STUDENT: Build a Playground and Stretch Your Ideas - Part 3 of 4 - Alex Grimnes

In the previous parts of this series, we explored the opinions and insights of both entrepreneurs and academics in reference to the importance of a specialized major for students. Both articles provided valuable information into our quest for a deeper understanding, and created a solid foundation in order to move into the next part of the series. In part 3, we will explore the application of a student’s degree and experience in everything business.

Before we jump head first into the business aspect of education, here is a summary of the foundation built by parts 1 and 2:

The comprehensive application of a solid degree cannot be ignored. The value derived from both the education and the experience is indispensable.

As students, businesses look to us for our research, our skill, and the potential profitability of our hard work. In this current economic climate, the step from academic career to professional career isn’t as smooth as it once was. For some, it makes life just that much harder, but for others, it is a call to action.

If the end goal is just to graduate from school, well, good luck. There are students out there that spend their entire academic careers boasting of future luxuries and success, but lack the talents and work ethic to actually apply their $100,000 education when they need it. Don’t be one of these people. Please, I beg you, don’t be one of these people. Find opportunities during your time in school to actually apply that education that you leveraged future income for.

If the opportunity doesn’t present itself in the form of a job or an internship, create it. If you fancy yourself an entrepreneur, I recommend you spend time catching up with our anonymous contributor, The Phantom CEO, and our lead entrepreneurial columnist, Travis Corrigan.  Creating your own playground to stretch ideas is one of the most efficient ways to test yourself against the market.

In other words, one cannot rely on education alone to achieve their goals. Those days are past us. But, I feel, this will only strengthen the genius minds and creative souls that will reshape our world. Businesses may seek students with a high GPA, but experience and personal ingenuity are valued at the same level. I will reiterate my point; students cannot rely simply on their diplomas alone anymore. Businesses look for students with outside experience in their field of study to weed out all of the “ordinary” applicants.

Within the limited reach of my network, I have found countless opportunities to venture outside of the ordinary classroom to gain invaluable experience. For one, the Huntsman School of Business offers multiple programs that accelerate students far beyond the prospects of their hometowns. I have personal connections with students associated with the Huntsman Scholars, Koch Scholars, and Opportunity Quest. All work to provide the opportunity for students to work and interact with real businesses, theories, and opportunities that will reshape societal and business paradigms.

Another unique opportunity that I have found is through the University of Utah. This organization is called The Foundry. I will note that I have used their youtube videos, open curriculum, and member intellect to organize this magazine. The Foundry is home to companies like CupAd, Dash and Cooper, Red Flower Beverages, Meta, and more. Programs like the Huntsman Scholars, Opportunity Quest, and The Foundry can be found throughout the country. They all are prime examples of how to venture out, build your playground, and stretch some ideas.

On a personal note, {BRANDED} online magazine is my playground. The magazine was created to promote students like myself to stretch ideas, learn, and provide experience with the opportunity to put that education to work. {BRANDED} online magazine continues to grow everyday, and we welcome you to join us in our ever-expanding playground.  Whether you are just a weekly visitor, Phantom CEO diehard, or potential columnist, you are welcomed all the same. We welcome new writers, photographers, and readers from all around the globe to join our playground.

Cheers,

Alex Grimnes

READ MORE - STUDENT: Build a Playground and Stretch Your Ideas - Part 3 of 4 - Alex Grimnes

STUDENT: Part 2 of 4 - An Academic View of the Importance of Your Major

I found it redundant to ask university advisers and professors whether the type of major earned truly affects a student’s future success. But, for the sake of this article, I asked anyway. What did I find? I found that most believe in the development and talents of the student, and not necessarily the prestige of a particular degree. I will admit, I was a bit surprised at some of the responses, but there is one specific point that I found very influential for any student looking to find confidence in their academic decisions.

Study Hacks (www.calnewport.com), a blog specifically designed to increase the value students gain from their collegiate career, provides some very insightful views directly associated with our search. As stated in earlier posts, our journey is to gain a clearer perspective on whether or not a particular major influences a student’s future success. Now, just to reiterate, we are not referencing information for those looking to go into specific fields that require specialized degrees, but rather to find a better understanding for those who understand the importance of earning a degree but aren’t sure which direction to take as far as their major is concerned.

Cal Newport, author and PhD from MIT, in part of the series “The Romantic Scholar Approach to Student Life”, gives insight into the students’ search to find balance in their academics. In the post The Roberts Method: A Professor’s Advice for Falling in Love With Your Major, a student inquires about Cal’s opinion on whether or not that student should change majors in order to find a better fit, or in other words, find the “right major”.  Here is what Cal has to say:

“Some students in this situation respond with action, switching concentrations, sometimes multiple times, in a fruitless search for the perfect fit. (As longtime Study Hacks readers know, I don’t believe in the existence of a “right major,” which dooms any such quest to failure.) Others grind through the difficult courses that populate the upperclassman years, experiencing the work as a penance for an irreversible choice, poorly made. In both cases, the results are no good: anxiety, burn out, and sometimes even deep procrastination.”

Although I am not a long time Study Hacks reader, I definitely get the point. Cal provides an interesting perspective in our search. There are countless students out there who experience school as a double-edged sword. On one side, students change their concentrations as soon as they are confronted with difficulty in their courses.  On the other side, students endure course after course in a subject that they hate, and that ultimately leads into a career that consists of only the same relentless frustration.

So, what is it that Study Hacks recommends? Cal turned to professor Andrew Roberts from Northwestern University for more information.

“I got Professor Roberts on the phone and asked him to share his advice for falling in love with your major. The goal we’re interested in, I explained, is not just to enjoy our coursework, but to also become the type of star who gains access to fantastically interesting post-grad opportunities.”

That advice consisted of four rules called The Roberts Method. The four rules are:

1. Do Less
2. Synergize Courses
3. Read Academic Blogs
4. Go to Department Lectures

Personally, I had a hard time taking some of the advice. In fact, it seemed as though I was breaking all the rules right out of the gate. I am working on more than one major, I’m terrible at synergizing my courses, I’m not up to date on many academic blogs, and I rarely go to department lectures. Obviously, I must be making some major mistakes.

But as I looked back over my notes of different opinions from students, professors, entrepreneurs, and more, it hit me.

The type of major that you have is only important if you make it important. All this advice on synergizing courses and getting involved isn’t about whether or not a particular major is better than another. It is about what the student finds in the major that ultimately determines future success. What the student does with his/her major is what separates the students who get cut up by getting caught up in finding the “right major”, and those that utilize the skills and work habits learned from the courses taken.

I recommend that any students who find themselves frustrated in their academic careers keep up to date on Study Hacks.  Cal Newport makes a very profound example.  Changing your major is not the best answer to gaining the most from your degree. Rather, finding a stronger understanding of what the end goal is ( e.g., post graduate school, sales, teaching, etc.) and aligning courses that will provide the necessary skill sets necessary to set yourself up for a greater end result will ultimately generate the most profitable results.

Side Note: We value any comments and feedback from our readers. Please comment below or email any of our writers with questions, corrections, or even just a internet high five. 

-Alex Grimnes

READ MORE - STUDENT: Part 2 of 4 - An Academic View of the Importance of Your Major