Next Career Option - Environmentalism

Green and the many aspects it presents may be the direction in which we will find fertile grounds for careers and talent shortages.

The many aspects of creating energy, renewable sources of energy, cost-effective and efficient uses, and many other creative dimensions of the Green Movement remind us that resources are limited.  The more we can focus on creating sensible approaches to sustainable energy as ways to bring power to places that are laboring without it.

Kimberly Samaha has brought our attention to The Bordeaux Energy Colloquium whose site features eight videos of projects creating a positive move forward for areas as diverse as China (biomass), Ghana (rural solar power), Peru and Nepal (micro hydropower), Canada (solar heaters),  and South Africa (bio gas).

In order to spur awareness of this initiative, there will be an online competition in two categories:

• Best case study and technology ($5,000 prize)
• Best recruiter ($500 prize)

The virtual tradeshow and competition will be on Facebook from May 1 - 7. How do you get directions to the tradeshow? Try the link to Bordeaux Energy Colloquium on Facebook.

Best of eLearning Awards and Online Universities Announced

We’re here to help you get ahead. Part of the formula is making informed choices. So here’s some information you climbers should know. It’s also useful information for those who screen the ones being considered for that notch position.

Elearning Readers’ Choice Awards Nominees

Finalists in the Elearning [Readers' Choice] Awards were announced in December 2007 by B2BMediaCo.com. The nominees range from four to six participants in 12 categories, which are:

• Best LMS
• Best On-demand LMS
• Best IT Content
• Best Leadership
• Best Soft Skills
• Compliance Training
• Best Virtual Classroom
• Best Web Seminar
• Presentation Tool
• Best Web Authoring Tool
• Best Simulation Tool
• Best Assessment Tool

Winners were announced in the Winter 2008 issue of Elearning!

This is the first time that a call has been issued for feedback on which products and vendors are of choice for end users. This is usually word-of-mouth intelligence, making it very difficult at times to get complete and reliable information.

Best Online Degree Programs

Elearning! also provides us with their list of the top 20 online degree programs offered and the reasoning for the program’s position on the list among the 200 evaluated. The top 20 are:

• Western Governors University
• Capella University
• Concordia University
• Walden University
• California Coast University
• Ellis College
• Touro University International
• Classes USA Consortium
• University Alliance
• Thomas Edison State College
• Norwich University Online Graduate Programs
• New England College, School of Graduate and Professional Studies Online
• University of Phoenix
• Nova Southeastern University
• Keller Graduate School of Management
• eLearners EXpress (nomination #5)
• American InterContinental University Online
• Baker College Online
• Marist College
• eLearners EXpress (nomination #6)

One additional feature in this article is a section that discusses how to select an online program and 10 mistakes to avoid in making that selection.

Fear of Failure

“I don’t try to do it because I’m afraid I’ll fail,” admitted Sam (a fictitious name of a friend) as we sipped our beverages. That was also the reason he’d not taken his licensing examination, nor learned and taken over duties on one of the more responsible pieces of equipment at his job, nor many other things. I didn’t dare to ask how far his fear of failure extended and what forms of avoidance he used. But the fact that he was avoiding so many opportunities and damning himself to secondary and tertiary situations pained me. I wondered whether he realized how much loss he suffers from this attitude. Sam is a very intelligent man. He is very talented. And if he would let himself go, he might be more afraid of the amount of power he has compared with the losses he suffers because of what he attempts to avoid.

Let’s get a grip on this concept of “failure.” Some see it as a death sentence. If you fail, you do not succeed. There are no other chances to “do” again and you’re forever cast into the Valley of Nothingness. Wake-up call! Not true. Failure is simply not succeeding on this particular attempt. It means there were other concepts that needed to be explored or discussed. It means too much or too little was done to achieve the goal (and that may have been attention to details). Not enough pressure was used or else too little. The wrong choice of words or the wrong timing could have contributed to not succeeding at this time.

