Add Experience to Education

A billboard on the side of the freeway conveys a brilliant message "Get a Resume With Your Degree".

 

STUDENTS WITH NO EXPERIENCE

Unfortunately, borrowing your way through school replaced working your way through school. More students graduate with debt today. They borrow student loans. They borrow on credit cards offered by finance companies who throw T-shirts, pizza, and other coupons to establish habits of debt. Many have to drop out of college because of debt related bankruptcy.

 

Consequently, most college students graduate from school with absolutely no, or minimal, work experience. I speak to lots of college groups to encourage them to add experience to their education. A frequent comment is "I graduate in a few weeks (or months). Most of the places ask for 1-2 years experience. I've never worked in my life. How am I supposed to gain experience?". At first, I thought the student ignored the small jobs they had done as youth. Upon further inquiry, however, I discovered that they had not mowed lawns, babysat, or worked during their teen years. Instead, their parents had so focused them on sports, dance, music, and other activities. Work interfered with their play.

 

As a result, they were entering the workplace in their twenties with no work ethic. They suffered a lack of experience. They do not understand the need for punctuality, dependability, and productivity. The only thing they can offer an employer is a diploma. They expect the workplace to conform to their habits. A recent story in US News and World Report lists seven advantages to working your way through college.

 

RICK'S STORY

Let me share the story of Rick. A young man I met in the late 80's. Rick, age 15 1/2 approached me after a presentation. No one in his family for 3 generations had gone to college. He wanted to be a mechanical engineer, but saw no way to achieve his goal. We discussed options. He knew an engineer from his church congregation. He offered to volunteer as a custodian at the engineering firm at which the man worked.

 

After six months of emptying trash and cleaning toilets, the firm hired him part-time. He still cleaned, but the engineers had begun to teach him how to draft using Autocad. He no longer cleaned by his 17th birthday, but drafted 20 hours a week. He also earned twice the average teen wage for the time. I remember him proudly informing me that he was leaving for his chosen university the next week, and had just bought a PC with his own money. Further, the engineering firm offered him work anytime he could come to the office--at three times the usual college student wage.

 

His engineering portfolio, when he graduated from college, did not contain student projects. It contained 11 engineering studies he had completed for the transportation system of a major copper refinery. It contained the design, drafting, and photos of 23 mechanical parts he had engineered for the same project. He added seven years engineering experience to his diploma.

 

Graduate schools lobbied for him to apply to their programs. They courted him as some schools court athletes. He accepted the offer from Purdue. They offered him a position as a teaching assistant. In addition, they gave him a grant to pay for tuition. Finally, they arranged a part-time job with a local engineering firm that paid him $58,000 a year.

 

Today, Rick is a Vice President with a major manufacturer of farm and other heavy equipment. He loves his job. He provides very well for his family. He has worked for the same company since graduating with his master's degree.

 

OTHER EXAMPLES

Many others mirror Rick's story. I know two people who worked their way through school doing film and cartooning. They both now work for Sony and Disney pictures. I know hundreds of students who earned certificates in medical, dental, and nursing assisting in high school. They worked their way through college and professional schools working in their chosen occupational field. I could share thousands of stories of accountants who worked as bookkeepers.

 

My advice to you as the student--or as the parent--work your way through college. Prepare for your future. Verify that your chosen occupation really matches your expectations. Become the person the companies and graduate schools recruit.

 

Add a resume to your diploma.

Gaining Occupational Skills

Too many people consider college or university education as the only way to prepare for a career.

I observed a high guidance counselor one day. The counselor helped the students prepare plans to cater their education to prepare them for their chosen occupations. Before I continue with my story I want to state how much I respect high school guidance counselors. The have too much work to help too many students with too few resources. Most find themselves with case loads of 400+ students. Most deal with behavior and discipline issues, in addition to career guidance. So, I do not fault the counselor. I fault the system.

One of the students she met with that day, came alone, because both parents could not get off work. This student failed most of his classes, with one exception. He received an "A" for every auto shop class he took (and he had taken a lot). In spite of this evidence, the counselor encouraged the student to "get your grades up so you can get into college". The "school to work guidelines" allowing this young man to enter an automotive apprenticeship sat on the shelf, unused.

Once again, I do not fault the counselor for stressing a college career. College may not be the best path for every student. Obviously, this young man excelled at a more hands-on or psycho motor training. Training that worked with real objects using his hands. He did not excel at theory based, cognitive learning.

Fortunately, other methods of gaining occupational skills exist. We will briefly explore them this week.

• Formal school programs include state owned colleges & universities (University of Washington), private non-profit colleges and universities (Harvard or Brigham Young University), and private for-profit (or proprietary) colleges (University of Phoenix and ITT Technical). Universities, frequently called research institutions, focus their professors on research and "publish or perish". Community and junior colleges focus on education for students. Proprietary schools frequently charge more for the same degree. You must also ensure that their credits or degree are accepted by industry or other schools you wish to attend later.
• Apprenticeship or On-the-Job training involves a combination of learning by working side-by-side with a master tradesman while also taking classroom based training. Formal apprenticeships must be certified through the Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship. Informal apprenticeships may provide the same experience, but do not grant a certificate recognized throughout the country, as does the formal apprenticeship. On-the-job training occurs when a company hires an inexperienced person and provides the training to do the job. Many times other companies will not recognize on-the-job training provided by one company.
• Trade or technical schools specialize in classroom and work experience training within the school. One of the most common trade schools are cosmetology schools that teach how to cut, shape, and color hair; but also provide a work experience in the schools one salons. Trucking schools provide the same combination of classroom and on-the-road experience.
• Workshops, conference, & seminars allow for continuing education. Many corporations now offer seminars and workshops that provide people with certifications. They also provide opportunities to establish foundation skills with a product like People Soft, C#, and other programs or products.
• US Military provides great training for people out of high school. The training may include university degrees, technical training, and occupational skills. Plus, the military provides experience in a variety of fields.
  

You can learn more about post high school education and vocational training programs through these wonderful resources: Highland Public Schools, Chesterfield Schools, Wendy Sinton, Family Works, Trade Schools Guide, and Kids Turn Central. You can also learn a lot through these government sites: Office of Apprenticeship, State University.com, and the National Center for Educational Statistics.