Take the Time to Do It Right
Listen to the audio:
Read the text:
The fourth step of the Faremouth Method™—Take Your Time and Do It Right—is a step I’ve been thinking about a lot lately in regards to how COVID-19 will affect higher education and the work world. In our previously busy “normal” lives we didn’t really have time to, perhaps, stop in our tracks and re-evaluate the various aspects of higher education. Now this virus has forced our educators to reimagine how we will deliver an engaging and holistic learning experience for students. It just might give us time to think about “doing it right” in many respects. It’s funny, too, when I think about the situation before us, that famous opening line of Charles Dickens’ book, “A Tale of Two Cities,” keeps popping in my head:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epic of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the season of hope …”
Hope that although there might be challenges along the way, it is also a grand opportunity to break out of old habits and create new, impactful, up-to-date modes of learning which take advantage of the digital world of today. This is also an opportunity which would allow our students to consider how experiential learning while attending college, like internships, work-study programs, or maybe even taking a break before entering college to work full-time for a period of months, might now even better prepare one for the job market. This would allow students to have more to contribute to the “New Work World” with a more realistic understanding of the job market, and be even better prepared to do the job at hand and make a meaningful contribution.
One of the local colleges is really going the extra mile to hold an event called “Operation College Grad – from Education to Employment,” to have professionals in the job market work with educators and their students. They have graciously invited me to be on their staff with other major company professionals to offer workplace solutions, practical tips, and career mentoring to provide realistic advice for the students of this educational facility. Some are even organizing and holding job fairs where companies come in and interview students. It demonstrates to me that our educators in some areas are trying hard to adapt to change and give their students the right tools in their tool box to do the best job possible in light of changing circumstances.
Another positive that might come out of the Coronavirus challenge is that higher education just might become more accessible as colleges and universities consider how they might move all of their programming online as well as other college services such as counseling, student life, career development, etc. By taking advantage of this digital world for education, students may lose a lot of the camaraderie and team-building situations and that, too, is part of this changing world of adaptation. There is likely to be more emphasis upon education itself rather than the higher education lifestyle where kids are away from family, friends and hometowns. They will be adapting to a new societal change regarding education. While some activities and situations may disappear or be minimized, new ways of being social will evolve and develop, producing a new normal playing field.
I know, for me, living on campus was an education in and of itself, but the hefty costs associated with that probably eliminated many good students from actually having the college experience. Hopefully, when a vaccine is successfully developed, that might be an option down the road to consider, but learning how to work and go to school might also offer a valuable education to our young people of this new work world.
The four-year college model is one that will always be highly regarded, however, it might not be the only game in town to consider these days. Even before the pandemic hit, manufacturing jobs like welders, electricians, pipe fitters, were in high demand paying almost six figure salaries. This pandemic may have caused a major shift in the mindsets of the workers of the future to consider alternatives like trade schools which are more flexible and cost-effective and are within the reach of more young people. It might even be possible that this heart wrenching change may have birthed new models that deliver better response to the needs of our fast-changing, complex, real life environment.
Just like Charles Dickens mentioned in his opening line:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom ...”
I want to have HOPE that the wisdom we are gleaming will provide a new higher education model which will allow more of the students of tomorrow to become better prepared, better skilled, with a better mindset and attitude for our NEW WORK WORLD. When old models of how we have worked become stale and outdated, new methods will appear out of necessity and replace what no longer works. COVID-19 has allowed us all to TAKE OUR TIME AND DO IT RIGHT and let the BEST OF TIMES be our new mantra for our new work world.
Mary Ann Faremouth has been a regular contributor to the USA Daily Post since April of 2020 and to The Price of Business since August of 2019.
Kevin Price, the host of The Price of Business, is known for getting the big interviews — New York Times Best Selling Authors, Multi-Billionaires, National News Personalities, and More. Price is a multi-award winning journalist, author, speaker, columnist, and business news media personality.
The Price of Business is one of the longest running business shows in the country. It is nationally syndicated and distributed by USA Business Radio.