Gary's Address

Gary's Appeal to Educaship prospects

Hi, I'm Gary. I am deeply committed to revolutionizing work-alike practice and enhancing its role in education. For more than a decade, I have been actively supporting this mission through both donations and volunteer work. Why?

Throughout my career, I've been involved in various projects, both for-profit and non-profit, providing hands-on training and career opportunities to young people and adults.

Today, I'd like to share my personal story to showcase the problems work-alike practice can solve and illustrate how the concept of using it as a learning backbone developed and evolved over time. I tried to keep it brief, but career exploration and professional growth are complex topics. Plus, I am not pitching anything here, just explaining the logic behind my actions. So, let's take our time to reflect on those important subjects together.

Reflection 1: Education Meets Career -- 321 words

It's common for career paths to differ from what one studies at college. That was my experience, and it's a journey many people take.

In high school, I was passionate about physical science, inspired by a thought-provoking teacher and enthusiastic classmates. This led me to pursue mechanical engineering in college. However, after graduation and starting my first job, I realized it wasn't the right fit for me.

Driven by a desire to create, I eventually started a desktop publishing company in the early 1990s, when the field was still emerging. We had to train our employees ourselves due to the industry's novelty. There was simply no formal computer training available at that time. As technology advanced, we continually innovated, even developing our own customer management and business operation systems.

While I value my college education, I now recognize that my degree didn't directly apply to my eventual career. The most important lesson I learned is this: The sooner one tries something, the quicker they can determine if it's right for them.

If I had discovered my true interests earlier or had the chance to experience different fields before college, I might have chosen a different specialty or first job. I would state that it's never too early to start exploring options and discovering what truly excites a person, whether that's through traditional education, work experience, or alternative paths like gap years.

Looking back, I wish the concept of a gap year had been available. It could have provided valuable time to explore different fields and gain practical experience before committing to a specific degree. This option, while not common then, can be beneficial for some students today.

Exploring different paths through various experiences - whether it's a summer job, an internship, or a school project - can teach valuable lessons about personal preferences and strengths. These opportunities, even if they seem unrelated to current interests, can provide insights and skills for future careers.

Reflection 2: Career as a Journey -- 188 words

Career development is a lifelong journey involving exploration, skill-building, gaining qualifications, and finding jobs. Professional life isn't set in stone – it changes and grows over time. Here's why:

1. Personal changes: People's interests, skills, and life situations evolve. What someone wants at 16 might differ from their desires at 40. New experiences can open up exciting career paths never considered before.
2. Job changes: Consider mechanical engineering as an example. In the 1980s, engineers used paper and pencils. By the 2000s, they shifted to computer-aided software. Now, they use 3D printers for fast prototyping. In the foreseen future, they will use AI and advanced robots. The tools of the trade keep evolving.
3. World changes: New technologies, economic shifts, and cultural trends create new jobs while making others outdated. For example, the rise of AI and robots is changing how many jobs are done. This makes continuous learning throughout one's career more important than ever.

Careers are best viewed as adventures with many twists and turns, not straight paths to final destinations. That's why a single college degree isn't sufficient for an entire working life – ongoing learning and adaptation are essential.

Reflection 3: Practice Aids Education -- 328 words

Both formal education and professional practice are sources for learning. Aligning education with career goals and gaining practical experience are crucial in shaping one's professional journey.

In the early 2000s, realizing a mismatch between my initial education and career needs, I enrolled in another university. This second graduate degree in business proved far more effective than my first.

My practical experience significantly enhanced my academic performance. I could apply theoretical concepts to real-world scenarios, which increased my motivation as I saw a clearer purpose in my education.

This second degree has been pivotal in shaping my professional trajectory. It significantly enhanced my publishing venture, contributing to its profitable sale in the mid-2000s, and continues to yield benefits in my current career pursuits. Moreover, it has opened doors for me to teach business part-time, drawing on nearly all subjects I studied during this program.

Another factor in its effectiveness was my personal investment. Unlike my state-funded first degree, I financed this one myself. This personal stake likely intensified my commitment and appreciation for the education, as people often place higher value on things they've personally sacrificed for.

