Importance of College Minors and Secondary Skills

Posted on February 3, 2014June 2, 2014 by George Campbell

In this current economic climate, they say it is fundamental that students are aware of the skills sought by employers. Yet, the question we hear “on the streets” and in books like “Why Good People Can’t Get Jobs” by Peter Cappelli is, “In three years, does anyone really know what skills those will be?” Perhaps it’s time to diversify. Employers prefer students with a broad set of skills, and because of this, your college minor and secondary skills may be more important than you realize.

Companies seek employees who demonstrate a capacity to think critically, communicate clearly both orally and in their writing, can apply their knowledge in real-world settings, and are capable of solving complex problems. When surveyed, 93% of employers stated that these skills are now regarded as more important than the employee’s undergraduate major. Employers stress the importance of intercultural skills, a demonstration of ethical judgement and integrity, and the capacity for continued new learning.

Your Career

There are several practices students can undertake to improve their chances, and it’s becoming more important to consider your college minor and secondary skills as characteristics of educational practices that would be attractive to potential employers; such as the ability to conduct research and use evidence-based analysis; gain in-depth analytical knowledge; problem-solving and communication skills; and how to apply the skills you have learned into real-world settings. Think skills such as learning a foreign language, playing a musical instrument, or participating in volunteering or community work sound frivolous? Think again, as all of these skills demonstrate to employers that you possess a wide range of abilities.

While many employers still prioritize key skills over a job candidate’s field of study, a majority of employers also state that in order for college graduates to achieve long-term career success, it is pertinent that they have both field specific knowledge and a broad range of skills and other knowledge. In other words, in order to advance throughout your career, it is important to be able to adapt to changing job requirements. As such, any additional skills you possess can only benefit you in the future.

Job Market

Because employers are now seeking innovation and creativity in their employees, they prefer them to be able to rely on their multiple educational resources to complete any task. Employees today are often expected to be able to work in a team, plan, organize and prioritize work, communicate verbally with people inside and outside the organization, obtain and process information, analyze data, and use these skills to solve any problems which may occur.

Moreover, as modern society grows more heavily dependent on technology, employers seek candidates who display an aptitude and proficiency with computer programs. As a result of this, there has been an exponential increase in recent years in the availability of online resources to help students with their studies.

There are many online educational tools which enable you to expand your technological skills, in addition to online tutors and peer learning platforms to aid you in academic studies. It is worth investing time exploring all of these options in order to improve your knowledge across a broad scope of topics and increase your chances of post-college employability.

Due to the vast numbers of candidates applying for jobs in today’s society, possessing skill sets that set you apart from others and demonstrate that you are a well-rounded employee who will be helpful and profitable to a company is a key advantage. Therefore, it’s becoming fundamental to expand your college minor and secondary skills throughout your education, and not solely rely on your undergraduate major to gain you employment.

In other words, when a hundred qualified applicants apply for a job, what makes them the same are their qualifications, but what sets them apart are their “other skills.” So seek to acquire as many different “other skills” as possible, using online resources and peer learning, extracurricular programs, or volunteering in your local community. Those who diversify now will be more likely to reap the benefits later of lucrative long-term careers.

Author bio

This article was written by George Campbell, a freelance writer with four years teaching experience from Birmingham, England. George loves writing about education, but he takes his own advice to diversify and also writes across a variety of other topics. You can connect with George on Google+ and follow him on Twitter.

George Campbell

The Radical Learning Exchange

Posted on November 3, 2013August 9, 2020 by David C. Brake

A learning exchange seminar at the public library.

I decided to come up for air this week long enough to write another blog. (Yes, it’s been a while!) I’m going to approach this topic for now from my perspective when dealing with a select few who, for whatever reason, don’t get the idea of free learning exchange. The overwhelming majority I’ve encountered so far have been enthusiastic, but on those rare occasions when the idea has been met with disdain or indifference, I always wonder why. What is it that bothers them?

The idea of learning exchange as it pertains to languages between adults has been around for years (if you’re reading my blog, chances are you’ve already heard the phrase “language exchange” across the internet), and the idea of a time bank barter system for services has been around at least since the early 1800’s.

Yet, most people today don’t think in terms of bartering services (or if they do, they have problems finding others who do), and almost no one thinks in terms of bartering knowledge other than languages (except on LRNGO of course!). So why is that?

