With summer only a couple of months away, McMaster students are beginning to consider how they should spend their four-month break from school.

Check out the flowchart below to figure out what you should do this summer. (Click on the image to see it larger)

 

Michael Ryu

The Silhouette

A recently published study called “Bridge That Gap: Analyzing the Student Skill Index” puts into the spotlight a critical problem: students who have graduated from post-secondary education are unable to uphold the quality of work that employers expect. In fact, employers are experiencing an increasing divide between the standard of work they expect from students and the standard that students actually provide.

The study interviewed 2,000 18- to 24-year-old students enrolled in two- or four-year college programs, and 1,000 hiring managers. Students were asked whether they felt qualified to work in a professional environment while hiring managers were asked to evaluate the readiness of recent college graduates.

The results demonstrated that students tended to overestimate their abilities. 50 per cent of students answered that they felt completely prepared for professional environments, while hiring managers answered that they believed only 39 per cent of recent graduates were prepared to work in their respective fields.

Students and hiring managers were then requested to name factors they found to be most important in the hiring process. 45 per cent of students thought the name of their institution was a large factor, whereas only 28 per cent of hiring managers thought it was important. 77 per cent of students believed that personal connections would help them secure a job, while only 52 per cent of hiring managers stated that it was significant.

Qualities that most hiring managers held in high regard were the demonstration of an initiative to lead, participation in extra-curricular activities and the completion of a formal internship prior to graduation.

Lynn Stewart, the director of Outreach and Community Engagement of McMaster’s Engineering Faculty said, “For engineering students. The divide is less about technical work than… the ability of students to interpret and navigate… the professional workplace. When students are on an engineering internship, many will identify dealing effectively with people in the workplace as a more significant challenge than dealing with technical problems.”

This problem was not exclusive only to the engineering community but applied to students as a whole. 63 per cent of hiring managers found that graduates were very prepared to apply technical skills to the task at hand but were relatively lost when they had to apply soft skills.

“The communication, the team-building, the prioritization and time management skills are… skills that employers are wanting more from students,” explained Lisa Barty, manager of McMaster’s Science Career and Cooperative Education office.

“Employers have changed their expectations of new hires,” said Sandra Preston, Assistant Professor and Director of Experiential online pharmacy no prescription Education of Social Sciences. “Employers want students to be job ready for their specific job and aren’t as willing to invest in young people who are just learning to navigate the work world… I do believe the discrepancy [between employer expectations and student performance] exists, but it has more to do with students not fully understanding how their skills do relate to the ‘real world.’”

The responsibility of diminishing the divide does not fall upon only the academic institutions but also the students themselves. The study highlighted the lack of soft skills that most graduates demonstrate.

“Students are under immense pressure to succeed academically, and maybe what we’re seeing is that students are coming out of post-secondary institutions lacking some of these skills because they have not found that balance between academics and all the other available [opportunities] that are going to help develop those [soft] skills,” explained Barty.

Preston pointed out that, “there are many opportunities on campus for students to gain the kind of experiences that will help them translate their skills from the academic to the employment world.”

Stewart agreed, and said “[We should] encourage students to develop these professional skills, as much as this is possible while they’re in school: participate in extracurricular activities, push outside of the comfort zone to interact with people from diverse academic backgrounds… it’s not just about getting good grades, it’s about both personal and professional growth.”

 

Would I rather be unemployed, or work for free? That’s a question many of us face at some point during our time at university and after we graduate.

Internship season is well underway and those of us who aren’t already employed are probably looking for positions that will open doors. Job-hunting beats watching another rerun of that show we hate (in theory). But the reality is that a lot of internships for students don’t pay very much, if at all. In industries like arts, culture, and journalism, the number of qualified applicants far surpasses supply of internships (even unpaid ones). I’ve come across many enticing job postings that pay about minimum wage, are unpaid internships, or are labeled as “volunteer/internship” (it’s confusing because I don’t think of the two as the same, and yet I see the terms conflated or used together more often).

Scrolling through job ads, the question comes up again: Sit around for X months or make an effort to gain “valuable experience,” even if that means you’re not earning an income?

For some, the answer to that question will be fielded by asking other questions: “Do I need more experience in this industry?” “Will this internship actually provide me with valuable experience?” “Will doing unpaid work pay off later?”

For others, the decision hinges mainly on affordability. A recent article in the Guardian contends that “Unpaid internships and a culture of privilege are ruining journalism”—in other words, unpaid internships open the door to those who can afford to be journalists and discourage those who can’t buy their way in. Students who don’t receive financial support need to pay for groceries, housing and utilities before anything else. Taking on a part-time job while doing an unpaid internship is an option, but it’s tiring and it means you’re not at the same start line as everyone else. Transportation costs add up, too. If it’s a two-hour commute per day, that turns out to be a large chunk of the summer—time that could be spent launching a start-up, taking a course to get ahead, or just taking time off to relax.

It’s not just a moral issue but a legal one as well. Media coverage has been picking up on what kinds of internships are legal and which aren’t. It’s one thing to volunteer for a non-profit organization that you care about—it’s another to replace a paid employee. If you’re doing work you didn’t sign up for or aren’t getting any training out of an unpaid internship, the position may be illegal.