The interplay between education and experience reflects the dual nature of learning, involving both deductive and inductive reasoning:

1. Education often mirrors deductive reasoning. It typically involves learning general principles, theories, and rules, then applying them to specific situations. However, case studies and experiments can provide inductive learning experiences within educational settings.
2. Practice, on the other hand, tends to be more inductive. Through hands-on experience and repeated trials, we build up knowledge from specific instances to form general skills and understanding. Yet, we also apply our general knowledge deductively to new situations in practical contexts.

The synergy between these approaches in both learning contexts helps develop well-rounded competency. Indeed, education cannot be complete without practice, just as practice is enhanced by formal education. This continuous interplay between theory and application, between deduction and induction, is what truly shapes our professional growth and effectiveness.

Reflection 4: Career Checks Guidance -- 355 words

In the mid-2000s, I moved from Belarus to the United States, determined to find my ideal career path in this new country. At first, I faced challenges because my English wasn't good enough for meaningful jobs and I had no work experience in America. But I knew I had to keep trying.

I started taking English classes at different colleges. Even though I worked hard, I wasn't sure what career I wanted. By the 2010s, I was close to finishing my Bachelor's degree in the US, but I still hadn't found a job that felt right for me.

Looking for help, I talked to career counselors and people from government agencies, private companies, and non-profits. They gave me advice, but I still struggled to figure out my career path.

I tried using tools like personality tests and career theories. These tools gave me some ideas, but they made things seem too simple and didn't really help me find a job.

Later, when I became a recruiter and helped others with their careers, I learned a lot more. I remember working with someone who didn't like their job as an administrative assistant. A career counselor told them to try becoming a technical writer. They spent a whole year trying to get that kind of job but couldn't, and had to go back to being an administrative assistant.

After all this, I realized there were three big problems with the usual career advice:

1. It makes things too simple: The tests try to match your personality and skills to specific jobs, but they don't consider how complicated jobs and workplaces can be.
2. It doesn't know enough about different jobs: Career counselors often focus on what you want, not what jobs are actually available. They don't always know the latest information about different industries.
3. It treats everyone the same: The tests don't consider that people's interests and skills change over time, or that everyone has different experiences.

Looking back, my search for a career in a new country taught me a lot. I used what I learned to create better ways to help people find careers through WiseNxt products.

Reflection 5: Inside of Career Prep -- 202 words

After immigrating to the United States, I worked various entry-level jobs before launching a non-profit corporation to enhance my resume. This entrepreneurial experience led to teaching business courses at a community college.

My career in education began in the late 2000s. Without a doctoral degree, I taught part-time at colleges and universities across America, Belarus, China, and Russia. I also organized student exchange programs, which provided valuable insights into diverse educational systems.

From these experiences, I gained perspective on how colleges prepare students for careers. I'll focus on the broader challenges in equipping students with job-ready skills rather than specific programs or individuals.

Essential job competencies fall into three categories, often abbreviated as 'KSA':

1. Knowledge (K): Subject-specific information. This is the least expensive to teach, requiring primarily an instructor and basic materials.
2. Skills (S): Practical application of knowledge. This requires more resources, including specialized equipment for hands-on learning.
3. Abilities (A): Capacity to perform job-specific tasks. This is the most costly, necessitating real-world environments, individualized assignments, and expert feedback.

Due to budget constraints, colleges typically prioritize knowledge transfer, offer fewer skill-building opportunities, and struggle to provide authentic professional experiences. Consequently, students may graduate lacking crucial practical skills and abilities essential for workplace success.

Reflection 6: Mentors Make Differences -- 262 words

In the early 2010s, I unexpectedly got a job with the US Marine Corps. I say "unexpectedly" because, at first glance, I didn't seem qualified. However, my active background might have played a role in landing this position.

I was in charge of the Russian part of a cultural program, which allowed me a lot of freedom to experiment with new ideas. We had good resources and few restrictions, so we used a lot of technology and different teaching methods.

This job offered me much more than I anticipated: access to top experts. I regularly contacted textbook authors, app developers, and other leading professionals, introducing myself as the leader of a Russian experimental program at the Marine Corps, and asked for their support.

Our main goal was to teach Russian. Initially, we used standard textbooks and conversation practice. But when the first group of students took their language test, they were surprised. The test focused on real-life situations, not just textbook dialogues.

