Clemson Archives - Page 4 of 4

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Facebook for Business –> Find a job as a college student

Yesterday, I sat in a planning session for NetworkBash Fall 2010 with a great group from the Michelin Career Center at Clemson University. As we sat and began planning the three sessions for this fall, we talked about the social media session in October and what seminars will be created. We talked a bit about Facebook for a few minutes and the do’s and don’ts. I mentioned a seminar idea of protecting information, not revealing unwanted pictures and information employers could take out of context. A few of the staff members used this as a seminar with a few students a few months ago, and there was an overwhelming consensus…students understand the privacy issues but what they wanted to know: how to connect and engage with employers using Facebook.

OK…so here are my thoughts:

Make a list of companies you wish to engage with, ones you want to hire you.
Use Facebook to see if these companies have a Facebook presence (Fan Page, Group, Etc.). Try to identify if it is a legitimate Facebook representation of the company or organization.
Once you find those companies, join the Group, Page, etc.
Watch the conversations in these groups and find updates that you can comment on that is not “intrusive.”
Look to see who else is a part of the Group or Page, and look over their profiles.
In those profiles, identify any people that might be working for company or organization. Also, look for the “Administrator” of the Group or Page and see if they work for this company or organization.
Send a “Friend Request” to the individuals that might work for the company or organization.
Continue to watch over this Group or Page and learn the language of the group and try to understand as much as possible: the purpose of the Group or Page, the initiatives of the company or organization, if they have events you can attend, and who are the people you need to establish a connection.
Once they accept they accept the “Friend Request,” try to engage in a conversation that could lead to an in-person meeting or on the phone conversation.
Do not use Facebook as a way to spam the employers with messages, but as a platform to engage in conversation that can lead to a meaningful relationship.

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Will the market bear more education?

Over the last few months I have been thinking about how the educational system here is South Carolina is changing and being forced to change. For the past few years, state funding for higher education has continued to drop substantially, each year forcing institutions of higher learning (that depend on state funds to operate) redefine how they support the demand. Well, there are two scenarios to this business proposition, raise the cost of a public education and/or seek more and more private funding. But before going down that thought process, I want to back up a few minutes.

Currently, my wife and I have been put in a position to support (both financially and parentally) my wife’s younger sister Susanna. She is a rising junior at the College of Charleston studying history. For the past two years, after Sarah and Susanna’s mother died of breast cancer, we have been helping Susanna navigate this convoluted financial-aid maze. From applying for expensive and inexpensive student loans to finally being eligible for grant monies, there is a serious conversation concerning “return on investment,” picking a educational path that is going to yield a direction post graduation that provides either a job paying a good wage or moving on to a graduate level education. But what is the ROI on a history degree? That conversation is soon to come.

We are just one of many families having this conversation right now, educational dollars spent should be taken just as seriously as a house purchase. When it is all said and done, one family can spend or borrow close to $7K – $10K per semester. These dollars add up and can come close to a $50K-$80K investment for a four year education. There is a serious business model behind providing loans for those to get a “quality” education. Think about it for a second…it is a like a revolving door behind the rising costs of education and the educational tracks being offered, but…are those tracks market driven?

As a side note, this blog post comes after a Saturday morning conversation with John Warner, he made me think more about market driven education.

More and more degrees are being offered, more and more dollars are being borrowed, more and more institutions are getting fatter, and now we have educational institutions moving away from market driven education. Each day I walk into another Panera Bread where the cashier working is a recent college graduate with a marketing degree and no job. Take a look at my wife’s MA in Professional Communications, she has yet to find a job using that degree. She worked in Manufacturing for close to five years becoming a strategic buyer and then became burned out and now teaching pre-schoolers. She was sold this degree track right out of undergrad at Lander on the fact she would find a high paying job, yet no one helped her in finding that job. It was not market driven…at the time. Side note, she and I graduated with our MA’s right after 911, the market was rock bottom.

So what are we seeing, educational institutions are starting to get back to basics. They will begin doing a couple of things. Identifying market driven degree programs that make sense and begin cutting programs that basically have no funding. As funds continue to decrease from the state, institutions like Clemson, USC, and other state supported schools will begin moving closer and closer to privatization. Now they will not become “Private” but they will be supported by private sources that have a vested interest in the types of programs that will be offered, supported with a pipeline of talent educated to fit that market need.

