FSM100_Chapter 10_Next Steps

10-4a Know key terms

Accreditation is a process used in judging the merits of the programs offered by a school. An accredited school is recognized as meeting standards set by a professional organization such as the American Bar Association. Articulation agreements are official documents that spell out the course equivalents that a school accepts. An associate of arts (AA) or associate of science (AS) is the degree title conferred by many two-year colleges. Having a degree from a two-year college can make it easier to change schools than transferring without a degree. CLEP is an acronym for College Level Examination Program. Passing a CLEP test might allow you to earn college credit for skills and knowledge you already have. Prerequisites are courses or skills that a school requires students to complete or have before they enter college, take certain classes, or even graduate. In contrast, a corequisite is a course that you're required (or allowed) to take at the same time as a another course.

10-5b Think like an entrepreneur

An entrepreneur is someone who owns a business. An entrepreneur's goals include making a profit. This usually means taking a risk—creating products or services (or both) and working hard to make sure that people buy them. One solution is to think like an entrepreneur, even if you don't intend to be one.

10-9 Join a diverse workplace

As companies look for ways to gain overseas market share, they will hire people who can enter a global environment with ease.

10-12c Learn at work

Ask your supervisor for projects that will help you master new skills. Seize opportunities to join new teams, tackle new tasks, and build your résumé.

10-4e Succeed at your new school

Be willing to begin again. (Your prior experience in higher education gives you strengths.) Connect to people. Check credits. ( meet with an advisor at your new school as soon as possible. No two schools offer the same sets of courses, so determining credits is often a matter of interpretation. Ask your academic advisor for help.)

10-3f Revisit your strategies

Becoming a Master Student comes with a guarantee. What kind of results am I getting right now in my academic life? And what can I do differently to get better results? Notice the attitudes and actions that create such moments of success

10-3c Connect with people

Begin by planning to meet people. Get to class early and break the ice by discussing the previous assignment, or stay late and talk about the lecture. Your instructors are people, too! Students who persist to graduation tend to develop long-term relationships with instructors who act as mentors, advisors, and coaches.

10-3b Connect with services

Chances are that a school service can help you solve that problem. Your academic advisor is there to help you adapt to the culture of higher education, choose a major, and select the courses needed to complete your degree. You can connect with many services online as well as in person. When you need help, do this right away, before a small problem grows into a barrier to getting your degree.

10-2c Think of character as a skill

Character takes other skills and embeds them in a larger context. This is a fifth "C". People without character skills perform just up to minimum requirements without much energy, enthusiasm, or commitment. Smile. The power of a smile is obvious and often forgotten. Shake hands. Make small talk. Be social. Build on areas of agreement. Help other people get what they want.( Takers / Givers ) Express appreciation.

10-5e** Another Option: Don't Plan Your Career

Choose your direction rather than your destination. Take one new step in that direction. Reflect on what you learn and choose your next step. Be honest about what you do not want to do. Stay open to surprise.

10-12e Meet people

Conversation still offers one of the richest and most natural ways to learn. Informal classes and workshops offer another way to meet people interested in learning something.

10-8b** Plan to Explore Your Career

Declare exactly what you will do each term to explore your options and move closer to the career of your dreams. It lists examples of activities that can be useful in exploring your career. Use the blank spaces to add more activities of your own. For purposes of this exercise, include only the activities that are most directly related to your career choices. Notice that the worksheet includes a column for reflections. This is a place to note how useful the activity was for you, along with the key discoveries and intentions that resulted.

10-7b Discover your network

Everyone has a network. The key is to discover and develop it. Begin by listing contacts. These include any person who can help you find a job. In addition, go to your school's alumni office and see if you can get contact information for past graduates, especially people who are working in your career field. This is a rich source of contacts that many students ignore. Start your contact list now.

10-2 Jump-start your education with transferable skills

Few words are as widely misunderstood as skill. ( One dictionary defines skill as "the ability to do something well, usually gained by training or experience.") Work-content skills are acquired through formal schooling, on-the-job training, or both. However, transferable skills are skills that we develop through experiences both inside and outside the classroom. People skills, such as listening and negotiating, are prime examples of transferable skills.

