Tag Archives: Vision

What Are We Learning?

Why are we learning old knowledge in old ways when we’re going to apply for jobs requiring innovative thinking and new methods?  I’m not bashing my professors.  They were all very knowledgeable, and I learned much from them.  They all had experience in the private sector, but none had worked in industry for years.

My college experience was different from that of many of my peers.  I worked two jobs full time and attended college full time during the evenings, too.  I never went to a party or lived in a dorm.  I graduated at the top of my class, and when I hit the workplace, it was like a bucket of ice water.  I can’t imagine how those that didn’t already have work experience actually handle the leap into the workforce.

But I digress.  The tools and technology utilized in the HR field were never even covered in my college classes.  My first look at a HRIS (human resource information system) was on the first day of my first HR job.  I’m good with technology, but I know that many people don’t have those skills, either.

Steve Boese, a friend and graduate HR professor, teaches his students about the intricacies of the HR technology world.  Mr. Boese often says, “It’s hard to decide what information to include in the class syllabus, because there is so much information available.”  The simple fact that he squeezes as much into a semester as possible, and he still isn’t able to get it all in, shows that at least some of that should be taught to HR students.

Colleges and professors should be preparing HR students by getting them involved in projects that reflect the valuable job skills necessary for a successful career.  Students shouldn’t settle for learning the same stuff other students were taught five years previously.  The world outside college is changing rapidly.  Students will be pushed or pulled into the fast-paced corporate world, whether they like it or not.  However, proper preparation could greatly reduce the difficulty of that transition.

For the students out there, do you think you were adequately prepared?

A Confession about UpstartHR

This thing still has that new blog smell we all love so much, and I already feel like I need to pull a skeleton from the closet.  My confession may cause a spit take, so put down your cup.

Up until 24 hours ago, I had no idea what I wanted this blog to stand for.  I am a heavy reader on blogging topics, and I know that choosing a niche is one of the most important steps in blogging success, but I wasn’t quite sure what my niche would be.  There are loads of fantastic HR bloggers out there (and almost all of them are much smarter than me).  Therefore, I was unsure of how to properly position this blog to stand out to readers, because I feel like I have some genuinely helpful advice to dispense.  And then it dawned on me.

You see, I also have another love.  Yes, while HR holds a very special place in my heart, I also enjoy giving and receiving career advice.  So I thought to myself, “What if both passions could be combined?  What if this blog could help new HR professionals to make their mark on the world?  What if college students majoring in HR could read this blog and know how to find and excel in the HR position of their dreams?”  (And yes, I do think in complete sentences.) :-)

The thought came to me, because I recalled the difficulties I had in finding my first HR position.  Unlike some other career fields, HR is very tough to break into.  It has the paradoxical “you must have experience for a job, but to get a job you must have experience” problem embedded in its core, and that causes frustration to no end for many people. Hopefully I will be able to leverage my career advice and HR experience into a brilliant combination (or at least a short sputtering of nonsense). 

So, now that I’ve let the proverbial cat out of the bag, I feel much better.  I’ve already put a project into motion that will be invaluable to new and upcoming HR practitioners, and I can’t wait to unveil it.  I have a shining vision of what UpstartHR can eventually be, and I’m excited to see where the path leads.