mceea: prepping students for success
DESCRIPTION
An overview of the PREP model that is utilized at Michigan State University. PREP helps doctoral students achieve success in both academic and nonacademic realms.TRANSCRIPT
PREPping Students for Success
Paul ArtaleMCEEA Conference 2013
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B.A. Masters PhD
DON’T
Assume that graduate students have career search skills in tact
Assume graduate students have researched the possibilities
Assume they are receiving support from their departments
What Some Research Tells Us:
Students are not asking important questions at key stages, and program administrators are not providing essential information as part of the socialization process.
Career and professional development guidance is often missing in the socialization process for students.
Guidance on how students might develop or adapt their professional skills for settings outside academe is not part of the preparation of most doctoral students (Austin, 2002, p.105).
Change vs. Transition•Change and Transition are not the same
•Change is an event or shift in the external situation
•Transition is the psychological reorientation in response to change.
Exploring Outside of Academia Can Be
Frightening Confusing Amazing Liberating Empowering
PhD Abilities1. intelligence, ability to learn quickly2. ability to make good decisions quickly3. analytical, inquiring, logical-mindedness4. ability to work well under pressure and willingness to work hard5. competitiveness, enjoyment of challenge6. ability to apply oneself to a variety of tasks simultaneously7. thorough, organized and efficient8. good time management skills9. resourceful, determined and persistent (and able to live on $2K/month!)10. imaginative, creative11. cooperative and helpful12. objective and flexible13. good listening skills14. sensitive to different perspectives15. ability to make other people "feel interesting"
Employers in all fields are looking for people with these traits
20 successful PhDs in non-academic careers were
asked ...“Of the many skills you developed while in graduate school, whichones are the most valuable to you now?”
Finding one’s own path and taking initiative with little assistanceAbility to work in a high-stress environmentIndependenceMaturityComputer skillsCircumventing the rulesLearning to seek out problems and solutionsAbility to persuadeAbility to createAbility to work productively with difficult people
Transferable skills1. ability to function in a variety of environments and roles
2. teaching skills: conceptualizing, explaining3. counseling, interview skills4. public speaking experience
5. ability to support a position or viewpoint with argumentation and logic
17. ability to make the best use of "informed hunches"16. ability to suspend judgment, to work with ambiguity15. ability to acknowledge many differing views of reality
14. ability to do advocacy work13. ability to problem-solve
12. ability to investigate, using many different research methodologies11. ability to evaluate critically
10. ability to combine, integrate information from disparate sources
9. ability to organize and analyze data, to understand statistics and to generalize from data
8. knowledge of the scientific method to organize and test ideas
7. ability to implement and manage all phases of complex research projects and to follow them through to completion
6. ability to conceive and design complex studies and projects
Professional developmentProfessional developmentSSocialization and integration into a professional ocialization and integration into a professional context and the continued process of learning and context and the continued process of learning and growth throughout a career.growth throughout a career.
Transferable skillsTransferable skillsPractical abilities that are fundamental to success in Practical abilities that are fundamental to success in professional contexts (academia to industry, professional contexts (academia to industry, corporations, and agencies)corporations, and agencies)
Graduate Student Life & Wellness
Connecting you with the resources you need for success & a well-balanced life in graduate
school.
Research Says…Graduate Students who embrace wellness
and get involved are more successful academically, more likely to complete
their graduate degrees, and more desirable to employers.
http://grad.msu.edu/prep/docs/planyourwork.pdf
Essential Transferable Skills-Essential Transferable Skills-WHAT EMPLOYERS WANT?WHAT EMPLOYERS WANT?
Becoming Your Own ManagerBecoming Your Own Manager
5 Strategies for Success5 Strategies for Success
1.1. Take responsibility and ownership for your Take responsibility and ownership for your success.success.
2.2. Know available resourcesKnow available resources
3.3. Think aheadThink ahead
4.4. Have a plan!Have a plan!
5.5. Identify (and deal with) obstaclesIdentify (and deal with) obstacles
PLANNINGPLANNING for career and professional for career and professional goals-entry to exitgoals-entry to exit
Planning during graduate school helps you Planning during graduate school helps you identify and achieve your professional and identify and achieve your professional and career goals.career goals.
RESILIENCE and tenacity through multiple career and life stages
Resilience--the ability to adapt effectively to adversity or change.
To be resilient in graduate school, you must adapt to the expectations To be resilient in graduate school, you must adapt to the expectations placed upon you.placed upon you.
Wellness: The integration, balance, and harmony of mental, physical, Wellness: The integration, balance, and harmony of mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being through taking responsibility for emotional, and spiritual well-being through taking responsibility for one’s own health. Wellness assumes that the whole is greater than its one’s own health. Wellness assumes that the whole is greater than its parts.parts.
ENGAGEMENT in decision-making and skill development
Engagement in your discipline and in your personal and professional development is critical for enhancing transferable skills, expanding your professional network, and creating partnerships and collaborations.
PROFESSIONALISM in research, teaching, and service
Professionalism-- how you reflect on what you Professionalism-- how you reflect on what you do in your discipline and the types of attitudes, do in your discipline and the types of attitudes, standards, and behaviors you demonstrate standards, and behaviors you demonstrate throughout your career.throughout your career.
Job Search/
Resumes, interviews,
researching options (Networking)Focusing
Which organizations are a good fit? What do I need to be competitive? Who can connect me to these organizations? (Networking)
Action Plan
ExplorationWhat’s out there? What options do I have? What jobs fit my skills? What careers and industries can use them? (Networking)
Self AssessmentWho am I? What are my interests? What kinds of skills do I have? What are my work-related values? What is my work style?
Graduate Student Career Developmental Process
Adapted from Peter Fiske: To Boldly Go: Practical Career Advice for Scientists, Workshop at MIT, April 1998. Modified from Stanford University Career Development Office.
Early
MID
Late
Discussion Starters
What are the needs and challenges of graduate students on your campus?
What elements could you incorporate to enhance graduate student experience?
General thoughts?
Action Steps
Name 3 things you could do to improve career services for graduate students on your campus?
