National Institute Forllled at Career Conference

- -Ed \t\(..atkins

The National Institute for Career Development was of-ficially hatched at the First National Conference on CareerDevelopment. Ed Watkins. Doane's Director of CareerDevelopment, was named Executive Director. The InstituteAdvisory Board consists of:

Don Clark -Presidentof the National AssociationofIndustry Education Cooperation

Oluf Davidsen -President of American CollegeTestingJohn Holland - Professor at Johns HopkinsSidney Marland -President Emeritus of the College

Board and former U.S. CommissionerRalph Tyler - the Father of Educational EvaluationMillicent Woods -Associate Director of the U.s.

Chamber of Commerce

Watkins has played a significant role in the so called'career movement'. In 1972, Wa tkins wrote the proposal andbecame the director of the Pembroeke State University HumanServices Center. This center became the first experientiallearning center to be funded by the state of North Carolina. In1974. Watkins became the first dean level director of theDoane Career Development Center and in 1976, he wrote the.Career Development Process outline. This process is being

implemented at schools li~e Clarke College, Macon JuniorCollege. the University of South Carolina and many othenWatkins has taken the process to over 40 colleges in the 11two years. "Sitting a.round commisserating with the placEdirector about the state of affairs makes for interestingconversation but frequently leads nowhere. Many collegeuniversities are taking a life development approach for tbstudents seriously. The Institute believes that the coIl.leadership must be committed to and involved in this proc

The purposes of the Institute are as follows:1. Provide consulting services to colleges. high school

and educational organizations.2. Host periodic meetings and conferences on ap-

propriate career issues.3. Initiate research projects to evaluate the ef-

fectiveness of the career process on students'live!;4. Publish periodic information designed to encourag.

and support career professionals.The management board of the Career Development Ce

includes former publisher Bob Marvin. Goodyear EmployrManager Tom Booth, and Nebraska Welfare Training =Coordinator, Don McCammond.

( Wedr.csday, June?, J97B

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~cdlfi~@ITfi@n~U,..ignedarliclu are 'he o/>;,.;(Inuf The World.lb .:JIJ.

,

Mixing Theory and Practice---Doane College at Crete, Neb. ha~

started what seems to be Ii promisingexperiment in its new Career Devel-opment Institute.

The institute Is aimed at re-searching jot>and education needs andoperating models of career devel-opment.

Doane President Phil Heckman saidhe is concerned about hdping students.learn ~ow to fit .the Jiberal arts into the

(

world of work and "find joy in th~ fit-ting...

Heckman's program brings to minda stalement by former Health Educa-tion and Welfare Secretary John Gard-ner that unless a nation values bOlh itsjJhiJusophersand plumbers, neither itspipes nor its theories will hold water.

.' . * *.*" In rCCt~nt)'ears, growing numbers of.co)Jtge grc:ldu3tes have found they were"overeducated" for the jobs available'to them. Wasall that educationwasted?

It sho~IJn't havc b(.'Cn,not if the stu-denl had ~omc genuine desire tor learn-ing rather than just acquiring a piece ofpaper to entitle him to hold a whitecolfarjob.

The Doar.eexperiment seems to IJedirected8t reconcilingthe needforaca-demicandpractical education.

* *'.Perhaps a good start would come by

helping persons with large amounts ofacad,'mic education develop a greater<JJlpn'('iation for thl..' intelligence andskill n:quired to perform many manualjobs. In turn, workmen might be sur-prist'd tofindhow much exposure toae-adl..'miGsubj~els would enrich theirlives.

If the Doane experimen t enables theworldof workand the world of formaleducJtion to come togetherin a crea-ti.ve partnership, it will have '~~N~~~()ot.clety a great favor. .:1\'Ii,(I,

OfficialUrges StudentsTo Learn About Work

By Tom AilanWorld-Herald SIaN Writer

Crete, Neb. - Workmight bea subject that should be taughtin American colleges, U.S.Commissioner of EducationErnest Boyer suggested hereThursday.

