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[[Gary's Appeal to Educaship prospects]]
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[[Gary's Address]] Educaship: Revolutionizing Career Preparation Through Real-World Experience
  
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.
 
  
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.
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==Introduction==
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Hello, everyone. I'm Gary. For over a decade, I've been dedicated to integrating 'education,' 'career support,' and 'work-like fellowship' into a unified concept I call ‘Educaship.’ My experience in both the business and nonprofit sectors has convinced me that the potential of this approach is significantly underestimated.
  
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. So, let's take our time to reflect on those important subjects together.
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My speech will last almost an academic hour. While 40 minutes may seem long, the information I'll share could save you and your loved ones years. It also has the potential to improve quality of life and contribute to a better world. That's why I personally support this mission through donations and volunteer work.
  
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I want to emphasize that I'm not here to pitch any specific offerings. As of this recording, we don't market any products. However, this could change by the time you watch this video. Shorter, more focused presentations on our career solutions should be available online when you’re interested.
  
==Reflection 1: Education Meets Career -- 321 words==
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My goal today is simply to share my observations, identify problems, and explain my actions to solve them. I encourage you to use the chat feature for your comments and questions. Your insights and queries will help improve this presentation for future listeners and potential participants.
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.
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==Reflection 1: Education Meets Career==
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Career trajectories almost always deviate from what was studied in college, and my story is an example of that.
  
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.
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While I was in high school, I became really interested in physics, thanks to a great teacher and enthusiastic classmates. This interest led me to choose a career as a mechanical engineer when I went to university. After graduating, my parents helped me get my first job, but after a couple of years, I realized it wasn't right for me.
  
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.
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Wanting to create something new, I found myself caught in a lot of bureaucracy during the late Soviet Union. As the communist system fell apart, new opportunities opened up, and I got involved in some exciting projects. For two years, I even ran a city youth initiative fundation, supporting projects like a youth café and the first cable TV in my hometown.
  
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.
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After Belarus became independent, I started a company specializing in computer publishing systems. This field was just starting out in the early 1990s. Since there was no formal training, we had to teach our employees ourselves. As technology advanced, we kept innovating by developing our own systems for managing clients and business operations.
  
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.
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I appreciate my first higher education and have good memories of my student years -- it was a great time! However, it's clear that my first degree hasn't had a major impact on my professional life so far. Although, since life isn't over, I’ll say it hasn't had a major impact yet.
  
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.
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Had career interests been discovered earlier, the job search would have been different. There were probably innovative opportunities in mechanical engineering, but neither my parents nor I knew that we needed to look for them. Given opportunities to explore different fields before college, I would likely have chosen a different specialty.
  
==Reflection 2: Career as a Journey -- 188 words==
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Though my parents had great intentions, they weren't career experts. We had no idea how to explore different career paths or even that it was possible to explore them.
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:
 
# 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.
 
# 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.
 
# 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.
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==Reflection 2: Career as a Journey==
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Career is a lifelong journey. It involves finding professional opportunities, mastering new skills, obtaining qualifications, and searching for jobs. Our careers are not set in stone; they change over time. Here's why:
  
==Reflection 3: Practice Aids Education -- 328 words==
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# Personal Changes: As we grow, our interests, skills, and circumstances change. What we aspire to at 16 is vastly different from our goals at 40 or 60. New experiences create new demands and shift fleeting whims.
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.
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# Work Changes: Tools and methods are constantly evolving. Take mechanical engineering, for example. In the 1980s, when I specialized in this field, engineers used paper and pencils. By the 2000s, they had switched to computer programs. Now, they use 3D printers for rapid prototyping. In the future, they will rely on AI and robots.
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# World Changes: New technologies, economic shifts, and cultural trends create new jobs while making others obsolete. For instance, AI and robots are transforming many professions. There are hardly any people whose work is the same as that of their grandparents.
  
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.
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In school, I thought that five years of university would be enough to prepare me for life. My institute in the Soviet Union claimed to provide a solid foundation of knowledge. But after 40 years of career, I wonder: what foundation did I really gain by acing a course called 'Scientific Communism'?
  
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.
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Even for more relevant subjects, much has changed. AI-based chatbots now provide more information than any university curriculum. And unlike universities, they can supply knowledge on demand, right when we need it. Do we still need to memorize potentially outdated information?
  
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.
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Continuous learning and adaptation are no longer optional; they are essential in our changing world. Overall, if careers are adventures with unexpected twists, shouldn't higher education adapt in a similar way? The order should be turned upside down -- education based on career, not career based on education.
  
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.
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==Reflection 3: Practice-Classroom Mix==
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In the late 1990s, I was consumed by the day-to-day operations of running my business. Ironically, a broken leg became a catalyst for my professional growth. Confined at home in an era before widespread internet access, I found myself yearning for mental stimulation.
  
The interplay between education and experience reflects the dual nature of learning, involving both deductive and inductive reasoning:
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Recognizing my predicament, my mother borrowed a book from the library -- Philip Kotler's "Marketing Management." This text was nothing short of revelatory. It opened my eyes to a wealth of pre-existing knowledge, theories, and strategies that I had been struggling to discover on my own.
# 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.
 
# 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.
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Inspired by this newfound perspective, I returned to college in the early 2000s to pursue a business degree. This decision proved to be a turning point in my career trajectory.
  
==Reflection 4: Career Checks Guidance -- 355 words==
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It's important to note that my business school was the first in Belarus and was set up with help from the international community. For example, we had many opportunities to use role-playing games and practical exercises created by Harvard Business School.
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.
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We got our graduation certificates in both Belarusian and English. The U.S. Ambassador to Belarus gave us the English ones. Also, all the students were either business representatives or executives of foreign companies in Belarus. I think we learned a lot from each other, maybe even more than from our teachers.
  
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.
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My previous work experience breathed life into the academic concepts I encountered. Abstract theories turned into practical tools as I realized their application in real-world scenarios. This connection between classroom learning and professional experience ignited a passion for studying, as I clearly saw their relevance and potential impact.
  
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.
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The combination of academic studies and practical experience has taken my career to new heights. With both theoretical knowledge and practical skills, I successfully grew my publishing business to 120 employees, allowing me to sell it for a profit.
  
