 It
has been a nostalgic time for me these last couple
of months. I have had the pleasure of running into
many former students as I have traveled throughout
the West attending conferences and book signings.
What strikes me most when I am intercepted by a UCSBer
during
my travels is the energy and optimism with which
they are approaching the future. Our alumni have
not only
adapted to the changing job market, many are flourishing.
Most of them have been alumni for at least three years,
some as many as fifteen and yet the overriding theme
in their conversations is an unmistakable pride not only
in the work they do but in how they are living their
lives. Several have had close brushes with death or lived
through some other family tragedy that really tested
their strength as individuals and gave them reason to
pause and take stock of their lives. I heard them talk
about a more balanced lifestyle that honors both their
professional and personal needs. I heard men brag about
coaching their daughters in little league and what great
athletes they are. One woman was effusive in describing
the software package she and her teenage son designed
and are currently selling over the internet. Almost all
spoke at length about their community involvement not
as an add on in their lives but as an integral part of
who they are as adults and the messages they are trying
to convey to their children.
What seemed apparent to me during my visits with UCSB
alumni is that in today’s market place, our students
have learned to adapt and aggressively negotiate with
their employers for more control over their time. Having
spent the first couple of years after graduation building
up skill sets and acquiring valuable experience, many
of the more senior alumni are firmly ensconced in the
portfolio professional mode that allows them to work
for more than one organization at a time and contract
for projects that are time limited. This allows for predictable
blocks of free time to spend with their families or pursuing
other interests, work related or otherwise. Several of
them had not worked full time for several years and their
income had increased. They attributed their increase
in income to the more entrepreneurial ventures they took
on once they decreased the number of hours they were
on somebody else’s payroll.
I have written about multiple work roles and the idea
of more professionals looking at part-time or contract
work as a way to blend their work and lifestyle needs.
The job market will call for us to be more assertive
in planning our retirement and benefits packages as part
of our responsibility not that of the employer. Free
lancers will need to restructure their fee schedule to
include the cost of insurance and retirement plans and
look to professional organizations for group insurance
rates and other investment plans.
As a career counselor at UCSB I have watched thousands
of you march through graduation exercises. I have always
believed that the fruits of our collective labor at the
university are not fully realized until later in these
graduates lives as they take on life’s battles
and win some, lose some but continue to persist. As I
sit at my desk at UCSB and work with students I can truly
say there will be academy award winners, a Pulitzer Prize
winners and achievers in all walks of life. These young
scientists who sit across the desk from me will find
amazing and meaningful information the universe is just
waiting for them to discover.
They have much to learn from you. Not only can they
learn from your work experiences but more importantly
for me, you can teach them valuables lessons in how
to life their lives. That with privilege comes the
responsibility to give back to the community not because
it looks good on your resume but because it is the
right think to do. You provide excellent role models
for those still chipping away at their undergraduate
degrees and I encourage you to consider becoming a
part of the alumni associations Career Connections.
This is a program created as a means for alumni and
current students to meet and share valuable information
and insight in making career decisions. Share the benefit
of your experience and you just might get back in touch
with those good old days at UCSB.
If you see me at an airport, hotel or conference why
don’t you catch up and say hello.
|