When I originally introduced the idea of a peer to peer language exchange community matchmaking program to a local library recently, the idea was met with “we already have a class for that.” “Really?”, I said, “that’s awesome.” I soon found out she was referring to Spanish and English classes.

She couldn’t fathom, no matter how much I explained it, that 1. there could be a structure for people to match up and learn from each other 2. practicing one-to-one could bridge the disconnect between learning of the subject matter and the actual use in real world situations and 3. people would voluntarily match up to teach their native language in exchange for learning a second language from another person.

In short, I was unable to convince her of the value of learning exchange or to understand the dynamic of bio-feedback that is different when people learn from each other one-to-one.

“Of course, it doesn’t mean the classroom isn’t valuable,” I said, “in fact for many subjects, a structured curriculum is most highly recommended for a basic foundation. However in those cases, people also almost always benefit from practice and additional feedback of one-to-one learning. This is why tutors are so popular.” (Blank stare.)

The same week, I had another person tell me that language exchange sounds like a crazy idea because we would be trying to change people’s behavior, so he would need to see data to show that anyone would do it. (I started to tell him about the 16 million users who at one time were doing it regularly on LiveMocha and other websites too numerous to mention, but decided to drop the subject when he said he had never heard of eBay.)

Finally, I got a very interesting response from a program coordinator at a large church when we talked to her about the idea of bringing a language exchange matching program for Spanish and English to their split congregation as a fun social and educational bridge. “No thank you,” she said, “we like things the way they are.” (It was the second part of that sentence that surprised me. You can draw your own conclusions.)

So why does the idea seem so heretical to some to create a structure for people to match up and learn from each other? At first, I thought perhaps it was because the idea that one can learn outside of a classroom (ie: the idea that learning takes place everywhere–insert annoying Alanis Morrissette song here) in some people’s minds competes with traditional learning—but as I poked and prodded the uninitiated nay-sayers, it became evident that was acceptable. They generally got the idea of personal tutors, mentors and coaches—at least as classroom supplements, if not substitutes.

No, as I drilled down to the root of the issue in the case of the people above, it became evident that they started to feel uncomfortable when we removed both volunteerism and currency from the transaction. They “get” the volunteering and they “get” paying, but for them, bartering knowledge was just a radical concept.

Daniel Ariely’s book “Predictably Irrational” offers some insight. Ariely argues that we live in two worlds simultaneously: The “Market World” where everything is rooted in the exchange of money, goods, competition and cost/benefit analysis; and the “Social World,” where we do favors for other people, and volunteer for charity and community organizations.

Ariely has a useful example to illustrate what happens when you mix the market world with the social world: A day care center was discontent that parents picked up their children late, so they introduced a fine to solve the problem—but instead of reducing the rate of late pickups, the rate rose higher.

Why? By introducing a fine, the day care center switched from the “Social World” to the “Market World,” and the parents felt it was ok to pick up their children late because they paid for it. For the people I mentioned above, the concept of trading and exchanging knowledge took their social world and their market world, and turned them upside down.

This actually bugged me for a while. Not because these people would never become LRNGO users (believe me, we don’t have room for everybody yet so I’m just fine with that), but sub-consciously I felt like I should be able to get everyone in the world to see the value in this. I had shown them real people (both through our seminars and on LRNGO) who made lifelong friends through this process, people who had learned and achieved their goals, and people who thanked us for providing a no cost educational opportunity–all to no avail.

Then I remembered what else these people had in common. They had never tried it. In all of our speed-friending events and seminars we’ve ever given for learning exchange, the only complaint I’ve ever heard (other than parking) was that the event and time to meet people is too short. After trying it, even those who don’t find the right match at first realize the value and opportunity that await when they do. (It’s like “dating for the mind.”)

I remember one of our speakers, a multi-linguist who speaks seven languages (all learned through language exchange) passionately telling people if they try this, they won’t look at learning the same. I heard from a member of the audience two months later who told me she found a language partner that night, and they were still meeting once a week…and I remembered his words, “Don’t talk about it, do it–it’s all around you, find someone and learn!” The idea of social learning and learning exchange may be radical, but an idea is only valuable if you do it.