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.
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The blend of real-world experience and classroom learning works well because they support each other:
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* In school, we usually start with big ideas and theories, then learn how to use them in specific situations. It's like learning the rules of a game before playing it. But we also learn from examples and experiments in school, which is more like learning by doing.
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* In the real world, we mostly learn by doing things hands-on and trying different approaches. But we also use what we've learned in school to help us solve new problems we encounter.
  
After all this, I realized there were three big problems with the usual career advice:
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Both ways of learning help us become well-rounded and skilled. What we learn in school becomes more meaningful when we use it in real life, and our real-life experiences make more sense because of what we've learned in school. This balance between theory and practice helps us grow and become more effective in our future careers.
# 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.
 
# 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.
 
# 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.
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==Reflection 4: Career Advice Insights==
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In the mid-2000s, I moved from Belarus to the United States. I was over 40, full of energy, and eager to move forward, but I didn't know where that "forward" is. The competencies I had acquired in Belarus seemed to hold little value in this new country. The print publishing industry was shrinking globally, not to mention in America, and my non-native English presented an additional hurdle. At this stage of my life, I had an inkling of what type of work would suit me, but I had no idea what that work was or how to figure it out.
  
==Reflection 5: Inside of Career Prep -- 202 words==
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Here, I want to step away from my personal story and take a broader look at career counseling as a whole. I believe that society at a global level is interested in ensuring people are satisfied with their work. I also think that it benefits the government for people to earn more and, consequently, pay more taxes. From this, we can conclude that both society and the state should invest in helping people choose their professions.
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.
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As far as I know, career counseling is not a top priority in schools. Employment services tend to focus more on helping people find jobs rather than helping them find the right field. Career services are generally limited to written tests and interviews, with recommendations based on the results of those tests and interviews.
  
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.
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I sought help from career counselors at government agencies, private companies, and non-profits. I received numerous transactional tips on resume writing, interview techniques, and self-promotion. However, no one was able to offer me the transformative assistance that would help me, with my skills and existing competencies, secure the highest-paying job in the shortest possible time.
  
Essential job competencies fall into three categories, often abbreviated as 'KSA':
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Career counselors, much like coaches, ask, "What job are you looking for?" When I tell them I'm trying to figure that out, they direct me to aptitude tests and career catalogs. Most career counselors are like doctors without diagnostic tools. Professional situations are complex, yet counselors are expected to provide recommendations without the equivalent of medical tests, relying solely on the words of the individual, either directly or through questionnaires.
# Knowledge (K): Subject-specific information. This is the least expensive to teach, requiring primarily an instructor and basic materials.
 
# Skills (S): Practical application of knowledge. This requires more resources, including specialized equipment for hands-on learning.
 
# 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.
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Instead of solidifying my career strategy, I identified three groups of problems related to the most common career tools:
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# Overly Simplistic: Tests try to match our personalities and skills to jobs, but they don’t take into account how complex jobs and workplaces can be, nor do they acknowledge that our interests and skills change over time.
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# Outdated Information: Career counselors often focus on what we want rather than on what jobs are actually available. They may not be aware of the latest developments in various industries.
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# Not Person-Centric: Tests do not consider the qualifications we already possess. They lack respect for what the test-taker has achieved. While career tests can be helpful for teenagers, they can confuse adults.
  
==Reflection 6: Mentors Make Differences -- 262 words==
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In terms of my own job search, the entire process turned out to be a waste of time. And my experience is not unique. I remember a woman who disliked her job as an administrative assistant. A career counselor suggested she would be better suited for a technical writing position. She spent a year trying to get such a job but was unsuccessful, ultimately returning to her role as an administrative assistant.
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.
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I would argue that the weakness of career selection services limits social mobility. As a society, we do not provide children with a broad range of opportunities. Instead, we steer them toward traditional or familiar careers based on either their random observations or their parents’ experiences and expectations. As a result, we restrict access to new industries and high-paying professions that could help break the cycle of poverty and expand future prospects.
  
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.
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Returning to my own quest to find my place in the American economy, I began by studying English, understanding that strong language skills are necessary for any professional job. Then I chaotically enrolled in college courses, glad that many institutions were willing to offer financial aid. By the 2010s, I was close to finishing my bachelor's degree in the U.S., but I still hadn't found meaningful work that I both desired and was qualified for.
  
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.
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==Reflection 5: Inside of Career Prep==
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Like many immigrants, I worked basic cash jobs to make a living during my early years in the United States. To strengthen my resume, I registered a non-profit corporation called the Economic Group and took on the role of its volunteer director -- a commitment that continues to this day.
  
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.
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Combined with my Belarusian diplomas, this American experience allowed me to teach business classes part-time. I started at a community college and later expanded to other colleges and universities. Since the late 2000s, I've had the opportunity to teach not only in the U.S. but also in China and Russia. Interestingly, I ended up teaching almost every course I took while working on my business degree.
  
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.
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I also organized academic exchanges and programs for students to study in different countries. Additionally, I assisted in reviewing several college programs and, for many years, directed educational projects for international visitors invited by the U.S. State Department.
  
Although the project ended after a year due to funding issues, I felt a great sense of accomplishment and encouragement.
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These insights helped me understand how colleges prepare students for their future jobs. The competencies needed for a job can be divided into three main groups. We call them "KSA" for short:
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* Knowledge (K): This is the information learned about a subject. It's the easiest and cheapest to teach because it mainly requires an instructor and some basic materials like books.
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* Skills (S): This involves using knowledge to do practical things. It costs more to teach because it requires special equipment such as labs, simulators, and machinery for hands-on learning.
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* Abilities (A): This relates to being capable of performing specific tasks required for a job. It's the most expensive to teach because it needs real-world settings, individual assignments, and feedback from experts.
  
==Reflection 7: Industry Networks Matter -- 329 words==
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College budgets are tight, so they often focus on traditional teaching methods like lectures, textbooks, and exams rather than giving students chances to develop practical skills and gain real work experience. Even though universities might say otherwise, they can't avoid trying to cut costs and increase profits.
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.
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As a result, most students graduate with some basic knowledge in their field but lack the hands-on skills needed for successful careers.
  
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."
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Higher education faces a significant challenge: while colleges focus on imparting knowledge, the high costs of gaining professional experience often prevent students from acquiring it before graduation. Meanwhile, employers are increasingly seeking candidates who already have experience.
  