Did not succeed on this attempt. That does not spell “inadequate” nor “mal-equipped.” It does not shriek “stupid” as much as simply say “not ready” and “needs additional training” or “give time for additional practice.” Knowledge of the steps to achieve the goal are what are needed. Then practicing those steps under all types of circumstances come next. It’s good to develop some of your own unique ways of achieving the desired results once you know the traditional steps inside and out. “Did not succeed on this attempt” means practice more and then attempt again.

Practice is something that will insure success in the long run. Practice means allowing your muscles, tendons, brain waves to develop pathways that allow the process to become automatic. Practice allows thought to fall away from the execution; it flows like pouring water. Thought is required to stop yourself from following through once the initial steps are executed. Practice creates a second nature to whatever is done and a comfort zone that exudes confidence. It reveals knowledge and mastery when we no longer consider it to be such.

To refrain from attempting to do something simply because of a fear of failure is to deny yourself to learn what strengths you do have. It may be that what’s being avoided is one of the biggest payloads that could have happened to you and your career. It may be another microbial step on the ladder to anyone else. But for you and coupled with your background, other experiences, and innovative mind, it’s fodder for creating something else (once the skill is mastered) that will lay the foundation for your own empire.

I think about Sam and his reticence and realize one factor that contributes to his sentence of subordination is that his load is quite heavy. But his work ethic is quite strong and carries him far on his path — even if it isn’t his chosen career path. Sam also has an excellent support network; he’s done well in getting himself established and surrounded by the right types of people with similar cultural and social values as his. Additionally, he is good at targeting others who have good, strong ethics to be friends and new social partners. Sam is good at mixing and very outgoing. He has no difficulty with networking. But he masks his abilities by refraining from doing some of the things that he feels will spell “failure” if he does not succeed on the first through third attempts.

Sam’s asset is his creative, innovative mind. He is capable of coming up with alternatives and successfully exploiting them. How is it, then, that he can be so good at succeeding in the uncharted areas but so desperately fear the ones that are clearly established? Perhaps that is the answer in and of itself. The first is of his own making. The other has a template that needs to be mapped. And Sam feels the map must be precise. Those with extreme discipline or were raised under exacting conditions would have this need to be acutely precise. Sam has strengths in areas where there is a template that allows for innovation. It doesn’t seem that he ventures into those areas very frequently.

Unfortunately, we live in a society where compliments don’t fall off the tips of our tongues each and every time someone does something in a superb way. Most likely Sam could use some affirmations as he moves through his various functions and achieves the small milestones that are leading him to his mountain of success. And it could also be that he doesn’t even see his successes because he’s so focused on the path. In that regard, I feel a bit like a failure, because I haven’t had that epiphany until now.

Hey, Sam!

A Purpose

There are days when we get discouraged about everything. The first impulse is to simply give up — completely give in to the setbacks and inertia. This is not some flitting fancy. It’s part of the emotion and state of mind involved in depression. And it happens not because we didn’t lift a finger and what we wished for on a star didn’t fall into our hands. No, there’s another reason for the depression.

The depression is the result of many long hours (even months or years) of striving, struggling against great odds and obstacles without rest or recreation. It seems the more we struggle, the more we work toward achieving our goal, the farther away it is removed from our grasp.

Additionally, we find ourselves not being rewarded in any manner for our efforts — or at least it seems that way on initial blush. All we can see is the hard labor, the sacrifices, the meagerness about us, the squalor, the unsavory characters that we were taught in Sunday School to give charity who are now our comrades. How did this circumstance happen and why? Is this the reward for hard work?

The fruit of our endeavors is taken from us, credit for it given to others who have done little to even merit their initials near the product. If credit is not given to another, then we find the work deleted, erased, denigrated as pitiful and having little to no value.

There is justification for this depression. It is not right, it is not fair to put forth so much effort and find yourself in a negative position from where you started. Life is about growth, not regression. Life is about becoming more capable, growing stronger and taller with each passing day. Life is about growing wiser with each experience.

And therein lies the answer to the frustration and depression. Were it an actuality that we were not making progress, there would be no one erasing what was done. No one would be trying to claim our work as theirs. And if there were not quality as part of the inherent value of the product, it would not be desired, there would be no competition for ownership of it.