I no longer feel the need to convert those who are uninspired to the learning exchange concept, because I know they are inspired by other things. Things they’ve done, things they know about, and things they’ve tried. The next time I try to tell someone about something I’ve experienced that holds value to me, I’ll remember that too is an exchange, and not every exchange is the right match. (But when it is, it’s magic.) 🙂

If you’re in the Houston area, feel free to contact me. I would be happy to do a short 15 minute workshop to set up a learning exchange environment in any adult classroom.

The Educational Texting Epidemic

Posted on June 2, 2013June 2, 2014 by David C. Brake

Like it or not, texting has become such a socially accepted form of communication that the mobile technology revolution now assures that it isn’t going away anytime soon. In fact, after the recent online-boom of the last five years where social networking sites like Twitter have taken off like flies before the swatter, the human brain itself is beginning to crave smaller increments of information. Technology is changing the way we think.

First, we saw the nasty consequences of the texting epidemic for drivers that led to fatalities and eventually laws being passed in certain states like WA against it. The Federal government has stepped in and is now fully cracking down on what has been coined, “distracted driving.”

Then texting began to become a major disruption within both the real and virtual education worlds. The kicker is that while the more traditional education system can simply take away gadgetry before class begins, in a digital setting it’s much more difficult, and tutors are guilty as well!

The topic is becoming a flash point of heated debate, especially when it comes to the general education levels of the most technologically inundated generations in human history. Here is a really powerful quote from an article on the Huffington Post titled, Texting, The Next Epidemic: Our National Well-Being Is In Jeopardy.

“The time we used to spend reading and writing has been replaced with technological communication — mainly text messaging. One learns to communicate — learns to think, write and speak with clarity — by reading and writing. It is absolutely crucial that we do not become so hooked on using the shortcuts and codes of texting that we fail to develop into accomplished thinkers, writers and speakers.”

Why Texting Negatively Impacts A Learning Environment

An article by Olivia B. Waxman claims that “77 percent of teenagers (12-17) have cell phones, and 75 percent of all teens text.” This means that the chances of students texting when the teacher can’t see them, is incredibly high.

Whether in person or through a computer screen, the focus of thought is a crucial aspect in absorbing information. It’s true that the online realm has made younger kids perfectly capable of thinking about multiple things at once, but casually pondering and learning are two different things.

It’s impossible to really get the point of a lecture if throughout the entire thing Johnny has been texting Margaret and chatting about their relationship status. They have to mentally disengage instruction every few seconds completely, and then return in increments. It doesn’t work. Johnny and Margaret might as well not have been present at all.

The same thing goes for tutors that are distracted with texting while trying to conduct a private course on mathematics. At the end of the day, it drastically reduces the quality of any learning environment.

Turning Negatives Into Positives

Texting and mobile technology isn’t going away, and the more people try to push against it, the harder the transition is going to be.

There are really only two options, either you try to beat the texting problem by attempting to erase it through zero tolerance policies, or you adapt, overcome, and use texting to the advantage of everyone involved – students and teachers/tutors alike. Here are a few options that could be used or built upon.

Experiment with Group Texting

There are online tools such as Celly, WeTxt, or Remind101 out there that allow group setting environments to be created and shared between students and teachers. This could be a way for tutors to keep their students updated on what’s going on, and give students a way of communicating in a group setting that they’re extremely comfortable with.

It can go beyond texting. Teachers can attach coursework, resources, short studying tips, or other news to their texts. Likewise, students can send teachers their homework, ask questions, and give feedback.

Anonymous Texting Discussions

Why not hook up the class room computer, projector, and a text display. In fact, the teacher could project it behind the class where they can’t readily see it, and give the students free reign to ask questions via text. Once the instructor gets used to it, this could be a very time efficient tool. Students could share things with the teacher that they perhaps would otherwise be too shy to announce verbally.

Text-Based In-Class Polling

Both Socrative and PollEverywhere are applications that tutors and teachers can use to create polls or even quizzes that allow students to submit answers directly, which can then be displayed in seconds. Online tutors can use this medium to ask their students pertinent questions.

Admittedly, it may sound oversimplified to think we can make lemonade from lemons by using texting to our advantage. However, rather than trying to fight the distractions, there are worse things than incorporating them into the learning environment and making the technology work for it instead of against it.