectations? The answer is that many of our professors are academics who lack real world workplace experience. Many have spent their entire career in a tenured work environment and not in a workplace were 30-year careers with a single company are almost unknown. Today’s corporate world is not the gold watch and 30 year full pension retirement of our fathers’ time.

So why do many of the professors lack this real world work experience? There is little movement from the business sector into the education field. Once you become successful in the business sector, it is difficult to move into education simply based on economics. We do however find competitive business work experience in the form of adjunct professors who teach part time. In my case, I am adjunct professor primarily for the enjoyment.

Until typical business curriculums began to change to address expectations, relationship, social media, personal branding, etc., our education system will not be properly preparing today’s students.


By the way, I really like your letter-to-professors.

posted January 17, 2009

Jason,

I think the university career centers are failing, moreso than the professors. That is the designated resource for helping students get employed, and a lot of them aren't current on modern resume building, job search techniques, web 2.0, or interviewing. Their experience is theoretical and academic, and seldom real-world or current. My local colleges have staff that have been there 20 and 30 years, right after graduating, and never had to negotiate their salary in their life or write a resume.

I have been contracted by local college departments, and paid out of their internal budgets, to give salary negotiation and interviewing seminars and presentations. They realize, particularly in a tough job market their students need more than is offered.

Of course there are huge varying degrees of quality, so I don't want to indict all centers. But the biggest opportunity to help the most students with their employment search is through the career centers, and not the professors, although they can be a valuable resource also.

Links:

• http://www.gethiredstayhired.com

posted January 17, 2009

Jason:

Several years ago in an interview with Parents Magazine I suggested that upon entering middle school there be no more three month sumer breaks. Instead each month each student would shadow a different professional or tradesperson. This would be a mandatory exercise in order to be promoted to the next grade thereby indoctrinating students to the work world. Parents Magazine never called again.

As a Career Search Coach and former executive recruiter with three decades in the trenches, I'm here to appeal that education and career direction begins long before one comes in contact with a professor.
I work with academia and know that they are not any more prepared to search than their business counterparts.

When it comes to preparing the next generation, this is merely one of the ways, as parents, neighbors,professionals and educators, we have all failed them.

posted January 18, 2009