They also mentioned the lack of innovative opportunities in language teaching. I later confirmed this through other sources.
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==Reflection 6: Mentors Make Differences==
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In the early 2010s, I got a surprising full-time job with the US Marine Corps. They put me in charge of the Russian part of their cultural program. I wasn't the usual candidate -- I had never taught the subject I was hired to teach, and I hadn't even studied it before my first day on this job. Maybe my active professional profile and, surely, my network helped me stand out.
  
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.
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It was a role that would show me how much of a difference mentors can make. I got to connect with top experts in the field. I'd reach out to people who wrote textbooks, created language apps, and other big names in language learning.
  
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.
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The job was awesome because I had the freedom to try new ideas. We had great resources and not many rules, so we could use cool tech and different ways of teaching.  
  
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.
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At first, we taught Russian using college textbooks and conversation practice. But when our first group of students took their special assessment called Defense Language Proficiency Test, we realized we needed to change things up. The test was focused on military, not just the stuff you find in conventional textbooks.
  
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.
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This challenge led me to an amazing mentor. I teamed up with Professor Soboleva from the Defense Language Institute, a special language school in California. She agreed to try something different and became my mentor. She'd visit my classroom to see how things were going and guide our new teaching approach.
  
==Reflection 8: Practice as a Career Tool -- 272 words==
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Mentors really do make a difference. With Professor Soboleva's help, we quickly came up with a new way of teaching Russian for the learners' specific purpose. As a result, our students matched the listening scores of students from that top language school. In a big part, this success was because of the guidance and support from my mentor.
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 called "Hands-On Training," organizing free IT workshops across various disciplines. To facilitate these sessions, I recruited volunteers.
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The project only lasted a year because of money issues. Later, I did receive a promising offer from Professor Soboleva to teach at her institute in California. However, the low salary combined with the high cost of living in the area made it less attractive.
  
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.
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Nevertheless, even though the project was short, it had a big impact. It boosted my confidence for future projects and showed me how important mentors are for growing in our careers and coming up with new ideas.
  
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.
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==Reflection 7: Tough, But Vital Networks==
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Before joining the Marines full-time, a colleague at my community college in New York suggested I consider teaching in public schools. He had experience running a school district.
  
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.
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I researched two school districts: one in my home area and another where the college was located. Their websites indicated I could teach math or physical science. When I asked my colleague for advice on which job to pursue, he recommended science, explaining, "There are more math jobs, but, for us, it's always been harder to find science teachers."
  
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.
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I then inquired about the hiring process. In my home district, the HR department handled the bulk of hiring, with the school principals just making the final decisions. In the college's district, school principals managed the hiring, with HR handling the paperwork.
  
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.
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This insider information wasn't available on the official websites, highlighting the importance of knowing people who understand the inner workings of the system.
  
==Reflection 9: Experience Rocks -- 337 words==
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Going further, my network was key in helping me get a job with the US Marine Corps. A professional contact let the hiring manager know that I was both able to do the job and available.
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?
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After my time with the Marines, I had to choose what new job to pursue. By that time, I already moved to Virginia. School teaching didn't pay well there, so keep teaching languages or switch to IT? To help decide, I asked people working in both fields.
* 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.
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For language teaching, I consulted a hiring manager at a major company. Their candid response was revealing: "There aren't many jobs, but a lot of people want them. Most of these applicants have better degrees and more experience than you do. 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."
  
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.
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Getting meaningful info about IT jobs was harder. Many people only knew about small parts of the field. I saw that IT jobs were changing fast and had more options than language teaching. I also noticed that people who find IT workers for companies seemed to get tired of their jobs faster than in other fields.
  
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.
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Still, I got a lot of useless advice. Many people were happy to listen and give basic suggestions without really understanding my situation.
  
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.
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==Reflection 8: Practice as a Career Tool==
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By the mid-2010s, I had accumulated extensive experience as an instructor. To take my teaching career to the next level, I chose to specialize in IT training.
  
==Reflection 10: Career as an Enterprise -- 10% ready==
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I started a meetup community called 'Hands-On Training,' which organized free IT workshops on related topics. To find workshop facilitators in Northern Virginia, I partnered with a local non-profit group called CNM. To differentiate ourselves from the mainland branch of CNM, we later began referring to our team as 'CNMCyber'.
The BCG (Boston Consulting Group) matrix is traditionally used in business to analyze product portfolios, but it can be creatively applied to career management. Here's a brief overview of how the BCG matrix concepts could be adapted for career planning:
 
  
1. Stars (High growth, high market share):
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People often say that working together on real projects shows who works well as a team. This idea came to life when two hiring managers asked me to host hands-on training for SharePoint administrators through my meetup community. They needed more qualified admins and were willing to train people on the job but wanted to find out who they'd work well with.
In career terms, these could be skills or experiences that are currently in high demand and likely to remain valuable in the future. Investing time and resources in developing these "star" skills can lead to significant career growth.
 
  
2. Question Marks (High growth, low market share):
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My experience developing apprenticeships in Belarus and workshops in Virginia was very helpful when I started recruiting and training for a venture that invested in startups. Startups need staff who can handle many different tasks. Interviews help find good candidates, but seeing how they actually perform is what really matters.
These might represent emerging skills or industries where you have potential but haven't yet established yourself. They require investment to determine if they can become "stars" in your career portfolio.
 
  
3. Cash Cows (Low growth, high market share):
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My recruitment plan started with 1,000 candidates. Through a step-by-step process, this number went down to 100 who began training, 10 who moved on to work trials, and finally one person who got hired.
These could be stable, reliable skills or experiences you've mastered that provide consistent value but may not lead to further growth. They're important for maintaining your current position but shouldn't be the sole focus.
 
  
4. Dogs (Low growth, low market share):
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I realized something important: while I needed a specific type of candidate and had to reach out to many people, it wasn't just about finding "gold nuggets" among grains of sand. Each candidate had potential value, if not for my startup clients, then definitely for other opportunities.
In career terms, these might be outdated skills or experiences that are becoming less relevant in the job market. It may be time to phase these out or minimize their importance in your career strategy.
 
  
Applying this framework to career management could involve:
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Hands-on experience clarifies 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.
  