What this says, then, is that we have wronged ourselves. We have put ourselves in the midst of people and we do not belong in this crowd. These people have a great deal to learn. There is a lot they need to learn about theirselves. There is a lot they need to learn about putting into a project the quality that is required in order to derive that quality at completion.

Our frustration is that, as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs puts it, we are striving to build our monuments to ourselves. The monuments are being destroyed and sometimes before our very eyes. We realize that with each destruction or theft, there is nothing to mark the fact that we traveled this road and had that impact on the environment as well as other beings.

It isn’t a comfort, especially if you’re in this frame of mind at this instant. But take heart. This Earth is a very volatile place. Nothing lasts. Everything is destroyed in its own time. Earthquakes will tumble mountains, tsunami will wash away entire civilizations. And with those destructions, evidence of the people and their civilization will also be destroyed. The only difference is that one was done by Man, the other by Nature.

True, this consolation is meager. But it is consolation. The other is, as I said before, if the efforts had poor worth, no one would bother to take or destroy it. Be glad that you did something that lured the avarist. You set a milestone before them, a bar over which they needed to leap and they could not meet the test.

As to the losses, especially of proper company, there is a remedy. Start today to make time for yourself. Give yourself an indulgence at least once a week. Call or email an old friend. Find a reason to laugh. Make certain you have a voluntary smile. Even if it’s a cup of weak tea, sip it as though it’s a priceless wine to be savored.

And most of all, remember to consider the little things that are still providing you with quality of life.

To pass over all of these things without thinking about them, appreciating them, is definitely the waste. It’s amazing when we take the time to look over our shoulder at the part of the field that has already been plowed instead of what is in front of us that is still rough hewn and in need of order. An occasional look back can actually bolster our conviction to push forward. There is conviction. But there needs to be a time of rest in order to consider what has already come and gone. It wasn’t a waste. It all had a purpose.

depression, quality of life, achievement, setbacks, change,

Does your resume say ‘Hire me!’?

Dispersion

It’s time for me to wax nostalgic again. This time, there are musings about whether other career coaches are suffering from similar pangs. Wanting our “students” to succeed. Wanting the connections to work. Getting just as excited as they are (or even more so) about the opportunities. Losing sight of when the coaching has stopped (if it ever does) and cutoff for job referrals has arrived so that it’s now up to the “student” to follow through on the best practices that were learned. I just get too invested in each one who demonstrates that they are serious and are dedicated to working for what they want.

First-stage Transition

It’s one thing to watch our “students” going through graduation. That was in May and June. There was relief at having survived another semester. Grades were earned and they were pretty decent after all. The coaches said, “I told you you could do it!” or “I knew you had it in you,” or just a mild, “Good.” No matter what the expression, it was genuine. Coaches comprehend what the students are enduring. We commiserate because we were there once and some of us are going through our own graduate studies of some sort.

The other thing that coaches experience is disappointment for our students. We are disappointed when their attention strays from their purpose or when they needlessly waste time on futile efforts. Efforts that are more play than networking and thereby allowing ripe seeds of next-stage associations to slip away. Efforts that are more spinning yarns that actually exploring possibilities. These are actually unfocused exercises at trying to emulate being “adult” and taking on responsibilities. Still, they are mere spinning tales in an effort to gain connection with someone. They do not yet understand the art of connecting with others. When these endeavors (spinning tales) overwhelm each encounter, there is no difficulty in releasing the student to their own devices while we focus on those who are more serious about their efforts.

Still, these intiates survived the semester. They either prepared for a summer internships, graduated and celebrated that victory, or took a break in order to begin the next session with a prepared mind. For those who graduated and had not started their job search three to four months in advance, we watch as they strive to make sense of these past four years and patiently provide a little more tutoring.

Second-stage Transition

Graduation may be over, but licensing Boards are not. So we survive the period of studying for the boards. The students periodically look up for a breath of real air and we are there to chime in with a little conversation about something light, a joke, share what we’re reading, socialize for a couple of minutes and then back to the books.

These students are not going the traditional business route. The Boards mean there is a program awaiting them contingent upon their performance on the boards. So coaches encourage and support. We engage in conversation that actualizes the studies so that the textbook looks more like real life than a classic representation.