For the second group, I collaborated with Professor Soboleva from the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, to develop a new teaching method. She was eager to experiment and took the opportunity to mentor me. She even visited my classroom. We quickly implemented and tested our new approach.

My students performed exceptionally well in listening skills, matching the performance of students from the Defense Language Institute. I believe we could have achieved even greater results if the program had continued.

Although the project ended after a year due to funding issues, I felt a great sense of accomplishment and encouragement.

Reflection 7: Industry Networks Matter -- 329 words

Navigating career choices highlights the crucial role of professional networks and insider status in achieving success.

After successfully completing my Marine Corps project, I faced a significant decision: should I continue teaching languages or switch to a career in IT? To make an informed choice, I decided to seek advice from people working in both fields.

For language teaching, I consulted someone who hires for a major language training company. They explained, "There aren't many jobs, but a lot of people want them. Most of these applicants have better degrees and more experience than you. Even if you did well in your first job, it’s hard for me to hire you. As a bureaucrat, I don’t want to be blamed if anything goes wrong."

They also mentioned the lack of innovative opportunities in language teaching. I later confirmed this through other sources.

I did have one promising opportunity in language teaching when Professor Soboleva offered me a job at her institute. However, the pay was low, and the cost of living in that area was high.

I was fortunate to receive honest and insightful advice about language teaching. It's rare and valuable to find someone who genuinely knows the job and wants to help. Many people give advice without truly understanding if it will work.

Finding good advice for a career in IT was more challenging. Many people only knew about specific aspects of the job or had their own biases. However, IT jobs were rapidly evolving and offered more diverse opportunities compared to language teaching. I noticed that people hiring for IT positions seemed to become tired of their work faster than those hiring for more stable jobs.

Mentors and consultants are crucial in one's career and professional networks are the best source for both mentors and consultants. In the language training field, I was an insider with relevant credentials. In contrast, for IT jobs, I was an outsider despite having worked with IT but not in IT.

Reflection 8: Practice as a Career Tool -- 288 words

By the mid-2010s, I had established substantial credentials in hands-on training. Seeking to expand my expertise, I decided to focus on IT training specifically.

I founded a meetup group originally called 'Hands-On Training,' where we organize free IT workshops across various disciplines. To staff these sessions with volunteers, I partnered with a non-profit group called 'CNM.' Later, we started calling ourselves 'CNMCyber.'

It's often said that real-world project collaboration reveals team compatibility. This principle was put into practice when two hiring managers approached me to host hands-on training for SharePoint administrators. From what I gathered, they were facing a shortage of qualified administrators and were willing to train candidates on the job, but needed to identify those they'd be comfortable working with.

This experience, coupled with my background in apprenticeship development in Belarus, proved invaluable when I began recruiting, onboarding, and upskilling for a startup-focused investment group. Startups require versatile team members, and while interviews can help shortlist candidates, their actual performance is the true determining factor.

My recruitment strategy targeted 1,000 initial candidates. Through a funnel process, this pool narrowed to 100 who began training, 10 who progressed to work trials, and ultimately one successful hire.

One realization struck me: while I needed a narrow scope of candidates and had to reach out to many, the outcome wasn't simply finding "gold nuggets" among pieces of sand. Each candidate had potential value, if not for my startup clients, but definitely for other opportunities.

Practical experience is essential for clarifying career preferences. However, I faced limitations in delivering comprehensive assessment results, and candidates weren't actively seeking my career assessments. This revealed a gap between the wealth of talent discovered and the ability to effectively channel it to fitting opportunities.

Reflection 9: Experience Rocks -- 337 words

I am 60 years old, and over half my whole life, or three quarters of my professional life, has been dedicated to selecting employment candidates and putting them to work. I have performed as both a dedicated and contingency recruiter. Throughout my career, I've had the privilege of serving various organizations. I've observed that employers typically focus on three key areas when evaluating candidates:

• Job Performance: Can the candidate perform the job requirements?
• Cultural Fit: Does the candidate align with the organization's culture and team dynamics?
• Motivation: Is the candidate motivated by the compensation package offered?

When it comes to competencies, experience in the relevant field is the most critical factor. Logically, those who have succeeded in a job before have higher chances of succeeding in it again. Many job descriptions highlight this, stating "Experience may be substituted for education." Practical experience often trumps formal education in many cases. From that point of view, if education costs something, professional experience should cost more.

