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Interview Summary
Whether we go to college to get an education or secure good pay alongside the diploma has deluded many students. The tension between these dual expectations has made students scramble between getting concrete skill sets and workplace knowledge. Mr. Majette notes that the increasingly competitive job market puts students in a place where they must consider what awaits them after college from day one of the first year. According to Majette (2022), internships are the new entry-level positions in the labor market today, making entry-level positions the new mid-level positions. Students must undergo internships to prepare them for entry-level positions and career jobs.
For specific middle-level jobs today, recruiters seek two or more years of work experience, which is difficult for most college grads to obtain. Therefore, even landing an internship requires some established skills. Mr. Majette emphasized that businesses today look for specialized software program proficiency, advanced technical skills like risk management, or experience in social media and market research on the first day of hire. Employers used to consider their workers as long-term investments, investing in their education so they would eventually pay off in the form of skilled labor. Today, employers want immediately employable workers because they cannot risk training an individual who may jump ship tomorrow after acquiring skills. Therefore, college students must accept this complex reality and sharpen their skills while in college.
Mr. Majette says students must be prepared to accept internships to distinguish themselves from competitors and explore career paths. While an internship may be the current norm, another option worth considering is boot camp. Technical skills like coding and web development, which are required to engage in todays advanced service economy, can only be learned through boot camps. Boot camps require students to commit, but it is rewarding because students learn hands-on skills and employment opportunities.
Apprenticeships are the alternative; they hold the expectations that students are there to learn. Apprenticeship differs from an internship because it takes longer, is more hands-on, and is narrow in focus. Landing an internship can sometimes require connection or experience in your resume, but apprenticeships combine classroom experience with hands-on experience to help the student learn. Unlike internships, which occasionally only offer college credit, minimum wage, or nothing, apprenticeships pay a livable wage.
Interview Questions and Answers
Name of Expert: Anthony Majette
Title of Expert: Consulting Team Talen Manager
Name of Organization: Boston Consultancy Group
Interviewer: Should students go to college primarily to get a job?
Mr. Majette: A college is worthless if it is not a setting where intellectual curiosity is supported and cultivated. Although we enroll in college to obtain a diploma and guarantee a well-paying job, salary should not be a significant factor. Instead, students should focus on acquiring the correct skill set that employers need right from college.
Interviewer: What should college students do to ensure they are ready for the job market immediately after completing their studies?
Mr. Majette: Internships are the new entry-level positions in the labor market today, making entry-level positions the new mid-level positions. However, internships are also becoming difficult to get for new graduates. If you look up entry-level job positions on any job board, you will undoubtedly find many opportunities that call for two to even five years of experience. Still, internships provide excellent opportunities for graduates to bridge the gap between college and career.
Interviewer: What does it take to secure a good internship aligned with your major in college?
Mr. Majette: Getting an internship requires an established skill set because employers have set the bar high. Employers, for example, require interns to know about specific software programs, advanced technical capabilities such as risk management, or familiarity with market research and social media on the first day at work.
Interviewer: What makes it harder for the current job seekers to find internships compared to the older generations?
Mr. Majette: Todays job market is entirely different from what it was for earlier generations of workers. Employers have shied away from some former obligations that entailed training and preparing employees as the labor market has changed. Employers now want employees who can be profitable immediately, as opposed to the past when they saw employees as long-term investments that needed to be trained for their work to pay off in the future.
Interviewer: Do students who do internships better off than students who did not attempt any?
Mr. Majette: While there is no significant variation between students who never attended an internship and those who did, students with no internship experience will pay the price. They lack the extra edge because finding job offers can become increasingly difficult without internship experience in their resume.
Interviewer: Are internships the only way for college students to gain a competitive edge in the job market?
Mr. Majette: Of course, there are alternatives like boot camps and apprenticeships, which can be beneficial for employees, employers, and institutions of higher education. For example, boot camps are confident in securing employment for graduates. However, to initially gain confidence from boot camps, students must commit fully to the course. Apprenticeships typically last longer, focus on a narrower area, are much more hands-on and frequently result in employment. Additionally, unlike internships, students do not have to worry about finding money to support their employment. Apprentices are typically paid a livable wage rather than just college credits, the minimum wage, or nothing.
Reference
Majette, A. (2022). Interview on closing the gap between college and career. (J. Gregory, Interviewer).
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