Many of my students think that what they are here for is one career, and one career only. Example: Medical Assistant students. I always tell them that this is the first step to one of the many great things in their life. If they work hard and have the passion to pursue more in life, then the sky is the limit for them. They can go anywhere they want from here.
Janet,
the networking aspect is key in helping our students & others to be successful.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I have assisted many students with issues regarding which career path they would choose in their culinary career and have introduced them to chefs I know to help them succeed.
Travis,
yes, one of the greatest services we can provide to our students is to help them along their career paths.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I agree that as an Instructor, we are able to encourage, coach and teach new skills that assist our students in their journey to new success. I enjoy that aspect very much and along the way I make sure to take the time to encourage them to make use of continueing education courses and to explore further education that will assist them in advancing. I also often converse with my fellow instructors regarding the same subject and encourage them to pursue advancement within the company which stretches their skill set and enchances their job satisfaction.
Jesus ,
this is a great example of how we can be in tune with those we are leading & help them find the path for them.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I'm a career services advisor for a culinary school. About 6 months ago my department hired a student worker to help out with filling and scanning of documents. This student worker was great but he would get bored and distracted easily. One day I pulled him to the side and we conversed about his career interest and what motivated him to do better. We also discussed why he was so easily distracted and bored at work. I advised him to remember the industry that he was studying to get in to, an industry that doesn't have any room for boredom or distractions. With that said he should look for a job that complimented his personality and what he was studying in school. I assisted him with finding employment as a cook and because of our little conversation he is now working a sous chef for a five star hotel in on the Beach.
angela,
and one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching is being able to mentor & coach.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I agree, having a big impact on your students says alot about you as a instructor. Students not only look to you as a teacher but also a mentor in their lives. I currently teach cosmetology as a growing trade. My students love the career that they have choosen,because not only in the career of cosmetolgy you have to love what you do. You also have to have a passion for it. As an instructor I help my students in so many ways to prepare them for their license exam. We do so many practicals a day to build speed,confident,and momentim in their work. this helps them to get faster and better in practicals even though my students coplain about how many practicals they have to accomplish in a day they appreaciate me as a teacher. Knowing I am helping to change their lives and helping to accomplish their goals and success!
Kevin,
it really is interesting to note how much we have accomplished but fail to realize.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Currently I teach a course called Business Professionalism -- a class that I really wished I had taken (or that could have been offered) in a four year degree program.
An example of how I help students in the class is to have them identify three personal successes and three professional successes in their lives.
It is incredible what some students have accomplished but they have never taken enough time to reflect upon their triumphs.
Focusing on this positive aspect of their personal and professional history to date is an incredibly positive experience.
Scott,
it sounds like you are on top of the skills & techniques needed to provide true value to your students.
Dr. Ryan Meers
As a vocational technical school instructor I am fortunate enough to see students with core business interests firmly established. My job is to help them develop the skill sets required to meet the job challenges they will face in their chosen profession. As the industry and student expectations change, I find myself constantly challenged to stay on top of technical advances in the industry as well as new instructional processes and delivery techniques. Acquiring these skills and training keeps my job constantly changing and always interesting.
The first example that came to my mind was how I have helped my younger siblings. (They are young adults.) I have more experience in "business" than they do and I think that I have really helped them to decide which direction to take in their careers. I have pointed out positions and career dirctions that they may not have necessarily known were out there. I think this has worked out well for them because I know them well enough and I know their personalities that I can often tell what would/would not be a good fit.
I am a big believer in developing a specific plan for both career seeking & professional development. By having that plan, it provides structure & accountability.
Ryan
I help students with their career paths all the time and I enjoy that sense of accomplishment only by knowing that the student understands now what they really want and we start a structured plan to find a job. There are too many opportunities to look to if the accurate steps are taken.
This is great. I'm curious, do you have a specific tool to help discover those areas of strengths to make a good match with a company? Or is based more on the overall relationship with the student while they are in school?
Ryan
I currently employed as an Extership Coordinator. In this position, I work very closely with multiple students and employers each term. I am able to influence students' decisions of where they would like to complete their externships based on their strengths and weaknesses. For the most part, the results have been mutually beneficial for both the students and the company where they ultimately decide to complete their externship. The student may receive a job offer or a professional reference as well as hands-on experience and training in their chosen field. The company receives additional help for a pre-determined amount of time as well as a potential employee they are able to interview for a pre-determined amount of time.
Yes & along with knowing that someone believes in their abilities is that someone believes they know how to put in the hard work of putting those abilities to action.
Ryan
Darlene,
I think you are exactly right - so many students just need a bit of guidance with regard to the tools (i.e. resumes, portfolios, networking) and to know that someone is cheering them on to success! Sometimes that boost of confidence is all it takes for them to believe in themselves. How rewarding!