This emphasis on experience contributes to the struggle many recent college graduates face in landing their first job. I'm not saying that formal training is obsolete, but something is missing in the pure education package.

Back to my first college learning in the United States, one professor really helped me integrate into the American society. However, when I needed a professional recommendation to start applying for jobs, this professor said that they couldn't do anything like that because we hadn't worked together. They gave me a letter that I was an excellent student, which could be somewhat helpful if I were 18. However, such a letter sounded disastrous for a 40+ years old man.

If any recruiter argues against the importance of experience, ask about their own educational background. I've yet to meet a recruiter with a degree specifically in Recruiting or even in Human Resources generally. If you do find one, ask if their degree alone landed them a recruiter job. And, if they say "Yes", they probably recruit students for a college.

Reflection 10: Experience as a Craft -- 321 words

Career paths are often non-linear, and unconventional experiences can lead to unexpected opportunities. I know someone with a Bachelor's degree in performing arts who started a recruiting business. Although the business didn't work out, he used that experience to land a corporate recruiting job. My own career has also benefited from non-traditional work arrangements.

Project-based work, apprenticeships, internships, entrepreneurship, and freelancing often offer more flexibility than traditional jobs. These options can complement regular employment.

Typically, volunteering is the most flexible. However, it's important to note that while many organizations welcome free help, career-oriented volunteering should focus on building networks, gaining credentials, or developing skills -- not just feeling good about helping.

I learned this lesson the hard way. While volunteering at my community college's academic support center, I hoped to secure recommendations for future jobs. However, when I needed those recommendations, I discovered a college policy prohibited staff from providing them. Although the work experience was valuable, had I known about this policy, I would have limited my volunteering to 6 months instead of 18.

On the other hand, my volunteer involvement with 'CNM' serves my life purpose. Through this more than a decade experience, I observed two successful approaches to alternative employment:

1. Full-time volunteering to quickly fill a specific need, supported by savings or financial assistance from others.
2. Part-time arrangements to gradually build credentials while maintaining a full-time job elsewhere.

These unconventional jobs can help build valuable skills and expand professional networks. While they might not offer all the benefits of full-time jobs, they often have fewer entry requirements. This creates a realistic path from no experience to a fully paid job: start volunteering, build credentials, move to a part-time or apprentice role, and eventually secure full-time employment.

It's important to note that in today's dynamic job market, reaching that "final" stage of full-time employment isn't necessarily the end goal. These unconventional experiences can be stepping stones, preparing you for future opportunities.

Reflection 11: Career as an Enterprise -- 323 words

A career is like a journey with ups, downs, and unexpected turns. But it can be more than just finding a job when needed; it can be about actively managing and growing one's professional path like a personal enterprise.

Managing a career involves strategic planning, continuous learning, and adaptability, much like running a successful business. One's skills and experiences make up their career portfolio. This involves nurturing strong skills, investing in new ones, maintaining reliable competencies, and possibly letting go of less productive activities.

The best option might be having two or more jobs. Consider the concept of "bread" and "butter" jobs. "Bread" jobs provide financial stability, while "butter" jobs are driven by passion and bring satisfaction. Ideally, one wants to find ways to combine both elements in their career.

Let's take my situation as an example. With strong credentials in training, securing a job in that field is feasible. However, specializing requires focus. As AI becomes increasingly important, gaining experience by volunteering on an AI project or starting an AI training business could be beneficial. This approach combines my existing skills (the "bread") with a growing field that interests me (the "butter").

As another example, my interest in vocational discovery might lead to working at a public school and offering an after-school program like WiseNxt once in the system. In that case, my "bread" job will also be a key to my "butter" job.

A career is complex and requires various skills: planning, building credentials, analyzing the job market, marketing oneself, providing good service, and managing finances. Determining a career path and managing it alone can be challenging. It's like trying to be an expert in job markets, a career advisor, and a networking professional all at once.

This is why seeking advice and support from others is crucial for making informed career choices and progressing. Just as successful entrepreneurs often have mentors and advisors, managing one's career enterprise can benefit greatly from external perspectives and expertise.

