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Using Experiential Learning to Help Liberal Arts Students Determine a Career Path Lakeisha Mathews, GCDF, CPCC, CPRW Assistant Director, Career Services, University of MD University College

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Using Experiential Learning to

Help Liberal Arts Students

Determine a Career Path

Lakeisha Mathews, GCDF, CPCC, CPRW

Assistant Director, Career Services, University of MD University College

Liberal Arts Students:

• Often complain about career services…

• Have a passion for their field...

• Choose liberal arts majors as a default or plan B…

• Do not think about career planning or job searching…

• Do not obtain internship opportunities…

• Do not realize or research their options…

• Can be annoying (Advil anyone)…

The Need

2

• To challenge career center professionals to develop programs

for liberal arts majors that aid in career exploration.

• To start a discussion among career development professionals

concerning liberal arts students engagement with experiential

learning for career exploration.

Goal s

3

• Discuss differences in career decision making for liberal arts and

business students.

• Explore how experiential learning opportunities can assist liberal arts

students with selecting a major and career path.

• Discuss how to market career services to liberal arts majors.

Object i ve

4

What is a Liberal Arts Education?

According to the Association of American Colleges and Universities:

“Liberal Education is an approach to learning that empowers individuals and prepares

them to deal with complexity, diversity, and change. It provides students with broad

knowledge of the wider world (e.g. science, culture, and society) as well as in-depth study

in a specific area of interest”

L ibe ra l A r t s Educat ion

5

L ibe ra l A r t s I n The News

Boston

University

“…academic major is the biggest factor in determining who gets a job offer before

graduation.” Accounting, business, computer science, engineering, and social sciences

majors led the field in both the number of jobs offered and pay levels”

The Chronicle

of Higher

Education

"It does matter what you major in.“ And the differences are striking: For workers whose

highest degree is a bachelor's, median incomes ranged from $29,000 for counseling-

psychology majors to $120,000 for petroleum-engineering majors. The data also revealed

earnings differences within groups of similar majors. Within the category of business majors,

for instance, business-economics majors had the highest median pay, $75,000.

Daily Finance

(AOL Money

and Finance)

"Sometimes liberal-arts majors struggle a bit more than other majors when launching their

careers, but the evidence shows that they tend to advance farther and be more sought out by

CEOs for high-level jobs,"

More Views About Liberal Arts

"You know what? They need to get education in areas where they can get jobs…I want to spend our dollars giving people science, technology, engineering, math

degrees…Those type of degrees. So when they get out of school, they can get a job.“

--Senator Rick Scott

“The liberal arts help one to think and understand the world; they also foster creative problem solving. Students gain intellectual independence, develop a sense of morality

and ethics and learn the responsibilities of citizenship.”

--Steve Jobs

The Christian Science Monitor:

July 25, 2011

• As David Kearns, the late Xerox chief executive officer once noted, "The only education that prepares us for change is a liberal education.“

• “most college students today aren't buying it…This preoccupation with the short term, unfortunately, is based on an old labor-market model that presumes job specialization is the key to success. This model doesn't work in a modern economy where adaptability is the key.

• New Liberal Arts Model – Every aspect of student’s life integrated

– Acceptance of experiential learning opportunity

8

Debunk the Myths

MAJOR ≠ CAREER Different meanings:

Major

Job

Career

LIBERAL ARTS MAJOR ≠ NO JOB

Major Job Career

Business Admin Payroll Clerk HR Analyst

Hotel Mgmt. Front Desk Staff Event Planner

Communication Customer Service Rep. Call Center Director

English Advisor Higher Ed.

Marketing Salesperson Buyer

9

A New F ramework

• It’s our job as career practitioners to take hold of this new philosophy and help bridge

the gap between academia and the world of work.

• A New Framework:

– Technical programs, some business degrees and professional degrees focus on

specialized skills. This make it easy for the companies to come to the students.

– Liberal arts degree have a broad focus requiring a different approach to the

career development process including the job search.

• Instead of waiting for employers to approach them, liberal arts students must

aggressively explore their career options and approach companies.

Aggressively Explore

Career Path

Experiential Learning

Programming Research

11

Aggressive Career Exploration

• Occupations

• Industries

• PATHWAYS

• Minors/dual degrees

• Graduate school options

• Starting salaries

• Entry points

• Job progression

• Organizational targeting

12

Pursue Experiential Opportunities

• Job Shadowing

• Internships

- Co-op

- Paid

- Unpaid

• Volunteer

• Leadership

• Informational Interviewing

• Part-time Work

(professional degrees)

13

Develop Programs & Resources

• Liberal arts career guide

• Major declaration/exploration

program

• CDP (Career Development

Plans)

• Career courses

• Networking nights

• Alumni panels

• Passport Program

• Computerized exploration systems

• FOCUS2, Discover, Kuder

• Job fairs esp. for LA

• Assessments

• Strong, MBTI, CareerLeader

• CareerBookstore.com

• St. of NJ Depart. Of Ed site

• Videos

• SCE/Ambassadors

Sample Liberal Arts Career Guides

SCHOOL NAME WEBSITE (LIBERAL ARTS GUIDE LINK)

Miami University http://www.units.muohio.edu/careers/cds/liberalarts.pdf

Loyola University MD http://www.loyola.edu/thecareercenter/documents/LiberalArtsGuide.pdf

St. Mary’s College of MD http://www.smcm.edu/careercenter/PDF/jobsearchstep.pdf

Muhlenburg College http://www.muhlenberg.edu/main/aboutus/careercenter/students/job/jsg/

Case Study: Career Programs for LA

I Declare

• Major exploration program built around university philosophy • Collaboration with Academic Advising and academic departments • Target freshman (some sophomores) • Self-directed

Job Shadowing

• Experiential learning program • 1-day (or half) shadowing experience (longer if possible) • Work with alumni and employer contacts • Career Coaching • Follow-up session: confirmation of major

Career Week

• Several job fairs in one week broken up by majors or interest areas like Liberal Arts • Allow employers to select which days they attend • Provide workshops each day relevant to the majors present

LA: Competitive Advantage

• Minor (build expertise in another

area i.e. CS, FI, AC, etc.)