No matter whether its graduation or finishing the Boards, the time comes when it’s time to leave the student housing. There’s a turnover at the campus hot spot and faces transition. There are smiles, lunches, worried looks, funny stories, and exchanges of email addresses and Facebook connections.

Third-stage Transition

Here we are at the downturning of August and we’ve come to yet another time of growing up in a initiate’s life. The dispersion phase. That time when the job offers have come from another locale have come and are accepted. Or the job offers have not come and the foreign students make the decision to return home. In either case, it’s time to move out of the student housing that held them during their studies. They’ve begun the emergence from the safe pod in which they were ensconced.

“Are you aware of how much you’ve changed since you came here?”

Some are; some are not. Some are not aware of what it means. It means they have graduated into a new, different way of thinking and seeing things. They are not the raw material that came to the university setting. Where there were folk traditions that were part of the initial persona, sophistication and culturalization have taken place. The student is more refined and they will not easily slip back into the old life. They may go home but it will be for a short time. During that brief interval, it is critical that they use their network (developed in the United States but reaching in all directions) to forge new inroads on their path and open new associations, while maintaining those relationships that spawned them. Those are the ones that have the most meaning because those are the relationships that created the foundation of the personality. By maintaining those relationships, one is better able to adapt to cultural differences, appreciate all types of people and communicate with them.

Saying “See You Later”

No matter whether it’s stage-one transition or stage three, there comes a time when the student must leave the cocoon, the safe place, and venture out. They need to disperse their self in the form of their resume or online profile into the world. Although you may have attempted this coaching lesson, trust me, they did not listen. It’s time to repeat it. Network. Network. Network. Make connections. Make connections for the sake of knowing people who know people who know things and can invite you to be part of it all. And once you’re part of “it,” you’re in a better place to determine whether that’s where you want to be or somewhere else. But you become that much more wise, sophisticated, and that much more invested with options and alternatives.

Whether they’re staying in the community or returning to another land, changes have occurred and created a friend where a coaching student once stood. It’s very difficult for me to let go of people. And if I believe in them, it’s difficult for me to cut off looking for leads and referrals. Do other coaches go through this? I truly hope so — for the sake of carving out the identity of good coaches in many places and for the associations that can blossom from the dispersion of the new seedlings.

graduation, job preparation, job search, actualization, transition,

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An Uncomfortable Situation

“Going home shouldn’t HURT,” is what the sign on the bus read and it encouraged calling the domestic violence hotline for Los Angeles County if you’re experiencing abuse. There are a lot of lessons that can be taught about domestic violence and the multiple forms of abuse associated with it. There are even more lessons that accompany going to the various agencies that purport to work toward eradicating abuse and supporting those who are victims of it. To some extent, those lessons are for another day.

More importantly, going to work shouldn’t HURT. Theoretically speaking, the focus is on the work product as it should reach the customer. Quality output, timeliness, accuracy. Those are the primary issues. The pettiness of who is talking about whom, what the color of their skin or hair or gender may be are not part of the product unless this is a salon of some type. But when it comes down to making the numbers crunch, or getting the database to hold and find all of the correct inputs, it doesn’t really matter who did it just so that it did get done. That is not about hurting. That is about focusing on the job and working toward a common goal for the stakeholder.

Another important thing is who made the best [sales] in the last period. Fantastic! Let’s team up with that person in order to learn how they did this so that we can replicate their positive angles, so that we can put our own spin on their techniques in order to personalize to our style and appeal to our class of customers.

Going to work shouldn’t hurt because of venomous remarks, needless comments, barked logic that when stepped away from collapses into drivel. Going to work shouldn’t mean we grit our teeth against discovering some critical document is lost that was in the middle of the desk when we turned off the lights last night. Going to work shouldn’t mean enduring people who interrupt what we’re saying because they know more than us, what we’re saying isn’t important enough to hear, isn’t very interesting, is always wrong.

Going to work shouldn’t hurt because everyone else gets a lunch break but not us. Demeaning remarks shouted out in public before co-workers and clients should not be the normal environment. The integrity of our work should pass muster from the last time our hands were on it to its delivery.