Appearing as keynote ban-quet speaker at the secondannual National Conference onCareer Development at DoaneCollege, Boyer said, "Work. isan essential issue about whichstudents learn little. If youmentionworkon many liberal . . Boy_er .arts campuses you are labeled Basic Courses Theme Praisedunc!ean." Boyer, who has pushed to re- Earlier, Heath Larry, presi-

He also noted th?t... wh,~I~.store basic' courses to college dent of the National AssociationAme r.!.9~.'Jf~pnrm itme'n t~t0 ,curricula, said he felt the cen- o~ Manu~acturers and formereqtffil. educational opportunl~y tral messageof the conference vice chalr~an of U.S. Steel's"ISstill an unfinished agenda In was his belief that, "If students board of directors, praised thethis nation and must be vigor- :are to acquire the wide under- conference theme of a "Conver-ousty:pursued;". he suggested' standing of which Gompers . genceofGovernment,Businessthat "the American commit-; spoke, they must understand and Academia" to better pre-ment to education is not just a the meaning of vocation and pare people for lifeand living.commitment to access to our they must f~l, prepared for a In his speech he.urged educa-schoolsand colleges, it is a com- usefuland productive life." tors to remember that educa-mitment toexcellence and serv- Earlier he had said, "Today tion is a business and thatice, too." the safest thing one can say students, its product, must

Entrance Limits about a college diploma is that have the qualities of "market-Hesaid that while we push for the student probably has been ingand attractiveness. ..

expanding opportunity, "it is around the campus for about Hedecried "thearrogranceofessential that we focus not only fouryears. indifference" by students in theon.theentry pomt,!o college but "Today we s~JI1...mon~.conti- troubl~ '60s and said "bus i-to Itsends as well. . . -'" _ ness did not get turned off on

Whenasked at a press confer- dent of th~J~p&tJ.r9.ta college. the liberal arts student until theence if entra,nce to Nebraska .education than.we do about. it~ \ liberal arts student got turnedstate~ollegesshould be li~ited, ;;sii~ -~off on business."he said: "{ knowof no legislator Arnie c011UJUBswnerlC..,praJSe4:!Hesaid faculties should teachwilling to limit his child to a boaneCollege"asbeingamodel~hedignityofworkandstudents12th-grade education." .for higher education' in its should be taught something df

At the banquet attended by reer-developmentpro,gz;ams... the valueofsuccess.some 350education and career. e Nati~n~t~!m!it)!~,'., f9r.:c:ounselors and business spe- :. reer De~rop~jii.:.IioifSe(r:ialists "from three states. he t Doane. It cO"sponsors thetUrned to turn-of-the-century nual conference with thelabormovementleader Samuel . mericanSocietyfor Person~:Jomper's statement that. "Ed- .A\dministrators. ~ucationshouldprovideso wide \. _--In understanding of the rela- -----,ion oi one's work to society that'10vocation could become a ruttnd noworker should be shut off"rom a full and rich life in his.vork."

I SCSU Career Services

I SCAN February. 1982.Vol. 2. No.1 $,- Clo-ud. Minne'ola 56301

Competition for jobs, devaluated degreemakes career planning vital to studentsby Jean Van Pelt

"Career means life plan-ning," said Ed Watkins,director of the NationalCareer Institute. "It meansmore than just preparing for ajob, it means preparing foracademic, vocational andpersonal life decisions."

Watkins has been chosen asthe keynote speaker for CareerDay, which is sponsored bythe University ProgrammingBoard and other campuscareer-planning offices.

As director of the NationalCareer Institute, Watkins hasbeen recognized as one of theleaders of the careermovement: His kick.offspeech will be Feb. I at 8 p.m.in the Atwood Ballroom.

The movement beganbecause "the market value 'ofthe degree declined in the '70sand we started to face' acompetitive job market,"Watkins said. The movementwas designed to create. moreinierest and enthusiasm forcareer planning.

The National. Career' In-stitute, on the Doane College'campus at Crete, Neb.,created the Doane CareerDevelopment Program toabolish "o'ccupationalilliteracy." The institute'provides a variety of servicesto help students discover theirneeds and to aid in answeringcareer questions.

Occupational illiteracyresults when students areunaware of their occupationalinterests, skill weaknesses andreal talents, Watkins said.

The first -,tep in the Doaneprogram is to begin a life file.Watkins said, It is called a lifefile because it is a process that

begins prior to a student'sentering college and extendsthrough life.

The first thing to enter thefile is the Watkins Oc-cupational Literacy Exam.The exam is designed to makestudents aware of their oc-cupational ignorance andencourage them to ratethemselves on their life skills,Watkins said.. "We define certain skills

that are. needed for life,"Watkins said. "These skillsare important regardless ofwhat major a personchooses." Life skills are theability to communicate, inwriting and orally, to thinkcritically, to solve problems,to make decisions and to usemath reasonsing skills,Watkins explained.

