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Feature story: Underemployment for
college graduates on the rise |
| The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that, while in the 1980's one in five college graduates worked in jobs that required only a high-school diploma, now the statistic is one in three graduates entering the market will be underemployed. That is, one in three college grads will be working in jobs that require only a high-school diploma! Here's some background info for students and recent grads from Targeting a Great Career, by Kate Wendleton.
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Every Issue we will explore A Day in the Life of a New Profession
This issue we will introduce you to:
Willy Snook, Elementary/Middle School Teacher |
 I am Willy Snook, and I teach sixth grade language arts. I have enjoyed teaching and working with kids for the last 25 years.
1. What do you like most about your work?
The thing I like most is working with the kids. Children are very active and curious. They are not discouraged like some adults, but are fresh and want to learn.
A related piece is that teaching is very relational. By that I mean there is a lot of human experience. I really enjoy interacting with students, other teachers, parents, and the community.
2. What do you find challenging about your work?
Grading and assessing. Evaluating students qualitatively and quantitatively is like putting a label on them. I take grading very seriously, but find the process rather difficult.
The other challenge is motivating kids who have given up. I really want to help them, and finding ways to reach them is not always easy.
3. What personal qualities are most important for a person to be successful as a teacher?
A quote I like from Gail Godwin says, "Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theater." You have to be passionate about learning and bring this passion alive for the students-this is the performing part. You need to be really enthusiastic about your subject, but to be successful, you must be just as interested in your students.
You also have to be a pretty good communicator and sensitized to the needs of your students and their parents.
4. What do you think teachers will be doing 10 years from now?
Lots of people believe that children will learn more from computers, but I have always believed children need the socialization of classrooms. We need to help our students be more adaptable, and become better learners and better communicators. Their world will change rapidly, and they may change careers several times during their lifetimes.
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  Q: Dear Kate,
I am in mid-career, working in an intolerable office. I don't have a degree, but I ran my own business for over 15 years. When my wife passed away I had to sell the business and go to work. I am working in a mediocre job making less than mediocre pay. What should I do? I have all this experience, but no degree and no-one will hire me until I have that piece of paper. I looked into getting my degree and I can receive 2 years of experiential learning credit towards a degree, but I can't afford to return to school. What should I do?
Signed—
Chester in Cincinnati A: Dear Chester, I don't know that “no one will hire you until you get that piece of paper.” You probably didn't conduct a good job search the first time, and took what you could get in your dire situation. I've attached an excerpt from our new book, Packaging Yourself: The Targeted Resume. You'll read the story of David who was worried that he would have difficulty finding a new position because he was an older man and lacked formal schooling. Yet, using a repackaged resume, he received four offers within a very short time. Because his accomplishments took center-stage in his new resume, no one even noticed that David had not gone to college. You say that you have excellent experience, and I'm sure you bring a lot to the party. But I wonder what your resume shows. Start by doing the Seven Stories Exercise, which is also in that book. Just list your accomplishments in life – those specific things you enjoyed doing and also did well. Complete this sentence: “There was the time when I …”. Those are the accomplishments the reader should see when they simply glance at your resume. You also need to think how you can repackage your job title. We worked with one company president who now wanted a corporate job in “sourcing materials.” The top of his resume – after his name, address, phone number and email address-positioned him this way: Sourcing Expert
with twenty years of broad business experience
Those two lines are centered and bolded, and become the first thing the reader sees. Think of the kind of job you want to have next – marketer, business analyst, production manager – whatever you enjoyed the most in running your business. If you want a marketing job, then position yourself as a “Seasoned Marketer.” That goes at the top of your resume. After that, write the rest of your summary: bulleted accomplishments that support your main selling point. If you want them to believe that you are a great marketer, give them bulleted accomplishments that prove it. For example, “Single handedly grew sales 150% in three years, focusing primarily on the retail market.” Or “Developed marketing brochures that increased sales by xx%. But don't be influenced by these accomplishments. Come up with your own. You were able to keep a business going for 15 years. You must have done something right. Brag about it in your resume by packaging yourself differently. Later, if you want, you can take a college course or two. Then you can write “ Attended Jamaica Jones College, 2008.” You don't need to do that, but if it makes you feel better, why not? You have life experience, which far surpasses what they teach in school.
Good luck,
Kate
Do you have a career question that you'd love to have answered by a career counseling expert? E-mail your career question to Kate Wendleton, founder of the Five O'Clock Club and your question could be featured in next month's edition of Success Today. Please send questions to: TLSuccessToday@thomsonlearning.com. |
"When events overwhelm others, leaders overwhelm the events."
"Leaders convert a “can do” demeanor into a “can did” result."
"Leaders strive for the maximum possible, not the minimum allowable."
The above axioms are excerpted from the Winning Wizard’s Leadership Axioms for Career Progression and Everyday Living Click here for more information about this series. |
From the authors of Faculty Development
• Be aware and respectful of adult learners' responsibilities outside of school, such as family and employment commitments.
• Make course information applicable and relevant by applying it to adult learners' responsibilities of the workplace.
• Invite adult learners to contribute their expertise and experience to add depth and interest to class discussions.
• Adult learners like to know why they are learning a certain skill. For example, relate communication skills to interactions with customers and colleagues. Ask learners to contribute their experiences with using communication skills in the workplace.
• Encourage students to use different methods of learning by considering how certain information is best conveyed. For example, anatomy can be effectively learned by drawing anatomical structures. Business trends may be best compared using a table or diagram. Encourage students to use a learning method that best suits the material and their learning preferences.
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