LIFELONG LEARNING

Change is everywhere in the world, in companies and in organizations. Individuals will need to change to keep pace. That means continuous learning and updating—an ongoing adjustment to your portfolio of skills and knowledge.
Motivation can come from several benefits: increased job satisfaction, better prospects for work, personal satisfaction, and increased pay.
Settings could include:
(1) training at your place of employment;
(2) learning at home through audio/video tapes, computer instruction, printed materials; and
(3) day or evening courses in the community or at an educational institution.

Before you invest your time and money, thoroughly investigate your options regarding quality and suitability to your needs. For some programs you may wish to ask about the people who graduated, what type of work they are doing and their salary ranges. Because of the wide array of programs and courses, you may wish to consult an educational specialist or a guidance/career/training counsellor.

Challenge, commitment, control and being connected make up the 4 C’s of conquest. To move forward, you must have a challenge that will stretch your present capabilities. Irrespective of how nice it would be to have what you desire, nothing will happen unless you make a commitment with your heart and your mind. You need to take control, to be a proactive rather than a passive learner. It’s hard doing something alone—being connected to others for support and encouragement will help stave off those feelings of wanting to give up.

First, you need to do a reality check. Truthfully, evaluate your current interest in lifelong learning and professional upgrading. Rate yourself on the scale between high and low.

Desire to learn in order to be ready for the job changes in the future.

high |______|______|______|______| low

Did you put your mark on either of the first two bars on the high side?
If you didn’t, you will need to think seriously about the type of work you are interested in doing and the amount of learning that will be expected of you to keep current. Are they compatible? Both you and your employer will become frustrated if the gap between their expectation and your capacity is too large. You may have other priorities which preclude the dedication necessary.

ESTABLISHING A LEARNING PLAN FOR A UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
(Principles can be adapted to college or other educational institutions.)

Many students enrol in an academic institution without having a goal. They complete their education with no other plans than to get a degree or diploma. They take courses in what they love to learn and become more well-rounded. Then they are disappointed at graduation time to find that no employer wants to hire them because they don’t have the knowledge or skills to be productive immediately on the job. Unfair as that sounds, that is the reality that some students face. Enjoying your studies is excellent. Becoming more well-rounded is excellent. But you need to think about that third component: your arsenal of hireable talents, abilities, skills, knowledge. Is hireability important?

The initial question then is what do you want your university education to do for you. Write a few notes in the space below so that you will have your wishes on record.

 

Have you included both personal and career development points?
Do you have a good balance so that you will enjoy your program?
Three, four, or more years can be a long time when you have no passion or interest in what you are studying. You may want to take some time each year to monitor your progress.

Following are some activities, all with a learning component, that can help you prepare for your future. Add to the list others that you can think of.
Put an x on each point you feel you would like to commit to.

 Year 1

  Select courses of interest which you think will be good background for you.
  Think about what makes you special or unique, e.g., personality traits, attitudes, special skills. Use some assessment instruments to help you with details.
  Visit Career Services to find helpful resources.
  Join campus organizations for recreation and social activities.
  Decide what type of job you would like to have for your next work experience (co-op, casual, summer, contract, on-going (permanent), work-study, internship, volunteer).

Year 2

  Evaluate your academic program to decide if you need to make some changes based on your studies and work experiences to date.
  Begin to look at occupations and the fields you are finding interesting.
  Decide if you want/need to go to graduate school immediately after your Bachelor's program.
  Plan time for and participate in on-campus activities.
  Look for a work experience to enable you to check out career options you are considering.
  Begin networking. (Information on developing and maintaining your network is included in the Job Search section, Step 4.)

Year 3

  Narrow the field you are considering for your career by researching and speaking with people.
  Join a professional organization in your field, as a student member, to keep up-to-date and network.
  If planning for Graduate School, keep your marks high. Check out which schools have the programs you are considering.
  Use Career Services resources and participate in their programs.
  Take on some leadership roles in your extracurricular activities to broaden your skills.
  Locate a work experience that will give you good transferable qualifications.
  Find a mentor who can help you with advice and possibly open doors for you in your career.

Year 4

  Try to keep your marks within the range typically expected by employers you want interviews with. If your marks were lower in the first year or two but are higher now, that upward direction is what employers are interested in.
  Prepare your applications for Graduate School. Be sure you are going for a positive reason that is career-related, rather than a negative reason as an avoidance of something.
  Begin your job search. Check out advertisements in the visible job market and opportunities in the hidden job market. Apply for any positions that you feel are a good fit for you.
  Check out Career Services resources to help you make the most productive use of your time and money.
  Continue with your commitments to on-campus organizations.