• Consider certification options

• Learn another language

• Gain computer expertise

• Obtain relevant part-time jobs

• Join a professional association as a

student

• Develop a job search campaign

• Consider commission based

positions

• Consider companies with strong

training programs

• Consider large companies with

leadership development programs

17

3 Essentials for LA

• Learn persistence (Guerilla Marketing by Jay Levinson & David Perry)

• Learn to market skills

– Confidence in degree

– 3 Strengths/3 weaknesses

– Not just interest testing (personality, values, skills)

• Learn to network

– How to reach out

– How to maintain relationships 18

Don’t Forget About…

• Professional degrees…limited internship opportunities

• Business degrees…still need to explore

• Graduate students…may still need guidance

• Adult leaners…if possible may need to consider experiential

learning

19

Professional Degrees

• Professional Degrees

- Future doctors, lawyers, dentists,

speech pathologists, et.

- Psychology, counseling

• Challenges

• Limited internships

• May have limited paid opportunities

• Confidentiality

• Strategies:

– Should consider shadowing

and/or informational interviewing

seriously depending on

occupation

– Always have a PLAN B

– Look into graduate admission

Sophomore year

Business Degrees

• Business degrees

- Still need to explore by

- Industry

- Company

- Occupation

• Strategies

– Choose a minor

– Take a career assessment

(Career Leader)

• Determine Interests

• Determine Values

– Set goals

– Choose a path and determine

key steps/roles

Graduate Students & Adult Learners

• Graduate students…may still

need guidance

- May not have a career in mind

- Racked up debt and may need

a certain financial level

- May be a career changer

- May not have real “work”

experience

• Strategies

- Assessments

• MBTI Career Report

- Relevant experience

• Internship

• Volunteer

• Part-time job

Coaching Techniques

• Manage expectations

• Explain the PROCESS of career

development

• Make exploration appealing and

easy

• Break up steps into manageable

pieces

• Determine appropriateness

(maturity level, self-awareness)

• Eliminate unnecessary activities

• Individualize

• ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS

provide next steps or homework

• Don’t take on their burden

• Let them be open to multiple

options (Happenstance)

23

Theory: Happenstance, Life-Span

Happenstance: John Krumboltz

• The role chance plays in our career planning

• Viewing indecision as “open-mindedness” and not a problem

Life-Span Theory: Donald Super

• We all have differing interests, abilities and values

• We may be qualified for MORE than one occupation

• A variety of occupations are available to everyone

Gysbers, N., Heppner, M. and Johnston, J. (2009). Career Counseling: Contexts, Processes, and Techniques, 3rd Ed. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association

Tools for Counseling LA

• Values auction

• Elevator pitch outline

• Visualize yourself

• Create a Collage

• Plus/Minus chart

• “Why Not” game

• Rank (Using a career report like Strong)

• Cards Sorts (Knowdell Card Sort)

25

Important Books to Read

How to Get Any Job with Any Major by Donald Asher

Discovering Your Career in Business By Timothy Butler & James Waldroop

Smart Moves for Liberal Arts Grads: Finding a Path to Your Perfect Career by Sheila Curran

Why, then, does this false dichotomy between the liberal arts and careerism

endure, and who is perpetuating it…The future of liberal education demands

that we reinvent and re-imagine it, especially for those unfamiliar with it.

-Robert Eisinger, Dean

- School of Liberal Arts at SCAD

27

Food for Thought

Contact Me

Lakeisha Moore Mathews, CPCC, CPRW, GCDF

Assistant Director, Career Services

University of Maryland University College

[email protected]

LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/lakeishamathews

240.684.2714

President, Maryland Career Development Association (2011 – 2012)

References

• Association of American Colleges and Universities: http://www.aacu.org/leap/what_is_liberal_education.cfm

• http://chronicle.com/article/Whats-a-Degree-Worth-Report/127612/

• The Christian Science Monitor, July 25, 2011 Monday, Liberate liberal arts from the myth of irrelevance

• http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2011/10/28/4-tips-for-making-the-most-of-liberal-arts-degrees?PageNr=2

• http://www2.timesdispatch.com/business/2011/dec/19/tdmbiz10-economic-impact-is-a-college-degree-worth-ar-1553262/

• http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/04/04/what-good-is-a-liberal-arts-degree-in-the-job-market/

• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-eisinger/advancing-the-liberal-arts_b_1154318.html

• http://charlesdthornton.com/florida/35-capitol/615-rick-scott-to-liberal-arts-majors-drop-dead

• http://www.fortwayne.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/SE/20111024/NEWS/111029772

• http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/03/01/gates_tells_governors_they_might_determine_public_university_program_funding_based_on

_job_creation