The importance of life skillswas reiterated. _by a surveyconducted by Michigan StateUniversity, Watkins said.

"A large number of ern.ployers were questioned todetermine the most importantqualities an employer looksfor in a college graduate,"Watkins said. The mostcommon response ,was theability, to ,communicate inwriting, followed by the abilityto communicate orally. Thirdwas the ability to thinkcritically.

"Students should realize itis their responsibility to,become more active and in-volved," Watkins said."Students should also beaware 0: their weaknes.es andrealize what they can do tochange--imm'.:diately. ,.

W;1en a person becomesfamiliar with what he can do.whatever his skHis miglll be,he can concentrate on those

skills rather than covering upweaknesses, Watkins' ex-plained.

The second step in theprogram is for studei1ts tomatch their skills with theiroccupational interests. "Theaverage college student canicfentify only tWO or three jobsthat would be real. careerpossibilities," Watkins said.Students should identify 15-20occupations that are possibleand realistic, he said. "Out of2,500 occupational titles in theUnited States, it should not beas difficult as it seems," headded.

"You find your strengthsand talents, along with yourweaknesses, and then you cansay 'Here is some hope. Hereare 15-20 things that I coulddo,''' Watkins explained.

The next step is to researchthe occupational titles andfind out how many are realpossibilities: Watkins said.

"In the late '60s, threereports surfaced that criticizedhigher educational institutionsand accused them Of sufferingfrom academic isolationism,"Watkins said. "Academicisolationism stems from thefaci that universities were longOIi ttieory,:~'but 'shon onpractical applications."

Placement offices havetypically had the responsibilityto meet with a student in hissenior year to help arrangeinterviews, prepare a resumeand match the student with anemployer. Until the senioryear, the placement office isnot involved in careerpreparation and planning.

An important part of thecareer development program isan internship, Watkinsstres~~d. (( is important for

InsideSpecial Services Centers to aiddecisionmakjn~.., .. . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Page 3

Career Awareness Program Schedule. .. . . . . .. Page 4

Academic, voca~lonal and personal decisions all fall under the categoryof career planning, 8CCOnilngto Ed Watkins, director of the NationalCireer Institute. Watkin', klck-off speech -wJ1Icel!ter on what studentscandotopreperet!!elllSelvesfora cereet. .

students 'to have some short. they have on-t\:1e-job ex.term career 'intefnships th,a(' periellces, ,1(<,>lunteer theirpUL.:t.bem in touch with"" services>an!! ex'pect only a'prof~sSionalnn the' field and 'quality', experience in return,show them precisely what the Watkins said.occupation is about. . By the time a stud,ent on the

"Students should not rega,rd Doane- program reaches hisan internship simply as a senior year, the life file willchance to receive credit or contain "the occupationalincome, It is the experience literacy exam and- interest test,that is more than worth the the initial 15-20 jobeffort," Watkins said.' possibilities that match the

Employers -want ex'. student's skills, 'the researchperienced employees and findings that narrow down thestudents become 'really possibilities, records of in.frustrated when they fail to get ternship experiences, letters ofa job because they do not have evaluation, a resume and aexperience. letter of introduction.

Students should make sure

p'resident knows answer toquestion most often' asked Institute:Wheretheheckiscre te?

Ed Watkins: Speaking From ExperienceEd Watkins' concern for career development emerged in

1967 when he worked for the Jasper County Department ofWelfare in Joplin. Missouri as a Caseworker II with an Old AgeAssistance caseload. He says. "I was anxious to apply mysociology classroom theory to my new experience. My firstcase involved a visit to an 80-year old woman's house. She wasliving on $80 a month. had no relatives or friends in thecommunity. and she lived in a dump.oShe listened to me explainwhy we could not give her additional funding, and when I wasthrough she looked me in the eyes and said, 'Young man, helpme.' I thought of what Comte. or Spencer. or Durkheim, orVeblen. or Parsons might say. but found nothing to comfort heror me. Shortly after this experience I left the Department ofWelfare and found comfort in more theoretical questionsraised in graduate school."