GRADUATE SCHOOL

Are you wrestling with the question of whether you should go to graduate school or get a job?
Don't decide to go only because you don't want to look for a job.
Years of commitment in a Master's or Ph.D. program require a strong interest in the subject area. You need to feel the activity is an investment in your future. You may also find that you become overqualified for the job you eventually would like to do. Unless the positions you are interested in require advanced level education, e.g., Psychology, Scientific Research, make sure you have adequate experience in the work world first, for two reasons: some graduate schools require work experience prior to enrolling in their programs, and some employers will not hire anyone without experience especially when having to pay a premium for an educational level they do not want. An option that might work out better for you is part-time study. Some employers partially fund costs for employees continuing their education. Your studies may seem more interesting and relevant, especially if your projects can have a real-world application.

When it comes time to consider graduate school, research information and speak with knowledgeable people.
Entering the wrong program or the wrong school can also derail your career.
If you want to work with a particular company and you know they hire graduates from only 1 or 2 schools, then you need to get your credentials from that institution. If the work you would love to do requires a special graduate program, but it is offered in an area you don’t want to move to, are you prepared to settle for second-best type work in your career by choosing an alternate program and school? Your reputation upon graduation is as good as your adviser’s.
Therefore, choose your school, program and adviser very carefully. What debt level are you prepared to carry at the end of your studies? Are you able to find studies that will also fund you? What is the record for graduates in obtaining their desired employment? For those interested in obtaining an academic position, how many years of post-doctoral study have they had to undertake?

Job markets fluctuate. It is very difficult to predict what positions will be available in 5 to 10 years. You need to keep a balance between the work you care very deeply about and the probability of earning a living in that field.

ADDITIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

Go back to your Career Objectives section at the beginning of this Step, and copy the information you had for your immediate, 2-5 year, and 5 year goals into the sections below.
Work I Would Like To Be Doing In Five Years  
Work I would like to be doing in 2-5 years  
Work I would like to be doing now  

 For each Objective, begin to think about the preparation required, IN ADDITION to your current credentials.

  • Courses - university, technical, marks required
  • Skills - level of proficiency
  • Training - equipment, procedures
  • Personal Qualities - enhancement
  • Other Experience or Activity - through summer, co-op, internship positions, by volunteering, or by taking interim (or stepping stone) employment

 How much time and money will it take, and when would you like to acquire the prerequisites you would need for the work defined in your Career Objectives section?

Before you start working on your Action Plan, following is some advice prepared in August 1993 by D.G. McMullen, B.A.,'69, Senior Vice President/Chief Financial Officer, CIBC Development Corporation
Observations almost 25 Years after graduating from UW

It may well be presumptuous on my part to think I can give you advice on what to do with your life.
Perhaps what I can do, for what it may be worth, is give you some of my thoughts.
Most readers will align themselves with one of the two following categories:

  • you have a career already picked out; you know where you are going and what you must do to get there; you may have known for many years, and feel it is an advantage since it can save you a lot of turmoil;


  • you have no idea what you want to do; a lot of things cross your mind, but you can't get really excited about any one of them.

In the latter case, you have a problem! It should not be ignored or neglected, and it is not futile, for much can be done. Do not allow such an important issue to drift - your career is important. When you look back in later years you will realize what a very significant portion of your total time and energy is dedicated to your chosen work. Like it or not, North American society judges people significantly by "what they do". More importantly, it will be a source of much satisfaction or frustration, dependent on making a choice or evolving toward a career that is comfortable for you.

Here are some thoughts:

  • It is okay not to know. It happens to many of us and need not be an impediment to long-term success, accomplishment and satisfaction.


  • Sit down and start a list of possibilities. You may want to evaluate them against at least two criteria:
    • potential/security/compensation and reward
    • satisfaction/challenge/interest/contribution

    Both may be important to you, and that's fine. But if you are in doubt, I advise using the second category as the most important by far. If you get the second right, the first often follows.

  • Imagine non-traditional careers (lots of them) and put them on your list.


  • Do some research-worthwhile things rarely fall into our laps. Talk to people who have succeeded in various areas to find out what they are like. Call people in senior positions even if you don't know them-they will only rarely not agree to talk to you. This is very important, so put some energy into it. Success in life comes at least as much from perseverance as ability.


  • If all your effort to reach a decision fails, it may be necessary to start out simply, by trying other things. Be aware that this has some additional risk attached-with the passage of years it can become difficult to make changes. So if you don't like it, don't start it.


  • Much of what you will need to know is not taught formally at university. Are you "learning how to learn"? If unsure, start a debate with your classmates and professors. Make sure you are picking up technology skills (computer literacy), speaking, reading and writing skills. Read lots of challenging material. Much of this will necessarily come outside of formal classroom work and you will never have a better opportunity to get started than now.


  • Even if you have a well defined career path and know exactly where you're going, make sure you get a broadly based "liberal" education. Study philosophy or history or languages or mathematics, or, better yet, all of them.

Finally, if you pursue what you want with enough focus, you are highly likely to get it, so don't compromise. You will learn you can make anything happen. An old boss and mentor of mine once told me (and meant it) as I prepared for an important job interview: "You can do everything". I have discovered I can do anything; I haven't yet gone after everything.