1. Assessing your current skills and experiences
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==Reflection 9: Experience is the King==
2. Analyzing market trends and future job market predictions
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For most of my life, over 35 years, I have either hired myself or helped other companies find suitable candidates for their vacancies.
3. Identifying which quadrant each of your skills falls into
 
4. Developing strategies to nurture "stars," invest in promising "question marks," maintain "cash cows," and potentially divest from "dogs"
 
  
This approach can help in making strategic decisions about where to focus your professional development efforts and how to position yourself in the job market.
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The hiring process involves several stages. To narrow down the pool of candidates, front-line recruiters typically focus on standard documents like diplomas and certificates, especially when the vacant position requires them. When choosing a candidate, hiring managers consider three main factors:
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# Can the candidate perform the job well?
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# Will they integrate well with the company's culture and team?
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# Are they satisfied with the salary and benefits offered?
  
Would you like me to elaborate on any specific aspect of using the BCG matrix for career management?
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Experience doesn't guarantee a good fit with company culture or satisfaction with compensation. However, it is the top credential for assessing whether a candidate can perform the job effectively. If someone has successfully done a similar job in the past, they're more likely to excel in a new position.
  
Here's a revised 200-250 word essay incorporating the idea of progression from no job to full employment:
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That's why many job listings say things like "Experience can replace education requirements." In the real world, hands-on experience often matters more than classroom learning. One could even argue that if education costs money, real-world experience should be worth even more.
  
Employment Alternatives as Experience
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This focus on experience is one reason why it is often tough for new graduates to get their first job. While school is important, classroom learning alone lacks the practical experience employers seek.
  
The journey from unemployment to full-time work often follows a non-linear path, with each stage offering unique learning experiences. This progression typically moves from no job, to unpaid opportunities, to part-time or low-paying roles, and finally to full employment. Each step serves as a crucial building block in one's career development.
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I'd like to support this point with another personal story. Early in my time as an immigrant, one of my college professors was instrumental in helping me navigate new environments. However, when I needed a job recommendation, she couldn’t provide one because we hadn't worked together directly. The best she could offer was that I was a good student, which wasn't very helpful for someone in their 40s seeking a professional job.
  
Starting with no job, individuals often use this time for self-reflection and skill development. This period, while challenging, can be an opportunity to identify personal strengths and career aspirations. The next stage often involves unpaid experiences such as volunteering or internships. These roles, while not financially rewarding, provide valuable networking opportunities, real-world experience, and a chance to explore different industries.
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College degrees may open doors, but it's experience that helps us walk through them confidently. An interesting point to note is that if a job recruiter mentions that experience isn't very important, it might be worth asking about their own education. In my experience, it's uncommon to find a recruiter with a degree specifically in recruiting. If such a recruiter does exist, it may be insightful to learn whether their degree alone helped them secure their position. If they indicate that it did, they might be focused on hiring students for a college.
  
As skills and networks grow, individuals typically transition to part-time or entry-level positions. These roles, although sometimes offering modest pay, are critical for gaining industry-specific knowledge and building a professional reputation. They serve as stepping stones, allowing individuals to prove their worth and gain references for future opportunities.
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==Reflection 10: Experience as a Craft==
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Careers often take unexpected turns, and trying different things can lead to surprising opportunities. For example, I know someone with a performing arts degree who started a recruiting business. Even though the business didn't succeed, it helped them land a job in corporate recruiting. I've also gained a lot by exploring various types of work.
  
The culmination of this journey is often full-time employment in a chosen field. However, in today's dynamic job market, this "final" stage is rarely the end. Many professionals continue to seek new experiences through freelancing, entrepreneurship, or career changes, viewing each role as an opportunity for growth.
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Doing projects, internships, apprenticeships, starting a business, and freelancing often give us more freedom than regular jobs and can work well alongside traditional jobs.
  
This gradual progression from no job to full employment, with various alternatives in between, offers a rich tapestry of experiences. Each stage contributes uniquely to personal and professional development, equipping individuals with diverse skills and perspectives that prove invaluable throughout their careers.
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These different roles help us build important skills and expand our network. They might not offer all the benefits of a full-time job, but they are often easier to get into. A typical path from no experience to a paid job might be: volunteering, gaining credentials, moving to part-time or entry-level work, and finally getting a full-time job.
  
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However, reaching the "final" stage of full-time employment is rarely the end goal. These unconventional experiences can prepare individuals for future opportunities they might not even anticipate.
  
In today’s dynamic and rapidly changing job market, viewing one's career as a portfolio is a forward-thinking approach. Traditionally, careers were often seen as linear paths within a single profession or organization. However, the modern economy demands flexibility, adaptability, and continuous learning, making the portfolio approach increasingly relevant.
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Volunteering is usually the most flexible way to build credentials. It can be used for career growth by making connections, earning credentials, or learning new skills -- not just to help out.
  
A career portfolio involves a collection of diverse experiences, skills, and achievements accumulated over time. Just as an investment portfolio balances various assets to mitigate risk and maximize returns, a career portfolio combines different roles, projects, and learning opportunities to build a well-rounded professional profile. This approach allows individuals to showcase a range of competencies and demonstrate versatility, which is highly valued by employers.
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I learned this the hard way. I volunteered at my community college's tutoring center, hoping to get job recommendations later. It turns out the college didn't allow staff to give recommendations. The experience was still useful, but knowing this policy beforehand could have saved me time. I would have volunteered for six months instead of eighteen.
  
One significant advantage of having several jobs simultaneously is the ability to develop a broader skill set. Juggling multiple roles can enhance time management, adaptability, and problem-solving abilities, making professionals more versatile and resilient. This multitasking experience fosters creativity and innovation, as exposure to different industries and work environments can lead to unique insights and solutions. Moreover, having multiple income streams can provide financial stability and reduce dependency on a single employer, offering a safety net in times of economic uncertainty.
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In contrast, my long-term unpaid work with 'CNM' has matched my career goals perfectly. Over more than ten years of my engagement with this volunteer group, I've noticed two main approaches to non-traditional work:
 +
# Immersive: Typically involves full-time volunteering to quickly meet a specific need, often using personal savings or financial support. It requires a financial runway long enough to sustain one through the immersion.
 +
# Incremental: Involves part-time or sporadic arrangements to gradually build credentials while maintaining other commitments, such as a full-time job.
  
Building a career portfolio starts with identifying one's core strengths and interests. By exploring various fields and taking on different roles, individuals can gain a breadth of experience and discover new passions. Continuous learning and skill development are crucial, as they keep one's portfolio relevant and competitive. Networking and professional relationships also play a significant role, offering opportunities for collaboration and growth.
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Sometimes, I consider this hypothetical scenario: What if I had worked part-time as an engineering assistant or volunteered with a society of mechanical engineers while attending university? I would have graduated with a professional network, a better understanding of the industry, and a couple of years of experience.
  