Watkins next confronted the theory/practice issue in 1970when he became an Assistant Professor of Sociology atPembroke State University. In his second year of teaching hereceived the Outstanding Educator Award and later receiveda yearbook dedication. "I probably would be teachingsociology today had it not been for a conversation with aformer graduate. He told me that I had been his favoriteteacher. but in the last year he had found a great deal ofdifference between what I was then preaching in the

classroom and what he now was experiencing in his career:Watkins followed this visit with a plea to his 200 students

to voluntarily seek out professionally-related experiences. Onehundred and fifty of the students responded and this ultimatelyresulted in a proposal for a Human Services Center that wasthe first of its kind to be funded by the state of North Carolina.

In 1974 Ed Watkins became the first dean level director ofCareer Development at the oldest liberal arts college inNebraska. Doane College. "My work in the Doane communityconvinced me there is indeed a rationale for integrating thecareer (life) development concept into the liberal arts ex-perience." Other leaders like Boyer, Hoyt, Marland. Tyler andHolland agree.

In 1976 Watkins wrote the Career Development Process.The process is designed to turn the traditional placementprocess from a back door to a front-end operation and isdesigned to bring all the career (life) development elementsinto a coordinated focus. Watkins says, "Traditionally ourplacement efforts have been too little. primarily because theyhave been too late. Also. placement is the responsibility of theentire academic community and not just of those who hold thetitle. If we placed half the emphasis in placement of graduatesas we do on recruiting. we might eventually find that a goodcareer development effort is the best recruiting strategy."

Theoretically, program aims at practicalitl,. ,,/~_.~~:~~~:~~Writer 0 "They need good people out there," says Ed Watkins, who I'1

helps college students discover what .careers they might beeoDege honor students have failed Ed Watkins' test, "

. and college.presidents have asked him to visit their suited for. "But a lot of busIness people In general have acampuses,eventhoughheusuallytellsthemtheirstu- , ,. . .. .dentsareilliterate. . negative feehng for hberal arts majors as a classIfIcation. The

Watkins Isn't comparing traditional exam grades or " , " k h k'll

'bstandardizedtest scores.He uses one test, his own . lIberal arts major often doesn t even now w at s I s a JO

copyrighted creation, and says that, despite different , d h ' I k d h ' '

b'l

" t h'

tresponsesto questions,he usuallysees the same requIres, an asn t 00 e at I~ own a I Itles 0 see w a, ,

answer. h ' .t d f " 0"They are occupationally illiterate," he said. "In lib- e SSUIe or.eral arts, the educational system has failed to make I '

the connection between the theoretical and the prac- ble for - and she looked at me and said, 'Help me.'tical, and most of these students don't have any Idea "Well, I went home and I read all my books bywhat to do with themselves after they graduate." (experts) .:. to see what they would tell this woman.

Watkins, a former college professor, now is presi- AndI realized that they couldn't tell her anything. _

dent of the National Institute for Career Develop- "Somewhere, they failed to make the bond betweenment. based a.tDoane College In Crete, Neb; the theoretical and the practical. There was no con-

This week. he Is at Clarke College In Dubuque, neetion," he said. 'where faculty and staff are coordinating an internship The Clarke connection will put English, history and ,........

program for Clarke students and Dubuque-area art students to work for businesses like book publish-businesses; ers, regional historical societies and art galleries.

Most stU$lentiwho have taken the "Watkins Occu- Traditionally wary academicians were slow at firstpatlonal Literacy Test," score low, which means they to endorse the concept of directing the liberal artshave little Idea how their talents, Interests or skills student toward career opportunities.can be translated Into a career, Watkins said. But "'Some of them were afraid we were trying to turnmost students also are eager to do something about the liberal arts program into a job factory. But oncethe academic-professional language barrier, he said. they see how they can integrate the theoretic study

The Internship program gives them a chance. with the practical application, they've been very sup-And more than 50 Dubuque-area employers have portive,"he said ,

expressed an Interest In giving the Clarke program ~ But few colleges or universities have made thechance, according to Watkins and Louise Oltavl, commitment Clarke has made to the program, Wat.Clarke assistant academic dean and director of the kinssaid. .career planning office. Ottavi coordinated the career --development program as part of an 18-month pilotproject funded by the Northwest Area Foundation ofMinneapolis.

''They need good people out there," Watkins said.''But ,a lot of business people In general have a nega-tive feeling for liberal .arts majors as a classification.The liberal arts major often doesn't even know whatskills a job requires, and ham't looked at his ownabilitiesto see what he's suited for," Watkins said. /

Watkins knows because he started that way him.self. After majoring In sociology, he stepped intosocial work, the field he had presumed would be hiscareer.