Yes, there are means of dealing with these situations. Reporting them to the appropriate compliance officer is one way of handling them. But the compliance officer has myopia and doesn’t see the situations as plainly as we do. Nothing happens. Is there any way to kick this up the ladder? Maybe not. In that case, it’s time to go to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Examine the situation on an incident-by-incident basis. List each occurrence of something that is askew and the events surrounding it. Review the list. Look for a pattern. Who was present, in relation to other things, when did this occur? Note curious associations. Report these, especially if a pattern is recognized. Is there a time pattern or a cycle? Does this seem to happen to you only or are others similarly affected?

Are the reports you make going unheeded at every level? Then it’s time for you to take matters by the reins. Short of violence, do whatever is necessary to take care of yourself. Document when you have victories and get public acknowledgement of them whenever possible. Add them to your resume as accomplishments. Get endorsements on your networking profile. Make certain your profile is up to date. Circulate.

Do not be intimidated by the remarks when you speak up for yourself. Do not allow yourself to feel flustered and inadequate. Know your rules and ground work and adhere to it. Do not just stand up for yourself. Let people know when you’re asserting your rights. Phrase it so that the consequences reflect positively on you.

And while you’re at it, make certain you start researching where you will go next. While you’re at it, start interviewing for where you’ll go next.

Going to work nor going home should hurt.

A Time of Change

Kevin Wheeler is one of my favorite authors on ERE. It’s is quite uncanny how he and John Sullivan and I seem to write on the same subjects at approximately the same times. But those observations are beside the point of this piece.

Kevin’s most recent article purports to speak to recruiters. But there are a lot of people being left out of the equation and therefore being passed over for opportunities, who are being perceived as not qualified. Some who are bypassed are those in whom we thought we had developed a healthy, trusting relationship — a mentor relationship. One of the things that is tacitly understood is that a mentor will recommend their student to others as progress in a particular area is being made, the validity of the work is solid, and (of course) there is excellence in the outcome.

In these presumed mentoring relationships, the usual elements were present. There was give, which was taken. There were connections that seemed worthwhile. There was various manners of information, advice, and leads supplied and used. Yet, as is discussed in “Being Left Out,” these manner of inroads are cast aside and the treatment is as though one is a clerk.

Kevin’s words make me wonder how you and I should interpret his words of advice and how we should fortify ourselves if the person we thought was a mentor is not making referrals to us for work nor recommending our talents in any way to others; in other words, they’re not really being a mentor. Instead, the mentor seems to develop amnesia when it comes to our name.

One of the things that may be causing the failure is part of the formula for networking and developing healthy relationships. Although the “student” receives the advice and there is follow through, the disciple forgets to report back to the mentor about the results of their endeavors. As the prodigy is learning new things, they either become shy or gain new-found popularity and overlook talking about the new inroads with their guide. Thus, there’s an impression that there’s no new learning. Actually, we learn something new each day. It’s merely a matter of determining what has been learned and communicating those concepts through conversation, emailed coup sharing, or just talking about the newest rage in innovations.

It could be that the coach already has the information and is looking for something even better. It’s wise to check ourselves when we share innovations. Our social networks and public profiles provide a means of interpreting what our counselor finds interesting and useful, a push of the envelope.

Fortunately, Kevin points out the areas where a person can fail in the area of credibility, the areas that the mentor will consider and then look to another for input. He also provides a recommended means of resolution for the deficiency in lack of business credibility, confidentiality, competence, speed in follow-through.

While this may seem like a wonderful formula for solving a disappointing turn of events, it is entirely possible that the oversight by the leader is intentional and none of the proffered remedies will act as a cure. This will happen when the mentor realizes, as happens in many student-instructor partnerships, that the relationship has gone as far as is possible. And reluctantly (because the leader actually does enjoy the thoughts, input, and company of the student) the mentor must push the enthusiast away. The student has learned all that the mentor can provide. They now stand shoulder to shoulder. The student is on their way to being more productive and farsighted than the instructor.