In essence, viewing a career as a portfolio encourages proactive career management, lifelong learning, and adaptability. It aligns with the realities of the modern workforce, fostering a sense of agency and preparation for future challenges.
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==Reflection 11: The Scarcity of Time==
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Many people follow a familiar trajectory: they go to school, get qualifications, find an entry-level job, start paying bills, get one or two promotions, and settle into life's routine. They start families, take out loans, buy property, and often feel stuck. Better or higher-paying jobs are available, but their routine leaves little room for career advancement. Balancing education and career is especially hard for those with family responsibilities and limited time for growth.
  
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The existing career preparation system fails many people, and I have observed this problem firsthand countless times. Moreover, some of my colleagues -- talented individuals -- were counting down the days to retirement, even if it was years away. They wished for time to pass faster due to dissatisfaction with spending most of their waking hours at a job they didn't love.
  
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Changing careers often requires significant time and financial resources. While money can be obtained through sponsors, grants, or government support, additional time cannot be acquired. Time is the scarcest resource.
  
I personally know someone with a Bachelor of Arts degree who started a recruiting business, which failed, but they leveraged that experience to secure a recruiter job.
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In my experience hiring for startups, I reviewed a thousand applications to hire just one individual. The primary challenge was not finding skilled candidates but identifying those who could dedicate time to practice-based training.
  
In today's evolving work landscape, alternatives to traditional paid jobs offer diverse opportunities for flexibility, creativity, and personal fulfillment.
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Most adults have families to support and require a stable income. Taking risks on startups or investing time in learning new skills is a luxury many cannot afford.
  
Freelancing and independent contracting have surged as viable alternatives, allowing individuals to leverage their skills on a project basis, often remotely. This path provides autonomy in choosing clients, setting rates, and managing schedules, appealing to those seeking flexibility.
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Money can be a strong motivator for success. Having pursued two graduate degrees – one funded by the government and one self-financed – it is evident that personal financial investment increases seriousness. At CNMCyber, we always request some contribution from participants. It is not about the money; it is about the commitment. However, commitments demand time.
  
Entrepreneurship is another compelling option, enabling individuals to pursue their passions by starting businesses or ventures. This route empowers them to build something from the ground up, potentially creating significant impact and financial independence.
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Onboarding training at CNMCyber is relatively brief, spanning months rather than the years traditional degrees require. Nonetheless, even a few months without income is too much for many adults. It is a paradox: new skills are necessary for advancement, but there is no time to acquire them.
  
Creative pursuits, such as artistry, music, writing, and performance, offer avenues for self-expression and income generation through commissions, performances, or digital content creation. These paths cater to those driven by artistic fulfillment.
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==Reflection 12: Career as an Enterprise==
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A career is like a journey, full of ups, downs, and unexpected turns. Bad fire departments simply wait for fires; good ones prepare for them. Similarly, our careers can be more than just finding a job when needed; they can be about actively managing and growing our professional paths.
  
The gig economy has also reshaped work options, offering flexible roles in delivery driving, ride-sharing, and task-based platforms. These gigs allow quick entry into the workforce and can complement other income streams.
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As both a seasoned business professor and a successful entrepreneur, I've observed that treating a career as a personal enterprise can mirror managing a business. Among the many comparisons, two stand out to me.
  
For those inclined toward social impact, volunteering or working for nonprofits provides opportunities to contribute to causes aligning with personal values and beliefs, though these roles may not always be financially compensated.
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Firstly, one's ability to land various jobs makes up their career portfolio. This involves building strong credentials, acquiring new skills, maintaining reliable abilities, and possibly letting go of less productive activities.
  
Embracing alternative lifestyles like minimalism, sustainable living, or digital nomadism has also redefined work norms. By prioritizing experiences over material wealth and leveraging remote work capabilities, individuals can lead more balanced and fulfilling lives.
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Just as businesses offer multiple products for sale, having two or more jobs is a feasible option. 'Bread' jobs provide financial stability, while 'butter' jobs are driven by passion and bring satisfaction.
  
In conclusion, the modern work landscape offers numerous alternatives to traditional paid jobs. Whether through freelancing, entrepreneurship, creative pursuits, gig economy roles, community service, or embracing alternative lifestyles, individuals can shape their careers to align with their passions, values, and desired lifestyles. Exploring these alternatives not only provides greater fulfillment but also fosters personal growth and well-being in today's dynamic world.
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Let's imagine how work-like practice can help me. With strong skills in training, securing a job in that field is achievable for me. I used to teach IT and business, but they no longer excite me. As AI becomes increasingly important, I could gain experience by volunteering on an AI project or starting a small AI training business. This approach would combine my existing skills (the 'bread') with an innovative field that interests me (the 'butter').
  
A shorter term that encompasses these alternatives could be "unconventional work." This term is concise yet broad enough to cover various non-traditional work experiences.
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As another example, my interest in vocational discovery might lead me to work at a public school and offer an after-school program like WiseNxt. In this case, my "bread" job would also be a key to my "butter" job.
Other possible short terms include:
 
  
Gig work
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Secondly, a successful career requires many skills: planning your path, building up your qualifications, understanding job markets, providing good service, and handling marketing, sales, and financial matters. It's like being a jack-of-all-trades in the work world – part job expert, part career guide, part office manager, and part networking pro.
Side hustles
 
Portfolio career
 
Flexible work
 
Alternative employment
 
  
Each of these terms has slightly different connotations, so the best choice might depend on the specific context you're using it in. Would you like me to elaborate on any of these options or how they differ?
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Even this very comparison of careers to businesses requires the listener – you – to understand both career management and business concepts simultaneously. However, this is not always the case. Similarly, not every business owner is familiar with every aspect of their enterprise.
  
The term you're looking for is "non-traditional work experience" or "alternative work arrangements." These phrases encompass various activities that provide valuable experience outside of traditional employment, including:
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That is why entrepreneurs often hire experts to help them. In the same way, getting outside advice and other assistance can really boost our careers. If companies split up tasks to work better, why shouldn't those on the job market do the same? If rightly managed, it shall save time and money.
  
