[Agvisors] Weekly Career Notes

[Radcliff, Bridget E W - (bewrad)]

Hello Advisors,

I was on the most interesting webinar this morning that offered many moments of reflection for me and I hope it will offer you moments of reflection as well.

Important things for our students to understand:
- They need to work across disciplines and be exposed to different ways of thinking that can help them think differently about their own discipline.

- They need to develop skills that may not be in their discipline and they need to think about how these skills can differentiate them from their peers. All students need to have strong communication skills (written and oral) to be successful in the professional landscape and they also need to think about technical skills they can build. This is beyond the basic word processing and spreadsheets - how can they learn more about data analysis? Programming (python, R, html, JAVA)? GIS (geographical information systems)? They don’t need to have a major in these areas; they should seek a way to build these skills.

- They need to understand that learning does not stop and that they need to develop a habit of learning now. Reading, taking in information, seeking more. Curious and knowledge-hungry employees are the standard.

Important things for us to understand:
- Current 18-24 year olds are the least working generation in U.S. history. They are not getting basic work experience and this is hurting them. We must encourage students to apply their skills and knowledge outside of the classroom. To be exposed to the way others work and think about work. Students that do not apply themselves outside of the classroom are at a HUGE disadvantage.

- It is important for us to know that the work outside of the classroom does not have to be a full-blown job or internship. It can be whatever a student can fit into their schedule. However, they need to take advantage of the opportunities to take on leadership roles and think about how they are building professional skills.

- We need to help students think about who they are outside of being a student. This is crucial! We are a sounding board for them and integral to their development in this area. Ask the probing questions, prompt them to think about what they enjoy and what kind of work they see themselves doing.

So much food for thought here and I think this will be a great springboard for our conversation on March 2 - I look forward to that!

With gratitude,
Bridget

Bridget Wade Radcliff
Assistant Director, Career Center
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
University of Arizona
Working virtually AY 2020-2021
bewrad at arizona.edu<mailto:bewrad at arizona.edu>

The University of Arizona is Arizona’s land grant university and is a Hispanic-Serving Institution located on the traditional homelands of the Tohono O’odham and Pascua Yaqui people.

Please know that I honor and respect boundaries around personal time, well-being, caretaking, and rest. Should you receive email from me during a time that you have not designated for email or work, please wait to respond until you are next reviewing email. Please know that I am doing the same.

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