Tag Archives: Career Goals

African America Part II: Changing Demographics

Higher Education, Uncategorized, , , , ,
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By Fonna Seldu on Flikr

In African America: What The Media Won’t Tell You, I wrote about growth in the African American population from “The Untold Story”  – a Nielsen Corporation report.  There are other important facts about us in this report I want to share with you.  First, African Americans are, on average, younger than the non-hispanic white population – 31.4 years for African Americans versus 39 years for non-hispanic whites in America.  This means that advertisers have a longer period to build brand loyalty with African Americans and that we should  be careful about what companies we have long term relations with.  Our dollars will be even more important to them in the future so we should spend them carefully.

This will be even more important in the future because Blacks in America are going to college in greater numbers than Whites in America –  70.9% of black high school graduates versus 67.3% for non-hispanic whites.  This means we will consume longer with more money to spend because we are better educated.  The impact of more Blacks going to college is also reflected in the increased African American presence in the STEM disciplines. In 2011,  6% of STEM professionals were Black up from only 2% in 1970.

Finally, Blacks in America are not just focused on making and spending more money.  As our incomes rise at faster rates than non-hispanic whites, so does money allocated for the future in categories such as insurance policies, pensions and retirement savings.  This is important because too much black wealth has been in real estate instead of financial assets.  That’s why the real estate bubble that started the recession we’re recovering from now greatly reduced Black wealth in America.

This is just some of the information that shows  African Americans will continue to play a more important economic and demographic role in American than what is shown in the media.   Let me know what you think about this data.  Next time I’ll share more information with you about how diverse the black population in America is.  We’re not just one group of people.

Talking Good Talk

Coaching, Higher Education, Mentoring Students, , , , , ,
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©: Rashida S. Mar b. on Flicker

In my last post, Strong Shoulders, I talked about the importance of having family and mentors who shape a young person’s life from birth. I was blessed to have people like this in my life. The first one I want to tell you about is a friend of the my family we called, The Bishop. He was not a man of the cloth as the name suggests and I’m not sure how he got this nickname but that’s what my father, who was his lifelong friend, called him. The Bishop was known for his sage advice and one day, he  told me,

“Granville, be grateful in your life if you can have three friends – your mother, your father and one other person.”

I am grateful that for more than fifty years, I  had, my mother and father in my life, guiding, supporting and encouraging me. They are the ones who helped me learn how to think and how to express myself. As long as we lived at home, they  my sister and me to be home for dinner six days a week – Sunday through Friday. Saturday you were on your own and that helped me  learn to cook to eat on the weekend!  However, each night we had a family dinner, we would finish the meal and then do what I call, “talk some good talk”. There were no restrictions on what we could talk about or  who could talk. All comments were taken seriously and responded to critically. Not that what was said was criticized but that meant that if you didn’t have something substantive to say, you  listened and learned until,  then you talked. I learned so much about people and the world at that dinner table. As I approached adulthood, the discussions became more important to me than the meals. I always learned something.

My wife and I had the same rules in our house – home for dinner six days a week for good food and good talk. Our friends and our daughters’ friends were always welcome to join us for dinner and conversation – around our table, everyone was family. My daughters who are now 25 and 32, one with children of her own, still say how much they enjoyed being able to talk with us about anything and, to some extent, reconnect at the end of each day.

My mother use to say that you can’t make the world safe for your kids you have to make your kids safe for the world. I think talking good talk at dinner is a great way to do that. Even though I can’t be with them at dinner, I take every opportunity to talk some good talk with my students in my roles as teach and mentor. I believe this can be just as important to student success as doing well in the classroom.

GradeUP Challenge #1: Talk To Your Advisor

First Generation College Students, Higher Education, Mentoring Students, Success In College, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Academic advisor - croppedOne of your most valuable and probably most under-utilized resources is your academic advisor. They do more than sign your advisement form. Your adviser actually has the best view of your academic future  – no crystal ball needed. With access to your academic past (what courses you’ve already taken), present (what courses you’re taking now) and future (what you’ll need to graduate) and the experience they’ve gained from successfully shepherding other students through the college experience – they have some valuable skills.

Meet with your advisor as early in the semester as possible – before the drop/add date in case you need to make changes to your schedule. When you see your advisor do the following:

  • Talk to them about your performance last semester. Discuss why you got the grades you did and how to keep doing what you did right or how to fix what didn’t work. They actually have the answers to these questions.
  • Ask them to review with you what your curriculum is going forward and what if any changes you need to make or accommodate.
  • Look at your present course load – are they aware of any particular challenges? Should you arrange or rearrange what you’re taking this semester?
  • Talk to your advisor about scheduling classes so you’re not trying to take a spring course in the fall or a fall course in the spring.
  • Talk to you advisor about when you should take your courses to ensure you meet all the prerequisites when you want to take a course that requires them.

Get more information and advice on working with your advisor in Chapter 9 of College In Four Years.

Grade Up Logo - jpeg-rev

Let me know what you think about this post and the Challenge.  Please leave a comment below.

The next Challenge posts on Thursday, 2/5/15. Learn more about the GradeUP! Challenge here. 

 

Start College and Your Job Search at the Same Time

Coaching, Higher Education, Mentoring Students, Success In College, Uncategorized, , , , ,

A Question for the Speaker - CC FlickrThe plan used to be – graduate, paper the job market with resumes, get a great offer and land a dream job. If you start your job search when you’re in final year of college, you’re too late – the great jobs are already taken. To improve prospects for a career, consistent with the future you see for yourself, plan and implement your job search early, like freshmen early. Here are three steps to get started now, there is not a semester to waste.

1.  Interview the Professionals: Colleges and Universities bring successful scholars and business people on campus giving students the unique opportunity to interact with people that may be doing what they’d like to do one day. One student came to see me after a recent career day the college hosted. She’d listened to the presentations, but what the speakers said didn’t help, “Every presenter said the same thing, ‘This is who I am, this is what I do, and if you work hard, you can do it too.’” I told my student that to get the most out of a career event she needs to ask anyone that has the career she wants to have, ‘What is the next step for me? What can I do now, aside from doing well in school?’” Take advantage of the experts visiting your campus, get inside advice from someone who is doing what you want to do.

2.  Don’t be afraid to ask the right questions: Even if they’re uncomfortable, students need to speak up. Anyone that currently has the career they would eventually like have holds the secret to their success – they know the answers. They know how to get that job, career, life – but they have to be asked the right questions. Here are examples of questions to ask:

  • Did you have a plan for success after college?
  • If you did, what was it?
  • Did it work?
  • If it did, why did it work?
  • How much of what you did can I use today?
  • What do you think I need to do in the current business environment?
  • Will you help me make my plan as you did?

3. Use the answers to these questions to develop long- and short-range goals. Set goals on a yearly basis, while addressing shorter time frames — six months, three months, one month one week, etc. Some students resist developing a plan, saying, “This sounds really good, but I don’t have time to do it.” You’ll be surprised at how much time you have when you plan well.

Every student has the time, access and energy and, can gather the knowledge to direct their own career – but they have to start now! With confidence and the willingness to ask for advice and counsel from the right resources, they stand a better chance of graduating with great prospects and possibly the job they dreamed of. Success is never an accident – any successful person will tell you that, if you ask the right questions.