A few weeks ago, I was brainstorming ideas for how to make the CMU Engineers Without Borders website more useful to our members. It occurred to me that it might be helpful to compile a running list of resources for students who are not interested in working for an engineering firm during the summer, or after graduation, and instead want to work for a non-profit organization, or for a start-up company – for a cause that means something to them. This list would include (but would not be limited to) organizations similar to EWB (non-profits, start-ups, etc.) that focus on sustainable international development; Carnegie Mellon faculty and alumni who are doing this kind of work; relevant books, websites, TED talks (I’m addicted), Nicholas Kristof columns (I heart him); and fellowship/scholarship opportunities for service-oriented engineers.
In discussing this idea with some friends, it dawned on me that this list might be a valuable resource for many students, and not just members of EWB. Perhaps there is a real need for an alternative career center (at Carnegie Mellon, and at other universities) that would provide a supportive environment for students who seek an unconventional career path, or want to try something different before settling into more stable employment. Well this was kind of a crazy thought, but it stuck with me, so I decided to engage the Career Center at CMU to see if there was a mutual interest in exploring this idea further.
Turns out, there was! Farouk, the Director of the Career Center, immediately took to the idea. He understood that for such a cutting-edge and interdisciplinary university, we could do more to help students reflect on their priorities and come up with out-of-the-box opportunities for employment. The initiative is still very free form right now, but the point is that times are changing. The idea of a career is quickly becoming outdated: less people are working for the same company for 40 years, and more are hopping around from one opportunity to the next as their own interests and needs evolve. Now, with the Internet and globalization, there is literally a world of opportunity available to us, and our generation has the opportunity to break the mold and pursue a different kind of career that is more in tune with the rapidly changing environment in which we live.
So, what do you think? What’s the next step? How should this alternative career center operate, and what should be its purpose? How can we show students that it’s okay to do something a little on the edge, and provide resources and networks for us to tap into that will propel us forward on this path?
Hurray! I think this is an excellent idea, Erica. For all of its innovation, Carnegie Mellon really seems to shove its students down the typical path - Tepper kids to the corporate world of finance, English majors to newspapers and magazines, engineers to industry.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of English majors, I've seen a lack of support from my department because I'm following a career path that next to no one at Carnegie Mellon chooses. Forget on-campus recruitment. For internships (and soon enough, jobs), I hit the pavement on my own.
I think one great way to kick off the idea is an AOC - Alternative Opportunities Conference. Sure, organizations like Teach For America and AmeriCorps could come; but you could bring in start-ups, global sustainability non-profits, artists' residencies, and more to showcase exciting opportunities.
As far as showing students it's OK to pursue something off the beaten path, one program I like at CMU is the Show + Tell series; it brings in alumni-started companies like DeepLocal and ModCloth to tell their story, and it's inspiring. Perhaps a (fun) lecture series like this could help students reconceptualize the meaning of their degree in our fast-paced, global economy.
The three factors that most dominate in individual motivation are autonomy, mastery, and purpose. I think we're looking for careers that can provide us with a sense of purpose.
ReplyDeletePerhaps if companies are asked at career fairs to display not "what" they do but "why" they do it. Changing that dynamic, and getting information about their purpose is the first step in discovering jobs that are purpose driven.