To be certain, Life is a long-term lesson book. We only reach the end of the lessons when we close our eyes for the last time. So there are still small things that can be learned from our model. But it is at this point that we have become colleagues and perhaps even competitors. It is now time to consider what the previous mentor is doing in terms of doing business or work that causes them to be sought after. These new lessons need to be taken in and molded to our style and brand so that we develop our own book of clients, on our own merit.

This is also the time to reconsider the issue of confidentiality. Because it is entirely possible that we are now competitors and the sharing of a recent lesson or new find is actually giving away potential business. Thus, if the person who used to be a patient conversationalist and allowed us to talk freely begins to interrupt our flow of speech, it would be wise to not consider this as a new twist in the personality that has turned our friend into an impolite boor. They are still being our trusted advisor by giving an extremely subtle hint that the fledgling needs to close its beak. It’s also time to leave the comfort of the nest.

It seems to me that what Kevin was talking about was not being left out, per se, but a change of life.

Making Your Statement

There are examples all over the landscape. It’s just that we don’t always pay attention to them because when we see them, they’re out of context in relation to their usual work environment. The examples of which I speak are the nonconformists. The ones who wear the long hair, have piercings or tattoos, wear corduroys jackets and faded blue jeans, or wear ethnic clothing to a Chamber of Commerce meeting.

These are the people who hear a different drum and march to it. But they also recognize that the preliminaries must be handled before they dive into making their personal statement. I’ve met several. In fact, I admire (as many as I can remember) all who I have met. The basis of my admiration for these people is that they are comfortable with their selves.

They know who and what they are and do not feel intimidated or ashamed any part of them. They are confident about what they know and are very aware that they have a great deal to share with others. They give freely. Their conversation is open, positive, and accepting. They listen carefully. They get rid of the baggage so that they can hear and comprehend. Perhaps these latter factors are part of the success they project.

So why am I not surprised at finding a dean at USC who is another of those who hears a different drum? Earlier today, I talked with a student who took a seminar from him. The excitement and enthusiasm he inspired several months ago is still evident. This person is interesting. I repeated and then wrote his name. Michael Quick, College Dean of Research in the School of Arts and Letters. Then I read an article written about him in the USC College News. The article captures the description that my acquaintance gives. It also captures the spirit of the man who inspires.

Those of you who know me realize one of my hallmarks is analysis. Going on the little information I had about him, there was a rapid parsing of Michael Quick. He succeeds by being able to communicate with students. He does not see himself as some pompous campus dignitary. He sees himself as a leader and a manager whose purpose is to inspire. And with that inspiration is a desire to stretch toward greater accomplishments.

But his comfortable persona was not an overnight statement. It evolved over time. It was earned. And that is the important point of today’s words. And the point being driven home is essentially the same as the one made on March 1, 2006 when I spoke of the Validity of Dress Codes (now on Career and Recruiting Entrances. It’s important to get rid of the clutter that distracts from learning the essentials of your art and craft, the discipline for your chosen path. In order to fit in, it is critical to know what the basic disciplines are and be accepted into the mainstream. Once you’ve succeeded in establishing your knowledge and expertise, it’s fine to begin, little by little, to begin expressing yourself within the bounds of your particular culture. But you need to start with the basics first.

This is not just me piping philosophy. During a recent business trip, I encountered a young black female bank representative. Expressing a desire to know different perspectives, I asked her about acceptance of dreadlocks and such in the conservative world of banking life. With her several years of experience in the industry, she confirmed that it is important to start off in the conservative mode. In fact, most banks will not allow dreadlocks (or most other ethnic looks) because they are too off-putting to customers focused on their security and wealth management.

The woman had some other words of advice with regard to types of individuals who will be accepted, certain body builds, and types of personalities. But we can explore that information on another occasion. The bottom line for today is, start by getting yourself grounded and know your profession. Prove yourself. Then let your personality blossom when you’ve been accepted as an outstanding professional.

“A” Stands for Actualizing

Although this is literally the last week of school for many college students, it is also approximately ten days before admissions exams for Board certification or admission into some manner of professional school.

