Mary Jane Hurst, author of “Mentor Yourself” an article found on InsideHigherEd.com, says “Professionals who are provided with helpful guidance avoid unnecessary mistakes and distracting anxieties and thereby do their best work”. Do you have a personal mentor? I know I don’t, BUT Mary Jane offers up some advice and strategies on how to be your OWN mentor. Here is a synopsis of the five core strategies mentioned in her article:
Strategy #1
Get a Life: Conceptualize Your Career in the Context of Your Whole Life
Basically what this means is when setting your professional goals keep in mind your values and personal aspirations. Make sure that your decisions maintain a balance in your life on both personal and professional levels.
Strategy #2
Secure Your Own Mask before Attempting to Assist Other Passengers
In short, this strategy forces you to focus on your own goals. To be successful in helping other achieve their goals/dreams you should be well established with respect to your own goals. It’s hard to direct someone else down the right path when you have yet to find it yourself.
Strategy #3
Do unto Others as You Would Have Others Do unto You
While the first two strategies focus on the individual, this strategy reminds you to be kind to those around you because everyone will thrive in a positive and rewarding environment. While climbing that corporate ladder be very mindful of the fingers and toes of your co-workers so as to not step on them on your way to the top!
Strategy #4
Prepare for the Inevitable
Learn from your mistakes and understand that everyone experiences failure. Expect that some days you’re the pigeon and some days you’re the statue!
Strategy #5
Document, Document, Document
Maintain your professional records and paperwork in an organized and easily searchable fashion. Keep as much documentation as possible in regards to different projects or workshops you have attended for future reference when either applying for a promotion or just your yearly review.
What are your thoughts on Mary Jane Hurst’s strategies? Do you have your own mentoring strategies that have helped you in your academic or professional career?
(Read more of the article here.)
(from InsideHigherEd.com) WASHINGTON -- Community colleges and high schools would receive federal funds to create free, online courses in a program that is in the final stages of being drafted by the Obama administration.
The program is part of a series of efforts to help community colleges reach more students and to link basic skills education to job training. The proposals are outlined in administration discussion drafts obtained by Inside Higher Ed. A formal announcement could come in the next few weeks. In addition to the free online courses, the plan would provide $9 billion over 10 years to help community colleges develop and improve programs related to preparing students for good jobs, and a $10 billion loan fund (at low or no interest) for community college facilities.
(Read entire article.)
(from BusinessWeek.com) New college graduates are facing the worst job market in decades. Hiring is down, salaries are flat, and many grads are adrift. Entire industries have been decimated, from big carmakers to giant investment banks. But there's still hope that recent college grads can launch a rewarding career—it just might not be the one they anticipated.
With the economy headed toward what many believe will be a jobless recovery, the hunt is on for industries where pockets of job growth are a real possibility. Many graduates will be perfectly positioned to take advantage of that growth; would-be teachers and nurses are particularly lucky in this regard. But many others will need to make a few last-minute adjustments to give themselves the training or experience they need to land a job in an industry where they never expected to be working.
(Read entire article.)
Like it or not being able to read and retain what you read is an essential skill when it comes to education. Most students, I am no exception; try to get away with the least amount of reading possible if they, in fact, read the necessary materials at all! So, when I came across this article written by Sam Zolin on tips to reading effectively I wanted to share.
Check out his article for more details on each tip, but here is a short summary:
Tip #1 – Start early
If you know you read slower than most or have a lot on your plate at the moment, don’t wait until the day (or night) before to start reading an assignment. You have no chance of comprehending what you’re reading and so it becomes a waste of time. Start a few days in advance and do a little at a time.
Tip #2 – Skim
Pretty simple concept. Skim the article/assignment to highlight the main points and take notes then go back and actually read the assignment. It helps to organize your thoughts while you’re reading for better comprehension. Then, after reading, go back and skim again just to review and help retain what you’ve read.
Tip #3 – Vocabulary
Keep a dictionary handy while you’re reading. Everyone comes across a word or two that they don’t understand while reading an assignment so being able to look it up and learn the meaning will keep you from getting lost in the reading.
Tip #4 – Notes
Take notes while you’re reading on a separate sheet of paper or type them up in a document. Not only will this help come review time, but also helps to retain what you’ve read by re-writing the major concepts in your own words.
Tip #5 – Stop!
Have you ever been to a conference or attended a seminar where the speaker went on and on for hours about one topic? It’s really hard to pay attention, isn’t it? It’s the same with reading, so learn when to take a break. If you find yourself re-reading the same sentence over and over again, stop! Break up the reading and make it manageable.
Tip #6 – Study Buddies
Find a fellow classmate that which you can discuss the assignment. You’ll be able to discuss what you’ve read which helps with retention and possibly gain new insights in the assignment from your friend’s perspective on the reading.
Tip #7 – Practice, Practice, Practice!
We all know the saying “Practice makes perfect” and it’s true in reading as well. The more you read, the faster you’ll read and the more you’ll retain at that fast pace. So, pick up a good book and read for pleasure every once in a while. When the topic is something you find interesting you’ll find yourself breezing through the book yet still understanding and remembering the plot. Practicing this way will help a lot when you have to dig into that next assignment.
Do you have any other tips or tricks to help with reading assignments? What has worked for you?
Gone are the days where one can make that simple statement on a resume. The profiles and status updates on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter (and any other social network you can think of) are speaking to your character more than could any “hand-picked” reference you might dig up. It’s so easy to get lost in these social networks and forget the level of exposure they provide.
I found an interesting blog, Brand-Yourself.com, that outlined what to avoid posting and sharing on these social networks – especially when you’re in the market for a new career. Some of the points made in the blog are common sense. For example, stay away from hate speech, speaking of drug use and do not use foul language. But what about voicing your political/religious views … can that really come back to haunt you? Read more about “What you shouldn’t (and should) worry about with Social Media” on Brand-Yourself.com.
How careful are you with what you post and share on these social networks? Has your profile ever come back to haunt you?