10-6b Remember the reason for a résumé

For an employer, a résumé has one main purpose: choosing which people to contact for a job interview. An effective résumé states how you can benefit a potential employer. It also offers evidence that you can deliver those benefits. Make every word in your résumé serve these goals. To write an effective résumé, consider your audience. Employers will not read long résumés with attachments and pages of details. Your goal is to get past this first cut. Neatness, organization, and correct grammar and punctuation are essential. Ask yourself: From an employer's perspective, what kind of person would make an ideal candidate for this job? Then write your résumé to answer this question directly.

10-12 Tools for lifelong learning

Going back to school is one way to gain knowledge, skills, and certifications for a new job. Another option is to teach yourself.

10-11 Persist on the path of mastery

If this sounds like a pitch for the latest recreational drug, it might be. Consider the possibility that you can create the life of your dreams. The key is to continue the cycle of discovery, intention, and action that's included in every chapter of this book. ( Recall some high points of that journey. The first half of this book is about the nuts and bolts of education—the business of acquiring knowledge. All of this activity prepares you for another goal of education—generating new knowledge. Meeting this goal leads you to the topics in the second half of this book: thinking for yourself, enhancing your communication skills, and creating a unique place for yourself in the world. All are steps on the path of becoming a master student.) Keep a journal. (Write about your hopes, wishes, and goals. ) Take a workshop. (Take workshops to learn skills, understand the world, and discover yourself. ) Take an unrelated class. (You can discover a lot about yourself and your intended future when you step out of old patterns.) Travel. Get counseling. Form a support group. (People in support groups help one another. Groups can also brainstorm possibilities for job hunting, career planning, parenting, solving problems in relationships, promoting spiritual growth—strategies for reaching almost any goal you choose.) Find a mentor or become one. (Use them as role models. Offer to coach another student in taking notes, predicting test questions, or writing papers. ) Make a habit of asking powerful questions. Consider further education and training. Redo this book.

10-7g Offer a limited amount of work for free

If you really want to get a potential employer's attention, then offer to work for free. When done with care, working for free offers a low-risk way for you and an employer to get to know each other. Just be sure to set a limit on how long you're willing to do this, and put this limit in writing. In any case, you're growing your network.

10-7e Be specific about the job you want—and why you can do it

If your current choice doesn't work out, you can choose another one later. When you're actually in a job interview with a person who can hire you, be prepared to answer a common question: Why should I hire you? Answers such as Because I can make a contribution to this company or Because I'm well qualified are too general.

10-5d Describe your ideal lifestyle

In addition to choosing the content of your career, you have many options for integrating work into the context of your life. The point is that it's important to find a match between your career and your lifestyle preferences.

10-5 Start creating your career

Instead of seeing a career as something you discover, you can see it as something you choose. You don't find the right career. You create it. There's a big difference between these two approaches. Viewing your career as your creation helps you relax. (The rewards are lifelong learning and long-term satisfaction.)

10-8 Develop interviewing skills

Job interviews are times for an employer to size up applicants and screen most of them out. The reverse is also true: Interviews offer you a chance to size up potential employers.

10-3e Find the time and the money

Make careful choices about balancing school with work. Also create a complete plan for funding your education. Make sure that you know how you're going to fund each term from now until the day you graduate.

10-7f Pitch ideas and offer to implement them

Make direct contact with people who have the power to hire you. Do this even when their organization does not have an advertised job opening. This means doing research. Find out what problems the company wants to solve. Discover what kind of services and products they want to offer. Then propose ideas that create value for the company.

10-12d Launch side projects

Many companies start as part-time projects that expand to full-time enterprises. Search the Internet for information about how to develop and market them. As you have a minimum viable product or service, start selling it.

10-1 Power Process: Persist

Most students enter school with the desire to graduate. What students sometimes forget is the power of persistence—doing the gritty and unglamorous things that really work, day after day. This is how habits pay off. First, persistence is not about positive thinking or mental cheerleading. Second, persistence is not about blind determination. Third, persistence is not about going it alone. Finally, persistence calls on you to give up the constant desire for instant gratification. Becoming a Master Student is about getting what you ultimately want. There's nothing mysterious about the process of doing this: Discover the outcomes that you want to achieve.