Many students are cramming last-minute details. They visit Starbucks or Coffee Bean or the library or any other place with lots of table space and few interruptions. Their focus is on getting the precise interpretation of the concepts according to the book, according to the professor’s lectures, according to their notes, according to the study guide.

A Finite Number

Their focus, accurately, is on earning an “A” in the class. While the focus is correct, they fail to appreciate that only 10 to 15 percent of the class will be able to earn that letter grade, if that many. The allocation may be as elite as 5 percent. Another 30 percent will be those who are allocated a letter grade of C. Then all the other grades fall into their categories and allocations. The point is, the number of “A”s that can be earned is finite.

Demonstrability

The other important thing to conceptualize about earning an “A” in the class is being able to demonstrate that one has done an exceptional job of grasping the concepts as well as being able to apply them to day-to-day situations as they arise. Therefore, the cramming in order to know the precise, correct answer is rather futile.

But How Did You Get That?

It’s very nice to have the exactly right answer. But the more important issue is to know which principle upon which to draw in order to come up with an answer. In real life, there are few, if any, black and white, absolutely right or absolutely wrong answers. The right answer depends on the circumstances.

The other essential in getting to the right answer is the type of tools used to make the evaluation. It is also important to know which tools to use in order to get the answer and why those were used compared with something else. The classic example is the hammer in order to chisel a fine point. It’s important to use the right tool. Tools are made to accomplish certain end goals. Use the one not intended for the purpose and you get something quite different from what you wanted.

Finally, it’s important to understand why the answer was derived. Is there an alternative answer that will yield the same or similar results – or better ones? And then it’s important to discern which is the optimal answer.

The Ultimate Test

It’s very nice to go into interviews for internships or for the real job and speak of the admirable academic record, a grade point average of 3.9 or 4.0. However, we need to ask ourselves what those grade point averages and grades represent. If they are merely a regurgitation of the prose that came from the professor or the textbook, and they bear no connection to real-life applications, then they are merely characters on a sheet of paper. They’re meaningless. It would have been just as useful to have copied someone else’s work, letter for letter and word for word.

Why Test

Few have researched why schools and instructors test. It isn’t for the sake of moving a student along a progressive path to a destination. In actuality, testing began because an ancient Greek dignitary wanted to discover how well his son’s tutor was training the boy. Thus, the man told the tutor to devise a series of tests for the boy that would show how much he had learned and how well. If the boy did not do well, the tutor would have been fired.

Therefore, we should not look at tests as a student’s measure of whether they have passed the course or not. They should be used to evaluate how well the instructor taught the course. However in these times, we should view tests as dual purposed. They measure how well the instructor did in conveying the information, made it inviting and enjoyable, and succeeded in making the student curious enough to want to know more. And the student’s test is how well they can apply the learning to real world situations.

Walking into Real Life

So my graduating friends, be proud of the grades you have earned. The grades represent how well you instructor conveyed their knowledge to you. The true test is not your GPA nor how many As you earned in your student life. Anyone can earn an A. The real test is how well you can immediately and accurately draw on the right tool to aid your reaching the optimal solution. And the real test is how well you actualize the range of knowledge you have from your learning. And that is what you want to convey to a potential employer during your interview. How well you can actualize and deliver.

AnalyzeMyCareer

Eyes on the Prize

Within the last month, Los Angeles has focused on no less than three race-based violence cases that involved minority youth as the perpetrators. As we approached the midpoint of February 2007, the City staged an unprecedented three-day international summit that included City legislators and law enforcement officials studying, discussing, and formulating plans on how to address the issue of gangs that encourage youth to drop out of school, become gang bangers, and either use or market contraband — or both. The crisis is discussed in the recruiting industry as a future talent drain that is projected to occur by 2010. Some recruiters, like executive recruiter Alan Fluhrer of Pasadena, say the drought has already hit our city.

A Talent Crisis to Be Cured

The basis of the talent crisis is attributed to the fact that too many of today’s youth are not being properly trained in school to adequately perform the job functions most critical to employers today. Employers are looking for people with excellent reasoning skills, problem analysis and solving skills are critical. Employers need staff who are not only computer and Internet savvy but also understand the importance of costs of doing business, in addition to an appreciation of developing loyal customers, and solid profit margins. Employers want workers who realize well-manicured displays and attention to all details will mean increased credibility, assurance of quality.