Clemson University was founded to provided the “Common Man” of South Carolina a technology and mechanical education to solve the agricultural problem in the state.

From Thomas Green Clemson’s Will
“My purpose is to establish an agricultural college which will afford useful information to the farmers and mechanics, therefore it should afford thorough instruction in agriculture and the natural sciences connected therewith — it should combine, if practicable, physical and intellectual education, and should be a high seminary of learning in which the graduate of the common schools can commence, pursue and finish the course of studies terminating in thorough theoretic and practical instruction in those sciences and arts which bear directly upon agriculture, but I desire to state plainly that I wish the trustees of said institution to have full authority and power to regulate all matters pertaining to said institution — to fix the course of studies, to make rules for the government of the same, and to change them, as in their judgment, experience may prove necessary, but to always bear in mind that the benefits herein sought to be bestowed are intended to benefit agricultural and mechanical industries.”

What type of education is necessary for the “Common Man” of South Carolina today? One of the “new technologies” is automotive innovation as seen with the creation ICAR. What other innovative, market driven, educational tracks will be created and be supported through private funds? This will be decided because in 2011, the federal stimulus money provided to subsidize the short fall for the 2010 academic year will be gone, and the fat will have to be trimmed and the deficit will have to be managed. You can read about the impact on Clemson in President Barker’s Blog.

Over the past 50 years, especially during the rising and falling economies, their has been an upward trend in expansion of higher education degree tracks. More and more diverse educational opportunities were created either by the market or a vision. More and more dollars were spent by families in a competitive battle between educational institutions. Now, we will be getting back to basics. Degree programs that have a path. General education requirements will be re-evaluated and the new professors will be ones of innovation, entrepreneurship, and educational economics (bring true business value to the classroom).

There was at one time in this great nation the opportunity to get a law degree or a medical degree without a four year bachelorate education…why not today. Is it time to reconsider the four year track for a BA or BS and combine with graduate level education? How can we put value back in the education we pay dearly for and work hard to obtain. Right now, some of it is not worth the piece of paper that it is printed upon, but rather the interest it is accruing for those student loan payments we pay each month. We are paying ours each month as Sarah walks into the daycare classroom each day.

What about my sister-in-law working on a BA in History? It is our hope she will keep on studying to become a librarian after getting a Masters from University of South Carolina. That separate degree was not created for the job market but for the institution’s margin. They are in that cyclic process of creating new degrees just to make money.

The higher education system in South Carolina is fat and needs some trimming, not only from a degree offering stand point, but also from a market position. There is a need to critically examine the type of high dollar education that is being taught and figure out what is really necessary to provide a market bearing education.

So on this line of conversation, there are groups that are wanting to capitalize educationally with this current market. Take Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina. Here is a group that makes money off of transactions. They are a company of IT professionals and they build their systems on COBOL. They are in a position to aggressively seek the next wave innovators to fill positions that are being vacated through attrition. The problem, it is not cool to go into “IT” anymore and the educational systems are not teaching COBOL. So Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina has teamed up with educational institutions like University of South Carolina, Clemson, and others along with IBM to re-shape the perception and educational tracks for the world of “IT”. There is a market need and there is value in teaming up with high education to shape curriculum so that the Blue Cross Blue Shields of the world can capitalize on the new emerging talent. This entity is know as the Consortium for Enterprise Systems Management and is based in Columbia, SC. This group is a marketing engine working with groups to change the face of “IT” and educate and recruit the new talent but educate and reshape our educational system from K-12 to higher education.

So ask yourself, if you had to do it all over again…what would you study? Would you study your passion or what the market would bear. Maybe it is a combination of both, but it is time to shift that conversation back to where there is a need in the market for job opportunity and growth. Or…is a higher education truly standardized just for jobs or theoretical education? The pendulum is swinging back and it is time to figure out what is up next for our new leadership. That leadership are those students, our children, our future, our legacy. Remember, it is up to us to help shape our future…the decisions we make now will shape how we, our children, and our children’s children will live one day.

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Finding your sphere of influence?