"At the end of two days, I knew I was wrong. This80-year-old woman I called on did It. I went to herhouse and we talked, and this 80-year-old woman wasliving on 80 bucks a month - that's all she was ellgi- .

)

.

. "It takes the support of everybody, the faculty andthe administration, In setting up for the internshipprogram," he said.

"Clarke has that kind of leadership, very innova-tive," he said. "Right now it's one of a few programs,In the country, and other colleges are going to belooking at Clarke's experience to see how It's done."

6A ST. JOSEPH, MO., GAZETTE,THURSDAY,OCTOBER 26,1978

Career d'evelopment director' modern 'matchmaker'

-Stafl photograph by EUZABETH KECK

'We have an obliga-tion to place our people'- Ed Watkins

By ELIZABETH KECKGautte Area Reporter

ATCHISON,Kan. - Ed Watkins is amatchmaker. .

But his couples.don't end up in achurch repeating vows before aminister.

Instead, this son of a Methodistminister prefers matching people withcareers.

As director of the National Institutefor Career Development, Watkins isintent upon making sure students inliberal arts colleges can find jobs after

. graduation."We have an obligation to place our

people and an obligation to know howmany we're placing," Watkins toldsome 200 peQple attending a careernight dinner at Benedictine Collegerecently. .

Watkins was In Atchison for twodays last week to teach Benedlc.tine's 158 graduating seniors Job.hunllng skills and to stress toBenedictine's board of governorsthe need for Integrating a careerdevelopment program In theliberal arts currlcnlum.

The skills of a liberal arts student -ability to communicate, think crealtively, cope., complete projects, relateto other people, and understand the

nature of science - are in demand byemployers, he said. But too manystudents are never matched with thoseemployers because they suffer from"career ignorance," not knowing theiroptions.

Watkins' remedy is a six.step careerdevelopment process he piooeered atDoane College in Crete, Neb,

Doane. the oldest liberal arts collegein Nebraska, bills the program as "aprocess that begins prior to a student'sentering college and exten~ling onthrough life."

The volunteer-participation programbegins each summer when high schooljuniors and seniors spend a week atDoane exploring the world ofknowledge, work. and leisure.

Entering freshmen hegln lifefiles In the career center.Throughout their stay at Doane,they can participate In careerdecision. making workshops, takeadvantage 01 the career library,and visit with career center coun.selors.

Students also are counseled on aone.to,one basis by faculty members intune with the requirements of specificvocations. Watkins said they are tryingto avoid the classic situation of thesenior with low test scores and a lowgrade point average. trying to get intomedical school.

He said the faculty also Is trying toprepare students for careers in thebroadest sense, taking into considera.tion the 5.to.midnight leisure time, aswell as the 8-t0-5work time.

Through experiential learning,students have a chance to test theircareer Interests through internships.Last year, more than 75 percent of theDoane seniors 'particlpated in the

program during their undergraduatecareer.

Watkins terms placement as the"Iast.mlnnte check" on students'future plans. Through a question.naire, students are asked aboutInture plans, long.range goals, andthe need for additional careercounseling and testing. Studentsalso learn about Interviewing,writing letters of Introduction, andresumes.

Last spring, he said, 58 percent ofthe non. teaching majors were placedin jobs or graduate schools beforegraduation.

And if graduates discover they chosethe wrong career, they can return toDoane, tuition free, and re-educatethemselves for a more suitable career.Since the warranty program began in1974, Watkins said only 25 graduateshave returned for further training.

The Doane program has become anational model. and earned the schoola $1.25 million U.S. Department ofHealth, Education, and Welfare grantin 1976 to facilitate integrating thecareer development concept into theliberal arts curriculum.

This May, the first NationalConference on Career Developmentwas held at the campus and resulted inthe formation of the Doane College-based National Institute for CareerDevelopment.

Watkins Is executive director ofthe Instltnte and now travels thecouutry talktng with college and

. university officials about thebenefits of the career develop.ment-llberal arts marriage.

In that capacity he visited Benedlc.tine College to aquaint that school with

the career development concepts.Benedictine Director of Placement BillRobey said Watkins' visit was"breaking the ice" to encourage theschool's administrators to evaluatetheir need.

"We know we need to do more," hesaid in reference to aenedictine'scareer development program. "To domore you have to sell people on theidea."