Reflection 12: The Scarcest Resource -- 242 words

In my experience, workplace dissatisfaction is common. I've encountered colleagues counting down to retirement years in advance, despite enjoying our interactions.

A typical career path often looks like this: Get some education, land a job, receive on-the-job training, take on financial commitments, and then stick with that job because it's secure and pays the bills. This leaves little room for exploring other options.

Our practice-to-job projects have shown promising results across different age groups, including both young people and adults changing careers.

These career projects usually take several months and require both time and money. Interestingly, we've found that securing funding is often easier than finding available time. While sponsors or the government can provide financial support, they can't give you more hours in a day.

During my time recruiting for a startup, we hired just one person out of 1,000 initial candidates. The main challenge wasn't finding skilled people, but rather those willing to complete our time-intensive, practice-based training.

Most adults have family responsibilities and need steady income. This makes it risky for them to engage with startups or invest time in career exploration and skill development.

Our practice-based training is efficient, taking only a few months compared to traditional degrees. However, many adults can't afford to go without income even for a short period, which limits their ability to participate.

These insights guide our focus on younger audiences for vocational discovery, as they often have more flexibility to explore career options.

Summarizing the Reflections

There's a fundamental mismatch in higher education. On the supply side, colleges focus on imparting knowledge. On the demand side, employers prioritize experience. This disconnect suggests that education, industry mentorship, and real-world professional experience should be integrated from the start, rather than occurring years apart.

College education and career management are most effective when paired with work experience. However, due to high costs, those in the process of vocational discovery are often denied this crucial experience until they secure a job independently.

Moreover, both college education and effective career management are time-intensive. This creates additional challenges for individuals with family obligations, who may struggle to afford the time investment required for both.

Time is a crucial, limited resource in professional development. While younger individuals typically have more available time, the current system often delays their opportunities for hands-on practice. This postponement can hinder the efficient integration of education and real-world application.

From Problems to Solutions

My experiences made me want to create the career products I wish I had when I was starting my professional journey.

I began working on a way to combine personalized education and practical experience with a project called WorldOpp. We wanted to help entrepreneurs in areas with fewer opportunities by teaching them through hands-on learning and giving them money for their businesses. But when our main financial supporter changed their plans, we had to think of a new approach.

That's when I came up with Educaship. It mixes education, career guidance, and real-world experience. Our goal is to collaborate with schools to enhance their curriculum by incorporating simulations, internships, and apprenticeships.

While we believe there's a significant need for this approach, we anticipate a 1-2 year implementation period. The primary challenges we foresee are recruiting qualified mentors and establishing partnerships with schools. Educational institutions are not known as change agents, and integrating our hands-on methodology into existing academic programs will require careful planning and execution.

While we're working on Educaship, we realized we could start with something simpler right away. That's where WiseNxt comes in. It's part of Educaship, but it focuses on helping students figure out what they're good at before they choose a career. Imagine it like a big playground where you can try out different jobs. You might analyze products, build websites, plan events, manage computer systems, or lead projects in all sorts of fields.

We first thought about starting WiseNxt in Ukraine, but plans change. Now we're getting ready to introduce it in Kenya in the next few weeks as part of something called the "KenyaX" program.

With WiseNxt, you can discover your talents and interests through hands-on experiences. This way, you can make better choices about your future career and find something you really enjoy doing.

I'm not here to promote Educaship and WiseNxt, but explain the logic behind them. If you have better ideas for how to advance work-like practice or to revolutionize career preparation in other ways, I'd be happy to support your initiatives.

Join the Career Revolution

Our approach is revolutionary because it goes beyond simply delivering standardized curriculum or even replicating job situations. We're creating a comprehensive ecosystem where:

• Learners explore diverse roles to discover their vocations and strengths.
• When asked, "What do you want to do when you grow up?", our graduates have a clearer understanding of their options.
• We collaborate with educational institutions to secure internships or apprenticeships in students' chosen specialties.
• Graduates enter the job market with formal training, practical work experience, and a range of career opportunities.

This vision began as a personal mission, initially developed with my children's futures in mind. Though they've grown, the journey has proven invaluable. I'm deeply committed to making this dream a reality and would gladly dedicate my life to its success.

We invite you to be part of this transformation – as a participant, parent, supporter, or advocate. Will you join us in revolutionizing education and career development?