As I get ready to go speak to a group of college students during their weekly organization meeting, I sat down and thought for a few moments, jotted some notes, and pulled my ideas together. About a month ago, I received this email from one of my former students to speak during their regularly scheduled meeting:

“Hi Bobby,

I hope you are having a great semester so far. I know that Grace and I gained so much from taking your class this past semester and I was wondering if you would be willing to come speak to the rest of oursorority. Beyond the experience from planning an event, I personally gained the most from learning how to pitch myself and networking to buildbusiness relationships. I feel that these skills are extremely importantfor those who are starting to interview for jobs and internships. I thinkthat the women of Sigma Kappa could greatly benefit from learning theseskills as well. Sigma Kappa is having a chapter meeting on Sunday, March 28th at 7 p.m. and I was wondering if you would be willing to come speakfor about 30 minutes. Please let me know if you are interested.

Thank you for your time.
Morgan”

So as I sat today to bring my thoughts together…I wondered, how am I going to give them something relevant to walk away and ponder? Here we have a collection of students from freshman to seniors, those who are just happy to be in school and enjoying the joys of college to those who are sweating if they will be employed in a few months. But it comes down to this, it does not matter if you are a freshman in college, a senior in college, in graduate school, looking for a job, have a job, entrepreneur, home body, nobody, somebody, CEO, or man on the street…it is all about relationships.

So here are my notes for tonight’s little chat…in the form of questions and discussion:

Why am “I” here today?
Why do “we”join groups?
Where do “we” want to be in five years?
Where do “we” want to be in ten years?
Who is in your room of “influence”?
Who have you met “new” today?
How can “we” leverage those relationships?
What are “Our” dreams?
How do we turn those “Dreams” into realities?

Here is the actual presentation…I used Prezi to put this little talk together!

Your Community on Prezi

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Ownership is more than task oriented learning!

This is the first time I am teaching Technical Writing at Clemson University, which is based in the Department of English. It was a last minute request by the department since they had a full time lecturer give their notice on January 1 of this year. Years ago, I took Technical Writing as an undergraduate and Technical Editing as a graduate student.

There are two classes wrapped around professional, advanced writing based solely on the type of students and the academic curriculum. You find more science based students (engineering, sciences, etc.) in Technical Writing and more business and liberal arts students in Business Writing.

So I decided to build the class around the needs of the students, where the students could take on ownership of the curriculum and I would provide the direction and professional instruction. So, I gave them a few example syllabuses from other Technical Writing classes at Clemson. I asked to to take the syllabuses and the book that is required, separate into groups, and build a syllabus based on their needs and wants. I gave them two days to take this information, collaborate with their group members to write this syllabus, and then be prepared to propose to the class what the syllabus would offer. Then, the whole class would vote which syllabus to use.

I knew that each group would propose different approaches but ultimately there would similar themes which would lead to having a hard time to vote on one particular syllabus. The consensus…well the favorite syllabus had nothing to do with curriculum but how the group wrote and clearly communicated in the document an obtainable plan. So, we decided to take the core consistent elements, and put them into the well written syllabus structure one of the groups created.

But here is what they learned…this group of engineers, mathematicians, and scientists learned how to write, communicate, and sell their vision. While they presented, other class members had questions and concerns. These ideas were voiced and at sometimes, heated discussion took place over a project that some did not feel comfortable taking part…live interviewing.

The first day of class, each student just wanted a syllabus. They wanted a “professor” to just tell them what to do so they could read the chapter, study for a test, and move to the next task. They were quiet, reserved, and un-willing to voice opinions. What has happened in just two weeks…a group has taken ownership of the time they are investing in three hours a week. Ownership in class instruction and all the outside work associated with this semester.

They are not only thinking…but taking ownership in their future. They are acting like entrepreneurs, visionaries…those who want to engage and take an active role in the educational experience that they are investing.

I love teaching!

This is the first time I am teaching Technical Writing at Clemson University, which is based in the Department of English. It was a last minute request by the department since they had a full time lecturer give their notice on January 1 of this year. Years ago, I took Technical Writing as an undergraduate and Technical Editing as a graduate student.

There are two classes wrapped around professional, advanced writing based solely on the type of students and the academic curriculum. You find more science based students (engineering, sciences, etc.) in Technical Writing and more business and liberal arts students in Business Writing.

So I decided to build the class around the needs of the students, where the students could take on ownership of the curriculum and I would provide the direction and professional instruction. So, I gave them a few example syllabuses from other Technical Writing classes at Clemson. I asked to to take the syllabuses and the book that is required, separate into groups, and build a syllabus based on their needs and wants. I gave them two days to take this information, collaborate with their group members to write this syllabus, and then be prepared to propose to the class what the syllabus would offer. Then, the whole class would vote which syllabus to use.