    Volunteering
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==Career is Agile, Not Waterfall==
    Freelancing
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Let's move from problems to solutions. As an educator, recruiter, hiring manager, and corporate trainer, I’ve had the opportunity to see all phases of the transition from school to work from the inside. Understanding the areas where career preparation can be improved inspired me to create services and resources that I wish I had when I started my journey -- first in Belarus and then in the United States.
    Self-employment
 
    Internships
 
    Apprenticeships
 
    Job shadowing
 
    Gig economy work
 
    Project-based work
 
    Entrepreneurship
 
    Skill-sharing or bartering services
 
  
These options can provide valuable skills, networking opportunities, and personal growth, even if they don't always offer monetary compensation.
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I began with examining career development through the lens of business project management. Traditionally, many people have viewed their careers in a way that mirrors the Waterfall approach, but I questioned whether this view is correct.
  
==Reflection 11: Need in Career Support -- 172 words==
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The term 'Waterfall' describes a step-by-step process. In this model, progress moves in one direction, from start to finish, like water flowing down steps. Once a step is done, it is hard and expensive to go back. The Waterfall model’s predictability allows for detailed planning, making it popular in industries like construction, where projects start with a clear plan.
Exploring careers, developing skills, earning qualifications, and finding jobs are ongoing processes throughout life. While these tasks are personal, getting help from others can make a big difference.
 
  
The job market today is always changing. New types of work appear as technology advances, while some traditional jobs become less common. This means we need to keep learning and exploring our options.
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Similarly, people often dream of a specific career and use higher education as a foundation to achieve that goal. However, only a few can accurately predict their future and are faced with the choice of either going with the flow or trying to turn the river back.
  
It's also hard to see ourselves clearly. We all have strengths and weaknesses, but sometimes it's difficult to recognize them on our own. Talking to others, like teachers, counselors, or professionals in fields we're interested in, can give us a clearer picture of where we excel and where we can improve.
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Life does not flow in a single direction, so career projects are best approached using Agile methodologies. Agile methodologies, initially created for software projects, can be effectively applied to career development. These methodologies emphasize continuous adjustments: actions are taken, results are evaluated, and modifications are made accordingly.
  
Building relationships with people in different careers is really valuable. They can share insider knowledge, help us develop important skills, and keep us motivated. However, creating and maintaining these connections takes time and effort.
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To apply Agile effectively in career management, education, mentorship, and practical experience should be combined from the start, not spread out over years.
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* Studying without practice is like learning a language without ever using it or trying to learn to ride a bike without ever getting on one.
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* Working without structured learning takes longer to see results. Kids learn to say their first words without textbooks, but it takes them a few months.
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* Career advice should be ongoing and based on real work experience.
  
Trying to figure out your career path all by yourself is challenging. It's like trying to be an expert on the job market, a career advisor, and a networking pro all at once. That's why getting support and advice from others isn't just helpful – it's often necessary for making good career choices and progress.
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Time is crucial in career development. Younger individuals generally have more free time, but the current system often delays hands-on practice, weakening the connection between education and real-world application.
  
==Reflection 12: The Scarcest Resource -- 242 words==
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By adopting an Agile model, career development becomes a dynamic and adaptable process, better suited to the uncertainties of the professional world.
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.
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==Fellowship for Career Prep==
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In the late 2010s, I worked on the WorldOpp project, which helped entrepreneurs in underserved areas with education, mentorship, and business funding. When financial priorities changed, the funding -- the most expensive part -- was cut, leading to the idea for Educaship.
  
Our practice-to-job projects have shown promising results across different age groups, including both young people and adults changing careers.
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Educaship aims to enhance career preparation by blending formal education, career support, and practical experience. Therefore, it is planned to have three main pillars:
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# Education: The 'edu-' prefix represents formal training. Educaship doesn’t aim to replace existing educational systems but to complement them. Collaborations with established institutions will enhance curricula through real-world projects, internships, and apprenticeships. Targeted training modules will prepare participants for hands-on experiences, with additional support for those seeking deeper knowledge.
 +
# Career Support: The '-ca-' infix stands for career development. Educaship connects participants with mentors and administrative support efficiently. At CNMCyber, we've built a network of skilled professionals, including retirees and career changers. This network is now moving online to cnmcyber.com, offering mentorship to anyone, anywhere. We are also incorporating AI-powered tools to assist with career management and professional networking.
 +
# Entry-Level Work: The '-ship' suffix highlights the focus on internship, residency, or similar practical work experience. Opplet, a developing technology platform, will provide a digital workplace environment with various applications and tools. While not a perfect replica of professional settings, Opplet will enable participants to engage in realistic professional scenarios, equipping them with hands-on experience in modern technologies and greater control over their career preparation.
  
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.
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We anticipate that establishing the full scope of Educaship will take 3 to 7 years. The biggest challenges will likely be finding mentors and working with colleges. These institutions, with their complex processes, aren't usually seen as leaders of change.
  
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.
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==WiseNxt for Career Discovery==
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As we developed the Educaship fellowship, we realized we could start with something simpler and quicker: WiseNxt. This program is designed to help students make informed career choices and prepare them for success before they enter college, vocational education, or our Educaship fellowship.
  
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.
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WiseNxt offers more than just traditional career services:
 +
* Insights into over a hundred careers, helping students make better choices and giving useful information to career consultants and mentors.
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* Practical projects and real-world challenges that add to classroom learning.
 +
* Work experience that employers value, giving students an advantage in the job market.
  
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.
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WiseNxt is a platform where students can explore the workplace. Often, young people are pressured to choose careers without a "fitting room." Experiencing different jobs firsthand is the best way to learn about them. Early exposure to various roles -- through projects, gap years, part-time jobs, or volunteer work -- helps people find the right fit.
  
These insights guide our focus on younger audiences for vocational discovery, as they often have more flexibility to explore career options.
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The cost of higher education or job training is high, including tuition and the time and support needed from parents or others. Yet, career exploration often gets less attention and resources than buying a car. People don’t buy cars based only on movies or sales pitches, so why invest in expensive career preparation without a "test drive"?
  
==From Reflections to Intentions==
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Practical experiences help people understand what type of work fits their abilities and passions. Yet, the process of career exploration -- finding one’s interests, skills, strengths, and potential career paths -- is often overlooked by current systems. In the end, developing WiseNxt will improve our chances of finding partners to help create the full Educaship program.
Let's summarize. College education is time-intensive, but learning is most effective when education is paired with practical experience. In professional development, time is a crucial, limited resource. While younger individuals typically have more available time, the current system often postpones their opportunities for hands-on practice. This delay can hinder the efficient integration of education and real-world application.
 