That's what Watkins has been doingsince he jumped on the careerdevelopment band wagon more thanfive years ago while teaching atPembroke State Universitv inPembroke, N.C. .

When one of Watkins' studentsreturned for a visit and remindedhim of the gap between ciassroomtheory altd practice, he decided todo something about the problem.

He dared the 200 students in hissociology class to.volunteer in thecommunity. After t50 students took

him up on the offer, Pembroke ad.ministrators caught on to the idea andmoved Watkins out of the classroomand into career development.

In 1974,he left Pembroke to take onthe challenge of developing a careerprogram for Doane College. Now, he'sflying across the country flauntingDoane's success story, hoping to sealthe bond between career developmentand liberal arts in the next five to toyears.

To Watkins, it an comes down to ac-countability. "Institutions have to beaccountab:e when you pay the kind ofmoney we do for education. Studentshave to be prepared to come out and(ace the world.

"Placement records and the job ins-titutions are duing to help people beplaced should be as much of a priorityas recruiting studel: ts."

/,..., .

"

.'

. 2-C THE COLUMBIA RECORD Thursday, March 8, 1979

. .. \

THE PURPOSE of the : ~."-."~~: . ,. . .""..~..-.~ "..., of

institute' Is to examine new . . ;1..:". ~ '.ways oJ 'organizIng career ..'. . .: , '. .development programs at

f.

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colleges and high schools /rl..\~.:;:.";," .,' ';''u~;:\.and to spread .the word about .'~ ~~i,~~<' . ~~~\,the Importance or career .

~

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... ."J ",,, ,1\. ,.", .~\;education, . ~ ~::''(:l,\~:" . .' Y.~,..:.

Walkins was here to visit ''I''.:~~-:::;1- \ . J.. ~~

Columbia College and talk ..,;: .'.: ';'.:.. .:: .". .jwith students and admlnls- \i.:o..'.: \ '. t('trators about the process of .~1..'71.-"'\';' .' .,nd f r .. .-, no. .,t~alnj!\gfor career a 0 . ~~"'i~~~.~.d'-'lite. ",I,'!'~'~\I.I,,~. ."Our Young people ore It"~ ~ :J~,~_. .: '

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suffering from occ,upa~jonal . .:. ,:.~,:~~,. . ):,illiteracy." said \hUuns In ~

f

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an interview. !'Many you.nl. ..; .Jd"".." ,".:.people dcn't kno'wwhat hfe: .~/'. ... .":.skills they have. . :~I :: '.;' J THE PfiOBLE:'JS faced

"What we are dealtng ~. i . __ _. ~ . by students as a result ofwith Is career ,Ignorance, Edward Watkins this are that they are 111-Iile ignoranc,e Not only do .: a t s rln at Doane In!ormed about their ownwe need

hto h

hel'p~fu~g C:r1:I: ~~We~eswhfch h~Sa student skills and career n~s andde,'! wit. t ear vch bod 'f 650 because o( aboul varlou.s Job possl-to $' we should also I ow. yo. ..' and bill ties

. . I ( $ Do 's progressive . .them what's posslb e rom aneh ns lve I"stem of "Sludents get much of

La 12" compre e" b hi! t' (rom'E FIRST conference career planning started In their}o .. onn~ I~~' ,

of ~ National Instituteot theearlyIP7Os,accordingto televtslon,)~e"lie ~~Career Developme~t was Watkins. a hype 0, a '_1/'., .' .

Grant',': for example. ii you' , WatUns s"id that unlver- Other steps In the coni- on ca~Pu" to talk witwatch tha~ s.howyou think' slUes have "aU nice lancy prehenslveplan for.students . dl:ntsperiodicallyand,that Journ.1lists are re::pon- provams that kJdl aren't would In('lude: .Infoa career library,sible for great social up. using." . Startinga Ji{efileon a OUerlng careerheava!.Theyemphasizehow" With the many dJlterent freshman :ltudent which cislfn m01klngwortshcImportanl a reporter can'be career development pro- could be cOlrrlcd throughout Providing (acull:and they neglect to tell !lbout 'grams now offered, students his college career. ternshlp.ln fields relat.the eYerydOlylife ot a re:- are g.eltlng mulpple 8 InvHlng professionals their areas or. expertls.portei" They're selling the m~..ges and are. getUng'.. ." ' ,show every day." contusert, he laid, With the .