When it comes to job hunting, it can be shortsighted to give ourselves ultimatums that revolve around unpaid work (“Should I take this unpaid internship now or do nothing?”). That mentality makes it easier for us to neglect our other options and disregard our potential as self-starters. When faced with a tempting unpaid internship, we should instead be asking: “Why should I take this? Is it the best fit for me right now, and would I get the same out of it as my employer?” Forget everything you’ve read or heard about ‘entitled millennial’ – an unpaid stint is at best an exchange between intern and employer (labour for training and experience). At worst, it’s an exploitative measure that makes it more okay for other companies to keep posting volunteer positions without looking at funding options.

Even if you barely have any job experience, I’d encourage you to think twice about digging into an unpaid internship. Ask why you need it, if you really do. If you feel like it is a good fit for you, be upfront about your goals and find out if they’re attainable before you go through with it. Learn as much as you can.

 

Brooke Hamilton / The Silhouette

 

Dear Job Hunting,

Thank you for consuming my reading week. It was a pleasure being woken up every morning to  spend time with you. Thank you for showing me what the sunrise looks like, but I think I prefer to get my eight hours of sleep.

As I write this, you are still sending me regular e-mails under the identity of my mother. I've gotten your messages. I'm still getting your messages. My inbox is full of Craiglist postings that are in ALL CAPS and Kijiji adds that say “Make money fast now!” I would have thought there are better ways to earn money than selling window cleaning services door-to-door or insurance over the phone, but you persist.

I understand that I was not born to royalty. I understand that I am an undergraduate Humanities student. I understand that as such I am destined to constantly be on the lookout for gainful employment. And like any “mature adult” (as defined by my lovely mother), I count my blessings every day that I have the opportunity to spend time with you, Job Hunting. You are the cornerstone of capitalism. Of course, you're not as attractive as your sister, Job Having, but for now we're stuck together.

So here's hoping that this visit ends soon – that it turns out to be the kind of visit that was so short and so rewarding, you could have sworn you had fun (yeah, right).

Temporarily Yours,

Jobless

Erin Chesney

Silhouette Staff

 

That time of the year is coming up when students are forced to come out of their safe McMaster bubbles and face that scary, unknown future. Some will have to make tough choices about what they will attempt to pursue. Whether you are debating graduate schools or considering undergrad courses, it is important to make sure that whatever you decide, you are truly and sincerely happy.

I went to a high school where the social hierarchy was a little unconventional; as opposed to ‘jocks’ and ‘cheerleaders’ ruling the school, it was the students that were smart, hardworking and committed to an abundance of the extra-curricular that were deemed ‘cool.’

Due to this set-up, I was put in a very tough position. I always pride myself off my work ethic and wanted to choose a path that reflected that. So when it came time to choose courses and decide my fate at the all-knowing age of 14, I came to what seemed to be the most logical conclusion. I was going to be a doctor.

Why a doctor? Well, in my school, all the smart kids wanted to be a doctor. Now, I am not saying that I am a follower, for I have always been very committed to being a leader in everything that I do. There were two main reasons why I chose this profession. The first being that I have much respect for doctors and have always dreamed of pursuing a profession that makes a profound, positive impact on the world. The second and perhaps more relevant reason was that I also believed that I had the ability and determination to be in the same ranks of my intellectual peers, and if that meant being a doctor, then I was prepared to commit myself to being an outstanding one.

To summarize: I believed I was smart. Smart people become doctors. Aspiring doctors take science courses all through high school and university. Therefore, logic dictated, I was to immerse myself into the wonderful world of science.

Have you caught the flaw to my thought process yet? It took me five years of struggle and frustration to figure out why I hated my academic career so much. My first misconception, partially due to the context of my high school, is that there is no shame being in a non-science program. The world would not be able to function efficiently if there were only doctors. There are so many other respectable jobs that can highlight one’s intelligence, and no one should ever feel that they have to pursue a certain occupation in order to prove their self-worth.

My second and more significant problem was that I was not trying to do what I loved. I was a horrible science student, and it was not because I did not put in the effort. In high school, I had a regular lunch date with my chemistry teacher, and in university my go-to hangout spot on campus was the biology office in BSB. I did hours of reading, and I did every practice question. I even attended academic counseling at the Health and Wellness Centre (an amazing resource if you are ever in need of academic or personal assistance).

Everyone’s mind functions differently, and it become more clear to me that my brain could not handle science. Consequently, becoming a doctor seemed to become more and more unrealistic (not to mention the fact that I faint at the sight of blood, but that’s an entirely different topic).

The breaking point for me was in the summer, when I was trying to take a physics course. Being a prerequisite for my program at that time, I thought that having all my focus on one subject would provide me the opportunity to thrive. However, after hours on end of studying, I sat down at a midterm that possessed questions that were completely foreign to me. It was at that point I asked myself, why am I putting so much effort into something that I am getting no significant return from?

From that point on, everything changed. I changed both my program and major, and for the first time in my life started taking courses that I actually enjoyed. At no point during this past semester did I feel lost or overwhelmed. Yes, I did have to still work my butt off. But this time, the results of my efforts were finally tangible.

Do not let your family, your community or, in my case, your high school, dictate what you should do. In every class, regardless of subject, there are always students who have no interest in being there. In addition, there will always be certain students who work extremely hard but just cannot do well in a given course. If you are in one of those categories, maybe it is time to rethink your academic choices.

In addition, from a broader perspective, maybe we should be reexamining the expectations that adults in our society place on children. As the world develops there are a wider variety of jobs available. We should work to eliminate the assumption that there are only certain respectable careers. Maybe then, students will finally be able to enjoy school, not dread it.