I saw an advertisement for a job opening at a fun company yesterday that read, “Hire character, train skill.” I thought it showed an interesting shift in employment that has occurred in recent years. More than ever, I believe, because of the interconnected nature of today’s businesses and the transience of employees, hiring is based on basic skills and a willingness to be taught, not necessarily on specific expertise or experience. Aside from highly technical industries, such as medicine or computer science or the like, many industries today are not looking for new workers with a specific major in that field.
I know someone who works in the financial industry, but graduated from college with a degree in education. His company liked that he had skills in communication and could learn new material. His company actually didn’t want to hire business majors, as strange as that may sound. They preferred to hire someone with great basic skills in writing, thinking, math, reading, and oral communication—they would teach him the rest. Before I went back to graduate school, I got hired in a firm that specialized in corporate web design. I knew nothing about business or internet marketing. But, they hired me because I was the best writer that applied. I had great basic skills—they would help me learn the trade. Companies want employees to whom they can teach their systems and methodologies and practices.
This idea was in a great article a few days ago on the Huffington Post. The author asks college students to stop worrying about their major and what employment they can get. Instead, she urges young people to major in something they enjoy that will provide them great opportunities to obtain excellent basic skills in critical thinking, reading, writing, problem solving, and interpersonal communication. Majoring in English may be the best way to lead you to becoming a lawyer. Studying history can provide great experience for a future in criminal forensics. Studying psychology can be a great asset for going into the business world (this is what my wife did).
Departments of Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences are proving to be incredibly useful these days, despite the world’s affection for technology and science. Even doctors are encouraged to reach into those non-medical fields to learn more about developing relationships with people and dealing with patients’ emotions and personalities. And because employees are changing jobs so many times in their first ten years out of college, having a well-rounded education with adaptable skills is a great way to guarantee you will always be able to find employment.
Check out the article for yourself, and work on becoming an expert in your basic skills first and foremost. College will be a lot more enjoyable for you if you choose something you find personally interesting, as well as useful for a variety of potential employment opportunities.
I know someone who works in the financial industry, but graduated from college with a degree in education. His company liked that he had skills in communication and could learn new material. His company actually didn’t want to hire business majors, as strange as that may sound. They preferred to hire someone with great basic skills in writing, thinking, math, reading, and oral communication—they would teach him the rest. Before I went back to graduate school, I got hired in a firm that specialized in corporate web design. I knew nothing about business or internet marketing. But, they hired me because I was the best writer that applied. I had great basic skills—they would help me learn the trade. Companies want employees to whom they can teach their systems and methodologies and practices.
This idea was in a great article a few days ago on the Huffington Post. The author asks college students to stop worrying about their major and what employment they can get. Instead, she urges young people to major in something they enjoy that will provide them great opportunities to obtain excellent basic skills in critical thinking, reading, writing, problem solving, and interpersonal communication. Majoring in English may be the best way to lead you to becoming a lawyer. Studying history can provide great experience for a future in criminal forensics. Studying psychology can be a great asset for going into the business world (this is what my wife did).
Departments of Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences are proving to be incredibly useful these days, despite the world’s affection for technology and science. Even doctors are encouraged to reach into those non-medical fields to learn more about developing relationships with people and dealing with patients’ emotions and personalities. And because employees are changing jobs so many times in their first ten years out of college, having a well-rounded education with adaptable skills is a great way to guarantee you will always be able to find employment.
Check out the article for yourself, and work on becoming an expert in your basic skills first and foremost. College will be a lot more enjoyable for you if you choose something you find personally interesting, as well as useful for a variety of potential employment opportunities.