Watkins said he feels that .competiUve marketpiace'of ,. ,the high schools are' no.t . today, the .tudentl'ne~(toawaJc~njng students to the be more Job IntelligentthanJob possibilities."Th.ey're.. th-:Y. are today, . .' '. .

. spending all thelr.money'on . ". Watkins said that most ":' .pom-pOlU.and helme~;" he~ ~qlleges' and universities

l' . , . .. :........

said. .:. ..' . have'.aU the resources' .1- ". . .!-fe;,~ld the purpose of.the' ~~~y, p,yaiJable..~, start a ,

career development process . c:~rdlnated careel' develop-.. I. ~'~'..shake' up'!. ItudenJs':"~eat'~..approacb:"'~ A~e)' : .:

and '~ke them't~.lnk..~!?out '.~uld:~.~.rt on~:i,".~9~t.. a1ly. .;:.'. .:;~. ,what they.re dorng ,with iC1dJUo/ta'1 mottc~~',~':~ ! '. .;..;, :'.. .' . '\th

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e r; )les... " ,~.~.., . . : ~I.. ,'..:,':. /" ." ;'.". "~ODENTS OF.Jh4..'~s.., :Ntg" APf.R4ACS:~:~W::":~~" ,':.. .'. at. .

are'p~tt 9!the'You'AAoW' V091t~)b')' ihe-:W1Jiii~t~:' ..:.., ; ,.' ... ',.::.gener.~U9n,....he.'sal~ tf(Cy"'. clu~es,. 'eIOse...;'con'l:(cf~\ ;"..' .. , ., ~. .. .

., s.iy. 'you know' rathe~:'th~." twe'eJ1' hlgti''school''cb.Uns.ei~.I: ~.. "' .. '. '.'.; " .. .'.1 expla~lng whatIhey'!ctuaJ-. or;'aridcol1eg~Cou~~.'Qrs.so:'. ._ '. ':" '. '(' '. .

1y m~~:. J)?sslbly ~~~~., .~h~~~:commongoal~.c.~nI?e. ..' ';. . .' ,. tbey.'~n .~~~ow. whaT.'.'(ney . ;agreed upon. '.' ". ,'.: .' , '. ~(, .' : ;I~.;..."It.. .c,..,' .

. C .

:/CDJuG~'~8yWILL' tESTER

.~ Record SI:lH Writer"./ Edward Walkins believes

. , :: ;that c;areer plannln~.Is lite: pl;annlng and he I~ tr~vel1ng

;the country spreadinghis.,' :theories about: new ways to: tduc;ale slud!'nts .bout c;a-

Freer pos.!olbllilies.'.\ He says thai plenly of, proj:rams :lttC'mpt to hC'lpj educ.te students to their COl.I ~ r~r nce-ds but ther~ 'Is stili,/ 1 not enough oC-an overall plan

j to gh'e ,tudcnts the amount,of information they r.eed., Watkins Is the cueer de-

velopment dlrcdor al' linyDoane College in Crete, Ne-braska. But his ,Interest incareer developmenl goes Carbeyond thOit job.

Hc's also exC'culivedirec-lor o( the !':alional Instituteo( Career Development.which was formed lasl yearby several leading educatorsand Is dedica ted Larestl\lc-

jturlng how car~r. develop-ment II handled I~ blgh.schools ;and colleges.

I

,;.l-I

, \.~ ,¥,"..t',' .;. 'f: . ..r ',.

\.I

This Includes. mbture ofclreereducatlon, counselingand experiential learnln((,

Watkinsh;JSvisited morethan 50 campu~s and sayshe has had a good receptionconcerning his taUt" about amore coordinatedand thor-

.ougb system of careel' de-velopment. ltartlng In highschools and coordinatedwith career development Incollege.

While /n03t of the schoolshad some or all o( the com-ponents o( .1car~r develop-ment svstem. he said, fewhad ieveloped a com-prehensive, unllied system.

Chinese view ed.ucation/ "The greatest ~i fference "betweenChinese and American students is theextent to which the former regardeducation as a great privilege," say~ EdWatkins, Doane College's vice presidentfor life development, after spending'twoweeks in mainland China as part of aPeople to People exchange.

Watkins who doubles as director of theNational Institute for Career Developmentsaid that while many American youth todayconsider college simply "a right ofpassage" Chinese students study very hard"just to get a chance to go to college."Only four per cent of all Chinese highschool graduates go on to college.