I knew that each group would propose different approaches but ultimately there would similar themes which would lead to having a hard time to vote on one particular syllabus. The consensus…well the favorite syllabus had nothing to do with curriculum but how the group wrote and clearly communicated in the document an obtainable plan. So, we decided to take the core consistent elements, and put them into the well written syllabus structure one of the groups created.

But here is what they learned…this group of engineers, mathematicians, and scientists learned how to write, communicate, and sell their vision. While they presented, other class members had questions and concerns. These ideas were voiced and at sometimes, heated discussion took place over a project that some did not feel comfortable taking part…live interviewing.

The first day of class, each student just wanted a syllabus. They wanted a “professor” to just tell them what to do so they could read the chapter, study for a test, and move to the next task. They were quiet, reserved, and un-willing to voice opinions. What has happened in just two weeks…a group has taken ownership of the time they are investing in three hours a week. Ownership in class instruction and all the outside work associated with this semester.

They are not only thinking…but taking ownership in their future. They are acting like entrepreneurs, visionaries…those who want to engage and take an active role in the educational experience that they are investing.

I love teaching!

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Building your “Tribe” through Digital Literacy

As I sit here in my ENGL 304 Business Writing Class at Clemson…I watch the Team (well students) take their first test. It is 43 multiple choice answers with a discussion answer. I am thinking about how I tried to make this more of a team exercise. Well…I tried something different (at-least to me).

I had already pre-written the test and took all the questions and framed them into study questions. After doing so, I uploaded the study questions onto Google Docs where all of the class documents live. I then invited all of the team members in the class to look at the document giving them access as editors.

When we came into the class previous from the test, we had a collaborative study session. I asked them to divide into groups where each group handled one chapter from the book. I then asked them for one of the group members to use their laptops to access the study guide I invited them into, then work together to answer the questions in Google Docs with the ability to use their book and each others knowledge.

This is what is cool about Google Docs, it allows multiple individuals to access a document from different geographic locations and edit the document in real time. Each member that is online working in the document can watch other editors write in the document. This is a powerful collaborative learning tool.

As each member of each group in the class was looking for answers and updating the document, they were not only collaborating online but also verbally within a group but also between groups. Then after the class was over, they had one document that they could refer to as a study guide for the test. Over the next day, I noticed that different individuals were going into the document, refining the answers, and updating information.

WOW – DIGITAL LITERACY! Using technology to collaborate and educate not only themselves but each other. I was inspired by their buy-in. They all came into class empowered to take the test.

Now, here is the bigger picture. I love this part…they were building relationships with their team members. They were breaking down barriers and working with other people in the class they normally would not associate and building trust, building relationships. Imagine if one day these team members, these students might actually do business together outside of the educational setting. Imagine if two students in this class came together one day and were leaders in a community. These team members are our tomorrow. They will be deciding how my children (and their children) will be effected by healthcare, the economy, etc., etc., etc. Digital Literacy, Collaboration, Open Source Technology – it Empowers Our Tomorrow!

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Empowering our tomorrow!

I was asked to speak to the Delta Sigma Pi Business Fraternity this past Wednesday and was I amazed by the turnout.

Last Spring I spoke to the group and there were only about 15 students that attended the meeting. But when I showed up on Wednesday night, I was overwhelmed by the turnout. I would say close to 60 students were in attendance to one of many Delta Sigma Pi recruiting events.

These aspiring, young entrepreneurs were dressed to impress. Not only did they have their business digs on…they had their conversation caps ready. The conversation for the night was networking, entrepreneurship, and leaving a lasting legacy.

They are our future. These students are the ones that will take care of my children. They will be the business leaders of tomorrow making decisions about my “Social Security”, my healthcare, my children’s tomorrow. Education is more than just education…it is about EMPOWERING our tomorrow. Empowering them to make their mark and create a lasting legacy.

I was thinking about legacy and what it means to leave your footprint. I gradated from Clemson twice, first in 1997 with a BS in Mathematics and then in 2003 with a MA in Professional Communications. As I was walking to my Business Writing Class…I found this…my name in the sidewalk here on Clemson’s Campus.