Employers (who are the clients of recruiters) complain that youth are not learning these things in school. Therefore, they look to older workers as their source of potential hires. The older workers come with not only seasoned experience but the values that the employers want and need. They bemoan the fact that the younger generation seems to expect a free lunch, that is to say, coming to the office / job automatically means getting paid a high salary, whether any work is done or not. Employers want people who are dependable, can demonstrate a good work ethic, learn from mistakes, and are motivated to learn as much about the job as possible so that they may advance.

Some see that the prevalence of gangs in many formerly up-and-coming neighborhoods has become a deterrent to achievement. Others point to the fact that racial discrimination has so profoundly retarded minority attainment in any sector that the youth have essentially given up.

Nonvoluntary Role Model

Like it or not, individual members of minority races and ethnicities are seen through the eyes of people from other ethnicities as representatives of their perceived race. The more negative the impression is, the more that distinction is taken as representative of all members of the race. Black and Latino youth feel the pressure and deal with it in one of two ways. They either cave in and act according to the expectations or else they hunker into the practices demonstrated by more traditional role models. Like it or not, each member of the ethnic group, of the race, is a social role model.

As with most if not all negative impressions, it takes ten times as many positives to displace a single instance of denigration. Negatives also compound so that it takes even more effort to overcome each diminution with its reinforcement. What would normally take ten times as much effort to counteract, when reinforced one time, will take twenty times the effort. And as the adverse impression lives, it diminishes opportunities for all while increasing expectations of poor performance. Opportunities are simply no longer extended because of poor impressions from negative representatives.

It is possible to object by saying something on the order of “but that’s not me,” or “don’t judge me by someone who’s values aren’t the same.” It’s possible to object. The reality is nothing will be said and the impressions will guide the reactions. It takes a lot to be seen in one’s individuality.

The Baggage

According to findings in a January 2007 study commissioned by the Legislative Black Caucus, statistically speaking, Los Angeles black and Latino youth score approximately 40 points lower than whites and Asians on the California Standardized Test. Blacks are four times more likely to drop out of high school over a four-year period and Latinos are three times more likely to drop out of high school over a four-year period, than their white and Asian counterparts. Black and Latino youth scores on the high school math exit exam were approximately 45 percent of their white and Asian counterparts; black and Latino scores were approximately 25 percent of their white and Asian counterparts on the high school English exit exam. To some extent, these numbers give employers justification to not expect high performance. They justify the fact that Los Angeles blacks and Latinos earn approximately 67 percent of the average income of their white counterparts. But it is entirely possible to shake off these expectations.

Don’t Go That Way

It would probably surprise many to discover that even the founders of some of the most notorious gangs discourage youth from following that path. These leaders speak of the dangers of going down the path of gang life and the trappings that accompany it. They advocate, instead, seeking to better one’s self and aspire to earning status and promotion through diligence, education, and professionalism. Actually, this is the knowledge that any career coach would offer to their student. The validity of this counsel is trebled for black and Hispanic youth.

Instead

What black and Latino Los Angeles Metro youth should take from all of this is to not be discouraged about job prospects. They will be as good as the person makes their self. There will be pressure from gang members to drop out of school. The lure of spending the day doing things that seem like fun will be like the scent of an exotic perfume. The truth is, the scent is transitory and fleeting; it will be gone as quickly as a dime-store imitation.

Strive to make certain that all of your work is the very best it can be. Double check until the right answers flow automatically. Learn to be inquisitive. Then learn to do your own research in order to get the right answers. Learn to analyze and interpret. Show and prove that you are the exception to the average.

You can make your future bright by holding your standards high. As you encourage your friends and associates, in small ways, to use similar standards for them, the momentum will increase and the negative generalizations will decline. Endeavors you make in that direction will be obvious. They will be infectious. They will open doors of opportunity and advancement to you because you will have earned the prize on which you’ve cast your eye.

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