"Once the student is accepted for furthereducation, there is no problem withretention," claims Watkins. "He or shewould sooner die than not continue inschool." College graduatcrs .in China areguaranteed a job, although, as Watkinspointed out, it is in an occupation chosenfor them by the state. ..-

Top universitiesThe 25 educators from 18 states with

whom Watkihs traveled visited four of the .

top 20 univeristies in China. Each schoolenrolls between 5000 and 10,000 students.Watkins said he was surprised at the verylow student-faculty ratios in Chineseuniversities. He pointed out that whileDoane rightfully prides itself in main-taining a student-faculty ratio of about 15-I, exceptionally low by American stan-dards, the Chinese employ a teacher forevery four students. Watkins said that partof the explanation for this low ratio stemsfrom the Chinese practice of not forcingretirement upon professors who havepassed a certain age. .

Watkins, the leader in creating a lifedevelopment "program at Doane which hasbecome a national model, noted that theChinese, Jike Doane, emphasize internshipsin which students sample the world ofcareers before fixing on a specific career.The Chinese term for internships is "to bein touch," a most appropriate phraseaccord 109 to the Doane administrator. TheChinese._u~iversities emphasize a broad,

liberal arts education, said Watkins, ratherthan technology.

Life skills"The Chinese believe, as we at Doane

do, that learning life skiIls prepares peoplefor change ilnd gives them an opportunity

. at fulfillment that purely technical trainingseldom does. '.' Watkins did point out thatyoung people slated for technical work aregiven training in technical schools. .

"Noting that the Chinese have sufferedthrough considerable educationaldislocation as a result of the culturalrevolution, Watkins said that they are justnow be'ginning to conduct advanced degreeprograms. He also opined that the presentChinese government faces great problemsin that their planning and implementationof the economy must move forward at justthe proper. pace. "Too fast puts therevolutionary element in charge," saidWatkins, "and too slow leads to disap-pointment in people who have rising e~-pectations. "

Productivity problemsWatkins who has focused much of his

recent work on problems of Americanproductivity doubts that we can learn muchfrom the Chinese approach to work. "Theyhave 'some major problems with produc-tivity. In fact, they now use some incentivesystems to increase production, a ratherbald admission of the failure of the purely'communist notion. "Further," saidWatkins, "the Chinese transportationsystem is so poor that distribution of goodsand supplies is very nearly chaotic. You seelarge groups of workers stan4ing arounddoing nothing, not necessarily because theyare lazy, but simply because they have nomaterials with which to work."

Watkins, who also visited Japan, saidthat he was considerably impressed by theJapanese attitude toward work and theircomplete loyalty to their employer: "Thereis no sense of a them-us adversaryrelationship between management andlabor in Japan that one so often sees in theUnited States.' Everyone is on the sameteam." Watkins added, "You have to saythat the Japanese have outdone the

Ed Watkins

Puritans when it comes to work ethic. Theyare workaholics of the first order. They relyon culture and classes to inculcate a love ofwl-rk and a duty toward employer in theirworkers plus bonuses for virtually anythingthat advances production.".

View From the Top'.. G'

:""~ Are school grades. . related to career success?

Ed Watkins, director of the National In-stitute for Career Development,Doane Col-lege, Crete - I think the key issue is notgrades,but whatare the skills,technicalor .liberal, that are necessary. There's a report

out from MichiganState, which has the ~..largest placement office in the country,1$J:~

that saysgrades are not that importantto ¥%

an employer, but experience, like an intern-ship, is an absolute essential, particularlyfor the liberal-arts student. The employerssaid they were looking for the ability towrite, and the ability to express thoughts inspeech. Ahistory student may be able to remember the.l492s,but)n6re important is critical thinking, decision-making,problem-sQJv.ing.Students should be able to demonstrate those skills so.- ".....

" ihe~can sit downWithan employerandtalkwithoutsaying"you:';.S¥" 50 limes. In my book, "Preparing Liberal Arts Students.~~tm:Careers,"I ma~e the point that employers are less interested. in liberal-artsgraduates.I polledthosesameemployer.ssixyears

later and listed the skills I've mentioned, and they said "if youknow anyone like that send them over." We as educ.ators havenot been producing as much in that'regard in the past decade aswe'\'e been promising. The actual market value of a degree hasdeclined.Grades holda declining interest because of grade inOa:lion and because it's hard to demonstrate what they really mean.Critical thought. that's what's' important. The challenge is tomoti\'ate students to know about themselves and about theworld.