10-7c Contact people in your network

Next, send a short email to a person on your list: someone who's doing the kind of work that you'd love to do. In other words, you're asking for an informational interview rather than a job interview. Before you meet with your contacts in person or over the phone, create a short list of questions to ask. During the actual interview, listen closely to what people say. Take notes and highlight any follow-up actions that you'd like to take. Keep the focus of the conversation on the other person rather than you. Do not ask for a job at this point. Stick to your agreed time limit for the conversation, unless it's clear that both of you want to continue. When you're done, say thank you. After the interview, send a thank-you note. Refer to a specific topic or point from your conversation. If the person made a suggestion and you acted on it, then be sure to mention this.

10-8c After the interview

Now comes follow-up. This step can give you the edge that leads to a job offer. Write them thank-you notes, following each person's preference for paper-based or online contact. Do this within two business days after the interview. Write a different note to each person who talked to you. Within five business days, find a reason to contact the interviewer again. If you get turned down for the job after your interview, don't take it personally. Use that feedback to interview more effectively next time. Also remember that each person you talked to is now a member of your network. keep you in mind for future job openings. Using this approach, you gain from every interview, no matter what the outcome.

10-5e Test your career choice and be willing to change

Once you have a career choice, translate it into workplace experience. If you did not enjoy your experiences, celebrate what you learned about yourself. Now you're free to refine your initial career choice or go in a new direction.

10-5a Rethink the role of passion

One common piece of career advice is to "follow your passion." In other words, choose a career based on what you love to do. Also, passion doesn't always come first. In a competitive job market, you can benefit by considering two factors beyond passion. First is your level of skill. The second factor is market demand. Keep looking for connections between your passion, your skills, and market demand. There's probably more than one career that can give you a satisfying career.

10-3d Light the path with lots of rewards

One key to persistence is filling the long road to graduation with lots of small "wins." Keep a record of your academic successes, no matter how small. Take one minute each day to notice something that you've done well, or anything else that you feel good about.

10-3a Discover what your academic goals mean for today

One key to persistence is knowing exactly what you want from your education. Take the goal of graduation and ask yourself: What does that goal mean for today?

10-11** Plan to Persist with an Academic Plan

One powerful tool for persisting in school until you graduate is an academic plan. (At some schools, it is called a degree plan instead.) Use it to chart your term-by-term progress in completing your degree. grade point average (GPA) The school website might include an online GPA calculator. check your rough academic plan to see that it: Gives you the total number of credits you need to graduate; Meets your school's requirements for general education; Meets the requirements for your major, your minor, or both.

10-9b Mind the details

Pay attention to details that people from a given culture will use to form first impressions of you. Shake hands appropriately. When in doubt, dress up. Treat business cards carefully. Respect titles and names.

10-9a Expect differences

People differ. This fact is obvious. It's also easy to forget. Most of us unconsciously judge others by a single set of standards: our own. To prevent misunderstandings, remember that culture touches every aspect of human behavior, ranging from the ways people greet one another to the ways they resolve conflict. Differences in culture could affect any encounter you have with coworkers. Expecting differences up front helps you keep an open mind.

10-3 Taking the road to graduation

People go to school with many different definitions of success. For most students, that definition includes getting a degree.

10-8b During the interview

Plan to arrive early for your interview. While you're waiting, observe the workplace. When you meet the interviewer, do three things right away: Smile, make eye contact, and give a firm handshake. Nonverbal communication creates a lasting impression. Respond to the exact questions that you're asked. Speak naturally and avoid the impression that you're making a speech or avoiding a question. Respond to each question for a minute or two. Save questions about benefits, salary, and vacation days for the second interview. Be sure to find out the next step in the hiring process and when it will take place. Also ask interviewers for their business cards and how they want you to follow up. Some people are fine with a phone call, fax, email, or other form of online communication. Others prefer a good, old-fashioned letter.

