A ‘Good’ Rejection Letter?

Great insights. I think there is also a role in departments and faculty helping students see that they are part of a larger institution and maybe facilitating contact with alumni for the purposes of helping current students imagine the possible careers they could pursue.

In addition to the Careers Services, universities also offer myriad opportunities for students to get useful experience. Student societies provide opportunities to develop leadership skills. Student media provide opportunities to write for a non-academic audience. Cooperative education and service learning programs offer opportunities to make direct connections between the degree course and specific jobs or organizations.

Thinking of the university as a complex organization, rather than reducing it to faculty and classrooms as so much public discourse does, opens up all kinds of possibilities for both the kinds of education Mike is talking about and meeting (some of) the career development needs of students.

Although I am in a liberal arts discipline myself, isn’t it the case that the vast majority of students enrolled in higher ed are enrolled in degree programs that have a almost direct correlation with the real world job market: business, nursing, engineering, natural resource management, etc., etc. While each of these field do undoubtedly have bigger and broader abstract principles, etc. that students need, much of their time in these majors (if the students in my GE classes are to be believed) is spent thinking about and training (conscious use of this word) for the current job market. And since the ability to get a job “after” is what these programs and the universities that offer them (pretty much all of us) have sold to students, we pretty at least do a good job of it. So, we are already where Mary and Mike don’t want us to be. Sorry guys, we’re already there.

But even so, I’m with “janniaragon”, even those of us in the liberal arts in our roles as adivsors have a role to play here in helping studnents with career planning — even if it’s only listening. From my own point of view, I’d like to dispel the notion suggested in the blog that faculty don’t know anything about the “real” world of work, that we are trained to do only one thing. Jeez, isn’t that the problem in many respects (esp. when the “one thing” is so incredibly narrow). I for one had a so-called “real” career (or at least a starter career for a few years right after college that allows me to talk with students about the first steps of a job search and what one is looking for in a career) before getting my Ph.D. and many of us have spouses and siblings, etc. that give us some glimpse outside the ivory tower.

Sorry, the “not my job” attitude on display here doesn’t work for me. Yes, there are clearly offices on campus that do much of the job/career related counseling better than I do or ever will – and part of my job is to make sure students get there. But, there’s a whole lot I can do (and do do) to help students is just listen — and in addition to strengthening their imaginations and critical thinking skills, run my classroom like a workplace in the sense that I expect them to be “professional” in demeanor and orientation (show up on time, hand in papers when they are due, not when students feel like handing them in, take pride in the “neatness and completeness” of their work). You’d be surprised about how much we do with students prepares them for work without us getting involved in their individual career choices.

I’m with psel8105. Doesn’t the role of faculty in job preparation depend greatly on the department, the class, and the student’s major? If I’m a mechanical engineering major, my classes had better have some real-world applicability.

I have a friend who majored in elementary education, but he’s totally wrong for that line of work. Sure enough, he was never able to get a job as a teacher, despite graduating with an elementary ed. degree and years of trying. I’m very disappointed that none of his professors or student teacher supervisors ever pulled him aside and suggested he find another path. Instead, they gave him passing grades, which he interpreted as meaning he was adequately prepared. Even in less pragmatic disciplines, there are usually classes targeted toward career prep, such as Intro to Business Writing in English departments.

Faculty shouldn’t be expected to have personal experience in other careers – they already have a career of their own – but if their classes relate to specific career paths or job skills, they should stay current on the career environment and build professional relationships with non-academics to whom they could refer students. That would be a great way for the faculty and administration to work together, since the administration will have connections to alumni or community members outside of academia.

I agree that the responsibility should not SOLELY be on the faculty, but faculty is part of the community that supports the student in preparation for the field. Yes, there is a distinction between teaching/learning and job placement, but in this day and age, students must be more resourceful than ever especially when they don’t have the 2 -3 years ‘experience’ required for entry into the field. To this degree, I would expect that a faculty member be more of a ‘specialist’ to provide insight about possible career expectations and options, but not job placement.

This may contradict a bit of what I just stated, but it would be helpful for faculty members to connect with their professional community practitioners. This helps to provide real-world examples that illuminate the text. Additionally, remaining connected to the field also means hearing information about possible work study, internships, volunteer organizations, and study abroad opportunities that may benefit that under-exposed student. Note: Please check those tear-offs that have been posted to your office door and bulletin board for the past 10 years…..

Please keep in mind that many students may be first-generation college students and don’t have the legacy to build on otherwise. The ‘tip’ that you provide may be the assistance they need that propels them to be top in YOUR field – with thanks and gratitude to you for taking the time.