Colleges and universities are faced with the challenge of monitoring the wellbeing of their students and faculty after one of the most chaotic years in history. A survey administered by Salesforce found that 76% of students and 73% percent of staff are struggling with maintaining their overall health. This is very disturbing and needs to be addressed on all levels in order to help our community thrive.
It comes as no surprise that flexibility is one key to success. The study showed that approximately 25% of students indicated that having more flexible options would help them succeed (www.salesforce.org). This means that students should be given the option of face-to-face learning, online learning and hybrid learning. In my opinion, I believe hybrid learning would set students up for the most success. The hybrid approach gives students the flexibility to work at their own pace but also gives them the structure that is needed to succeed. Students who complete courses in an online format and complete them successfully show colleges that they have the motivation and dedication to put effort into their success.
Students need support now more than ever before. With the upheaval that was caused from the pandemic and the chaos everybody was (and still is) facing, students will need help managing their course load, life/work balance, and mental health. Most institutions offer support to students but you may find you need to seek them out on your own. If students feel like they need help to manage their life it is essential that they reach out and advocate for themselves. One of the biggest things students need to learn when leaving high school and entering college is that they need to become their biggest advocate, there is much less “hand holding” in college then there is in high school and this can be a hard concept for manys students to grasp; the earlier you learn to advocate for yourself the better.
If there is one thing the pandemic has taught us, it is that nothing is a guarantee. It is important that students are equipped with the skills needed to find and secure a career. It is never too early to start planning for your future - my recommendation is to start narrowing down your choices during your junior year of high school. In order to start this process students need to be aware of what the in demand jobs are so that they can build upon their skills and seek out a job that fits their passion. One of the most frustrating things a student can face is not being able to find a job that their college degree qualifies them for. Nobody wants to spend thousands of dollars on an education and not be able to find a job after graduation.
When choosing a college one of the most important factors to look at is the future career prospects. In order to help decide if a career is the right fit for you, it would be beneficial to look for entry level jobs in the field, go on job shadows, and/or interview people in the profession. In my opinion college programs should require students to either job shadow somebody in their interested career field or go out on a mentorship during the second semester of their freshman year. This way students will be able to identify if this career is the right fit for them before going through years of education to prepare them for a career they are not interested in. My biggest frustration with my college experience was that I never had the opportunity to see what the career was like in the real world until my last year of college; luckily I liked the career. Unfortunately, I know too many people who ended up going into a career they hated because they put so much time and energy into their education. Many two year institutions have it as part of their mission to incorporate job skills and career training into the students experience, this should be something that is built in at all institutions in order to help students succeed and get the most out of their education. This would be a win all around, if students are proud of their education and land a paying job right out of graduation they are more likely to pay it forward and donate their time and/or money as an alumni. It is imperative that colleges focus on both academic skills and career prospects - it can’t be one or the other.
If you want help planning your path and avoiding wasting your time and money reach out to me at info@atozeducationalconsulting.com or 612-735-1261.
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