10-6d Get feedback

Plan to write many drafts of your résumé. Get feedback from people at your school's career center. Revise your résumé based on their comments. Then revise some more.

10-10 Put your health to work

Poor health can hurt their chances for getting a job, keeping a job, and earning more money. Showing up for work, staying alert, and tackling tasks with energy. Manage your overall health. Manage your energy levels at work. Manage your projects. (The first is a list of all your active projects. The second is a list of the very next action that you will take to move each project forward. ) Manage stress during a job search. (Also be willing to change your behavior. ) Take full advantage of health benefits.

10-5b** Plan a Career by Naming Names

See your response to this Journal Entry as a statement of a career direction rather than a detailed career plan. Experiment with career planning by "naming names." (Name your Skills; Name Your Job; Name Your Company; Name the People in Your Network)

10-2c** 65 Transferrable Skills

Self-Discovery and Self-Management Skills; Time-Management Skills; Reading Skills; Note-Taking Skills; Test-Taking and Related Skills; Thinking Skills; Communication Skills; Money Skills;

10-9d Be willing to bridge gaps

Simply being willing to change your behavior can be just as crucial as knowing about another group's customs or learning their language. Begin by displaying some key attributes of a critical thinker. Joining a diverse workplace gives you opportunities to learn, make friends, and expand your career options.

10-12b Go online

Some websites are devoted to lifelong learning. Do an Internet search using key words such as online education, virtual education, instructional websites, and distance learning.

10-6 Start creating your résumé

Start building your résumé now and update it each term that you're in school.

10-2d** Plan to Develop a New Skill

Step 1: Define the Skill You Want to Learn; Step 2: Define the Key Sub-Skills; Step 3: Make Time to Practice; Step 4: Make it Easy to Practice; Step 5: Practice; Step 6: Reflect on Your Experience with Learning a New Skill;

10-3d** Make a Trial Choice of a Major

Step 1: Discover Options; Step 2: Make a Trial Choice; Step 3: Evaluate Your Trial Choice (Does it align with your interests, skills, and career plans? )

10-2c** Recognize Your Skills

Step 1: List Recent Activities; Step 2: List Rewards and Recognitions; Step 3: List Work-Content Skills; Step 4: List Transferable Skills; Step 5: Review and Plan;

10-7a Think like an employer

Take a minute to compare these two processes. They are essentially opposites. It's no wonder that people find the process of hiring and getting hired to be so frustrating. Activate your network—the people you know.

10-4c Visit schools

Take trips to the two or three schools that interest you most. Ask for a campus tour and a chance to sit in on classes. Take a thorough tour of the campus. In addition, gather facts about your current academic profile. Include your grades, courses completed, degrees attained, and grade point average (GPA). Standardized test scores are important. They include your scores on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), American College Test (ACT), Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), and any advanced placement (AP) tests you've taken.

10-7d Extend your network

Tap the power of the Internet. through a website such as pipl (pipl.com) or PeekYou (peekyou.com) as well. In addition, LinkedIn (linkedin.com) offers many ways to learn about and connect with people in your career field. In any case, do not ask anything of people at this stage. Your goal is simply to show up on their personal "radar." Over time, they might initiate a contact with you. Then you can feel free to respond and suggest an informational interview.

10-4 Transferring to a new school

The New York Times reports that about 60 percent of students graduating from college attend more than one school. The way that you choose a new school will have a major impact on your education.

10-2d Learn to develop new skills

The ability to learn new skills over the course of your entire life is a skill all in itself. Define the skill. Define the key sub-skills. Make time to practice. (Kaufman recommends 20 hours (about 40 minutes of practice per day for 30 days). Make it easy to practice. Practice.

10-13 The Discovery Wheel: Coming full circle

The purpose of this book is to give you the opportunity to change your behavior. This exercise gives you a chance to see what behaviors you have actually changed on your journey toward becoming a master student. If there are some gaps between your intentions and actions, this is your chance to tell the truth about that and choose what to do about it. Keep in mind that your commitment to change allows you to become a master student. Lower scores might result from increased self-awareness and honesty as well as other valuable assets.