  
Based on my reflections, I believe that education, mentoring from people in the industry, and real-world professional experience should all happen together from the start, not years apart.
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==KenyaX as a Practice Place==
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We first planned to launch WiseNxt in Ukraine, but now we're starting it in Kenya through the "KenyaX" program, which will begin soon. KenyaX will help students explore different careers early in their education.
  
That is why I envision hands-on experience as a baseline for learning. Traditional colleges often treat practical experience as extra, but I think it's crucial for happy workspace.
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KenyaX has two levels of hands-on practice:
 +
* First Level: Participants will start with practical experience in areas like product analysis, website development, event planning, and cloud operations. These are not permanent jobs and will change over time, especially as AI technology grows. We call these roles "pre-entry-level" because they help participants understand basic job tasks.
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* Second Level: Participants will move up to entry-level roles, working with professionals like developers, operators, analysts, and marketers. They’ll use their new skills to manage contracts and support KenyaX projects.
  
These ideas made me want to create Educaship and WiseNxt products I wish I had when I was starting my professional journey.
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Participants will learn about jobs from both sides—what workers do and what employers need. This experience can help them choose the right career and give mentors the information they need to guide them better.
  
==From Problems to Solutions==
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The contract management experience will also include helping with recruitment, so participants can learn about the hiring process.
I started 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.
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Those working on commercial projects will earn small wages. Some nonprofit projects with CNMCyber will also get funding.
  
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.
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We'll support the program with basic training, help from our team, and workspaces at Opplet. We know that first jobs can be stressful, so our goal is to create a supportive and stress-free environment.
  
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.
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Early exposure to different careers has big benefits. It helps students understand industries, build professional networks, and make better career choices. This program aims to help participants grow professionally and choose their careers more wisely.
  
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.
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==EmployableU for Career Ed==
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Why don’t high schools teach us how to get jobs and manage our careers? Why is understanding how to make money not considered as important as math or science?
  
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.
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At CNMCyber, we recognized those gaps in education when we found ourselves having to teach basic career awareness, which took valuable time away from developing tech skills. Many participants misunderstood key career concepts. For instance, they didn't realize that working without pay, when managed strategically, could lead to better-paying opportunities later on.
  
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.
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In December 2019, I came to the United States from China, planning to return by February 2020. But the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything, and I ended up staying longer than expected. This situation pushed me to start a project I had been thinking about for a while: a course on job market navigation and career management.
  
==Join the Educaship Revolution==
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Using my previous experience from the WorldOpp project, I developed "EmployableU Concepts." This course includes modules on employment, recruitment, career exploration, job marketing, networking, and entrepreneurship, all designed to help people succeed in today's job market.
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.
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The EmployableU course is currently a prototype that has been tested by a limited number of participants from Kenya and Pakistan. This course aims to:
 +
# Prepare students for WiseNxt or any future work-like practice programs.
 +
# Provide career education to our partner high schools.
 +
# Establish WiseNxt and other Educaship products on the career solutions market.
  
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?
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Our top priority is making career education accessible. To do this, EmployableU will be offered for free, ensuring that essential career knowledge reaches as many people as possible.
  
==Statistics==
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If my parents had known more about career options, they could have guided me better. Similarly, if I had been taught about different career paths, I could have saved time and money. If colleges claim their education is key to job success, then learning how to navigate a career is just as important for landing that very job.
172 - 11: Need in Career Support
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174 - 12: The Finite Resource
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==The Pipeline vs Careerprise==
188 - 2: Career as a Journey
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Let's bring it all together. At our core, we're committed to more than just preparing people for jobs -- we're dedicated to facilitating their long-term career success and professional fulfillment. Career discovery, preparation, and support are multifaceted challenges that require equally sophisticated solutions.
202 - 5: Inside of Career Prep
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218 - 7: Industry Networks Matter
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The complete vision of Educaship is embodied in a comprehensive 5-step process that we at CNMCyber refer to as the pipeline:
252 - 6: Insightful Mentors Matter
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# EmployableU Concepts: A course covering essential topics like employment, recruitment, career planning, and job search strategies, ensuring participants know what to focus on as they progress through the pipeline.
272 - 8: Practice as a Career Tool
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# Orientation: A brief introductory course to help participants determine if Educaship aligns with their goals.
321 - 1: Education Meets Career
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# WiseNxt: Hands-on experience in various roles to introduce participants to the workplace and assist them in choosing a career specialty.
328 - 3: Practice Aids Education
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# Fellowship: An apprenticeship phase where participants receive mentorship and attend college while gaining practical experience.
337 - 9: Experience Rocks
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# Continuous Support: Ongoing guidance and on-demand training as participants engage in meaningful work and plan their next career steps.
355 - 4: Career Checks Guidance
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CNMCyber volunteers manage the first three phases of the pipeline, which will always be free of charge. We are committed to making the final two stages free for our volunteers as well. As we seek partners, this will be a key requirement.
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While volunteers are the backbone of our service, financial resources are still needed to cover organizational, technological, and internet service costs. For this reason, some aspects of Educaship will also be available commercially under the brand name "Careerprise," a blend of "career" and "enterprise."
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==Join the Career Revolution==
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In closing, I want to reiterate what I mentioned at the start. My purpose today isn't to promote any specific product we're developing. These projects are still evolving, and their names and features may change. Instead, I'm here to focus on the challenges that Educaship aims to address and to share how its underlying concepts have developed over time.
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Our approach to work-like practice is revolutionary because it goes beyond simply complementing standardized curricula or mimicking job scenarios. We are building a comprehensive ecosystem where:
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* Learners explore diverse roles to discover their vocations and strengths, empowering them to confidently answer the question, 'What do you want to do when you grow up?'
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* We collaborate with educational institutions to facilitate internships and apprenticeships for our fellows, providing them with formal training.
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* Our fellows enter the workforce equipped with formal education, practical experience, and a wealth of career opportunities.
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* Once in the workforce, our graduates continue to receive support through mentorship and career resources.
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Over a decade ago, I started developing these career concepts and practical solutions for my own children. However, I believe these ideas and resources have the potential to benefit many others, including you and your loved ones.
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I'm deeply committed to bringing this vision to life and would gladly dedicate my life to its success. I invite you to join this transformation -- as a participant, parent, supporter, or advocate. Will you help us revolutionize education and career development?
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Finally, if you have better ideas for advancing work-like practice or improving career preparation, I would be happy to support your initiatives.

