Early in my career, I did not set out to become an educator. In fact, I enjoyed working in administration, but that was the extent of my self-assessment. I entered higher education for a very different reason than wanting to teach since I have four children and they were quickly entering the years of going to college. I realized I could work in administration in higher education for the benefit of my children receiving significant tuition assistance and applied for a position at a prestigious private liberal arts institution.
I eventually landed in the Career Services Office on campus with the very real task of helping students determine what career path to take, then creating a trajectory to turn their interests into a profession. During the five years I have been with career services, I did not think that students were learning from me, instead I simply thought I was providing them with information about what they did not know and where they need to expend their effort. But the very creation, evaluation, analyzation, application and understanding of this information is learning. As I saw students who came in for an initial visit with little knowledge about what they wanted to do for a career, grow and expand their understanding of opportunities through job shadows, career conversations with alums, resume and cover letter creation, employment visits and interviews, I understood that learning occurs through presenting information, organizing material, experiencing and reflecting.
My role in this learning process is to first and foremost be respectful of the student. When teaching students, I want them to feel heard, validated, and understood. When talking about their future, students are everywhere on the continuum of career goals. Some do not have any idea of what they want to do, others are very specific and focused. My role is to provide guidance, information and opportunity for every student, no matter where they are at in the learning process. My students range from freshmen to seniors which determines what I will be teaching and I tailor the material accordingly. For first year students, I teach exploration about a myriad of occupations. I provide information about different industries, jobs within those industries and what path is required to obtain a position in those occupations. For seniors, I teach a more intense job search curriculum. They must know how to tailor their resumes and cover letters for specific job descriptions, how to apply for them, in what way to network with people associated with the company they are applying to, and exactly how to interview.
Students must set and meet career goals over the course of their four years in college in order for them to be marketable for a full-time position. They begin their very first year through exploration, as I mentioned. We discuss their interests, values, skills and competencies and how they translate into a career. I guide them to alums to speak to that are directly involved in the careers in which they’ve shown interest so they can further their understanding about what types of tasks and responsibilities are involved. I take students on “industry-exploration” trips in major cities so they can explore diverse professions and the chance to observe alums in their workplaces, learning about the culture of an organization and the different professions associated within the company. I want my students to determine the best career path for them with all the necessary information so they make confident, intelligent decisions when applying for positions.
As students are setting and meeting their goals, we meet on a regular basis so they have a time for introspective reflection. What went right on an industry visit? What went wrong in a summer internship? What were alums saying about their organizations? Constantly assessing their career interests helps them to develop a very strong acumen on opportunities they hope to secure for after graduation. For example, after a student gathered a great deal of information about a specific career field, he determined he did not want to pursue it. This is very helpful to learn during college years, instead of after graduation and one or two years into a stagnant job with an overwhelming feeling of discouragement. Determining what a student doesn’t want to do is just as formative for the student as knowing what they do want to do.
My teaching has evolved over time and continues to develop. I am working on becoming more articulate in relaying information so that it is broken down into a series of understandable (and manageable) steps for students. They are very overwhelmed with academe and tend to push off thinking about a career until it is absolutely necessary. I am improving my pedagogy to show that, if taken in small, practicable segments, their search will be more successful and less stressful. I’ve learned I need to slow down, be patient and take the time with each student to provide the adequate and appropriate amount of information according to their level in college. In several years, I hope to be considered an expert of industry knowledge and to share that information with students in a way that is logical, comprehensive and life-changing.
I currently have three.
To haters, the reality game show “Survivor” may appear as another mindless hour of “super-star-wannabe’s” hamming it up for the camera during their 15 minutes of fame.