10-2b Focus on the "4 c's"

Think in terms of four categories of skills: Creative thinking—Companies value people who can create ideas for new products and services and turn those ideas into reality; Critical thinking—People with this skill can state questions precisely, consider a variety of possible answers, and test them for logic and evidence. Critical thinkers excel at making decisions and solving problems; Communication—No matter where you work, you'll benefit from excellence at speaking, listening, writing, and reading. This means knowing your purpose for communicating and finding ways to achieve that purpose with a variety of audiences, Collaboration—Projects get done by teams. If you can work with a diverse group of people, set goals and achieve them, you'll have another skill that employers value.

10-8a Before you go to the interview

To get the most from your interviews, also learn everything you can about each organization that interests you. Next, prepare to answer common questions. Write out brief answers to those questions. Summarize the main points you want to make on a single sheet of paper. Your goal is to sound prepared without delivering canned answers.

10-4b Gather information

To research schools, start with publications. Next, contact people. Use your research to dig up key facts such as these about each school you're considering.

10-2a Succeed in many situations

Transferable skills are often invisible to us. Consider the task of writing a research paper. This calls for the following skills: Planning, Managing time, Interviewing, Researching, Writing, Editing. The basic idea is to take a cue from the word transferable. Almost any skill you use to succeed in one situation can transfer to success in another situation.The concept of transferable skills creates a powerful link between higher education and the work world. Skills are the core elements of any job.

10-5c Use career services to explore your options

Visit the career center on your campus. The staff members can help you explore possibilities as you seek your niche in the work world. (interest assessments, vocational aptitude tests, or skill inventories. )

10-2c** The acronym GROW:

What is your goal: Where do you want to be? What is the reality: Where are you right now? What are your options: How can you bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be? What's the way forward: What option will you act on next, and what specifically will you do?

10-7 Discover the hidden job market

When people say "There are no jobs," maybe what they really mean is "My current job hunting method is not working." There's a world of difference between those statements. The first one kills options. The second one creates options. One of those options is networking—a powerful way to tap the hidden job market. By networking skills, you can discover job openings before they are advertised. (Many never are.) Some people hear the word networking and wince.

10-9c Put messages in context

When speaking to people of another culture, you might find that words carry only part of an intended message. In many countries, strong networks of shared assumptions form a context for communication. Knowing such facts can help you prevent and resolve conflicts in the workplace.

Chapter 10 Introduction

Why--to set a course to graduation and lifelong learning. How--Visualize yourself at a commencement ceremony, walking up to the front of the room and receiving the diploma for your degree. What If...I could gain any skill or master any subject I wanted

10-6a Start building skills for your ideal résumé

With that vision of the person you want to be, choose the skills that you want to gain. Write goals to develop specific skills. Then list the actions you will take to develop those skills. Sign up for internships and service learning projects related to your major. Find part-time jobs related to your career plan.

10-6c Cut the fluff

Write one page. Period. They'll spend only a few seconds scanning it. Bulleted lists work better. The body of a résumé usually includes a section titled Experience. Remember to focus the body of your résumé on what you accomplished—not just on what you did. Active verbs refer directly to your skills. Avoid boilerplate language. The same focus on accomplishment applies to the Education section of your résumé. List any degree that you attained beyond high school. Also mention honors and awards. If you are currently enrolled in classes, note that as well. Include your planned degree and date of graduation.

10-12a Make time to learn

Yes, it is possible to further your education even if you have a full-time job and family. Look for holes in your daily schedule and devote them to learning something. Reduce time on social media and aimless web surfing. Listen to podcasts or audio books while commuting to work. Spend 15 minutes over your lunch break reading a book. Take time every day to learn something.

10-4d Choose your new school

You can also benefit from putting your choice of schools in a bigger context. Consider the purposes, values, and long-term goals you've generated by doing the exercises and Journal Entries in this book. Consider which school is most likely to support the body of discoveries and intentions that you've created. As you choose your new school, consider the needs and wishes of your family members and friends. Ask for their guidance and support. Take charge of your education no matter which school you attend.