Latest revision as of 01:17, 23 September 2024

Gary's Address Educaship: Revolutionizing Career Preparation Through Real-World Experience


Introduction

Hello, everyone. I'm Gary. For over a decade, I've been dedicated to integrating 'education,' 'career support,' and 'work-like fellowship' into a unified concept I call ‘Educaship.’ My experience in both the business and nonprofit sectors has convinced me that the potential of this approach is significantly underestimated.

My speech will last almost an academic hour. While 40 minutes may seem long, the information I'll share could save you and your loved ones years. It also has the potential to improve quality of life and contribute to a better world. That's why I personally support this mission through donations and volunteer work.

I want to emphasize that I'm not here to pitch any specific offerings. As of this recording, we don't market any products. However, this could change by the time you watch this video. Shorter, more focused presentations on our career solutions should be available online when you’re interested.

My goal today is simply to share my observations, identify problems, and explain my actions to solve them. I encourage you to use the chat feature for your comments and questions. Your insights and queries will help improve this presentation for future listeners and potential participants.

Reflection 1: Education Meets Career

Career trajectories almost always deviate from what was studied in college, and my story is an example of that.

While I was in high school, I became really interested in physics, thanks to a great teacher and enthusiastic classmates. This interest led me to choose a career as a mechanical engineer when I went to university. After graduating, my parents helped me get my first job, but after a couple of years, I realized it wasn't right for me.

Wanting to create something new, I found myself caught in a lot of bureaucracy during the late Soviet Union. As the communist system fell apart, new opportunities opened up, and I got involved in some exciting projects. For two years, I even ran a city youth initiative fundation, supporting projects like a youth café and the first cable TV in my hometown.

After Belarus became independent, I started a company specializing in computer publishing systems. This field was just starting out in the early 1990s. Since there was no formal training, we had to teach our employees ourselves. As technology advanced, we kept innovating by developing our own systems for managing clients and business operations.

I appreciate my first higher education and have good memories of my student years -- it was a great time! However, it's clear that my first degree hasn't had a major impact on my professional life so far. Although, since life isn't over, I’ll say it hasn't had a major impact yet.

Had career interests been discovered earlier, the job search would have been different. There were probably innovative opportunities in mechanical engineering, but neither my parents nor I knew that we needed to look for them. Given opportunities to explore different fields before college, I would likely have chosen a different specialty.

Though my parents had great intentions, they weren't career experts. We had no idea how to explore different career paths or even that it was possible to explore them.

Reflection 2: Career as a Journey

Career is a lifelong journey. It involves finding professional opportunities, mastering new skills, obtaining qualifications, and searching for jobs. Our careers are not set in stone; they change over time. Here's why:

  1. Personal Changes: As we grow, our interests, skills, and circumstances change. What we aspire to at 16 is vastly different from our goals at 40 or 60. New experiences create new demands and shift fleeting whims.
  2. Work Changes: Tools and methods are constantly evolving. Take mechanical engineering, for example. In the 1980s, when I specialized in this field, engineers used paper and pencils. By the 2000s, they had switched to computer programs. Now, they use 3D printers for rapid prototyping. In the future, they will rely on AI and robots.
  3. World Changes: New technologies, economic shifts, and cultural trends create new jobs while making others obsolete. For instance, AI and robots are transforming many professions. There are hardly any people whose work is the same as that of their grandparents.

In school, I thought that five years of university would be enough to prepare me for life. My institute in the Soviet Union claimed to provide a solid foundation of knowledge. But after 40 years of career, I wonder: what foundation did I really gain by acing a course called 'Scientific Communism'?

Even for more relevant subjects, much has changed. AI-based chatbots now provide more information than any university curriculum. And unlike universities, they can supply knowledge on demand, right when we need it. Do we still need to memorize potentially outdated information?

Continuous learning and adaptation are no longer optional; they are essential in our changing world. Overall, if careers are adventures with unexpected twists, shouldn't higher education adapt in a similar way? The order should be turned upside down -- education based on career, not career based on education.

Reflection 3: Practice-Classroom Mix

In the late 1990s, I was consumed by the day-to-day operations of running my business. Ironically, a broken leg became a catalyst for my professional growth. Confined at home in an era before widespread internet access, I found myself yearning for mental stimulation.

Recognizing my predicament, my mother borrowed a book from the library -- Philip Kotler's "Marketing Management." This text was nothing short of revelatory. It opened my eyes to a wealth of pre-existing knowledge, theories, and strategies that I had been struggling to discover on my own.

Inspired by this newfound perspective, I returned to college in the early 2000s to pursue a business degree. This decision proved to be a turning point in my career trajectory.

It's important to note that my business school was the first in Belarus and was set up with help from the international community. For example, we had many opportunities to use role-playing games and practical exercises created by Harvard Business School.

We got our graduation certificates in both Belarusian and English. The U.S. Ambassador to Belarus gave us the English ones. Also, all the students were either business representatives or executives of foreign companies in Belarus. I think we learned a lot from each other, maybe even more than from our teachers.

My previous work experience breathed life into the academic concepts I encountered. Abstract theories turned into practical tools as I realized their application in real-world scenarios. This connection between classroom learning and professional experience ignited a passion for studying, as I clearly saw their relevance and potential impact.

The combination of academic studies and practical experience has taken my career to new heights. With both theoretical knowledge and practical skills, I successfully grew my publishing business to 120 employees, allowing me to sell it for a profit.

The blend of real-world experience and classroom learning works well because they support each other:

  • In school, we usually start with big ideas and theories, then learn how to use them in specific situations. It's like learning the rules of a game before playing it. But we also learn from examples and experiments in school, which is more like learning by doing.
  • In the real world, we mostly learn by doing things hands-on and trying different approaches. But we also use what we've learned in school to help us solve new problems we encounter.

Both ways of learning help us become well-rounded and skilled. What we learn in school becomes more meaningful when we use it in real life, and our real-life experiences make more sense because of what we've learned in school. This balance between theory and practice helps us grow and become more effective in our future careers.

Reflection 4: Career Advice Insights

In the mid-2000s, I moved from Belarus to the United States. I was over 40, full of energy, and eager to move forward, but I didn't know where that "forward" is. The competencies I had acquired in Belarus seemed to hold little value in this new country. The print publishing industry was shrinking globally, not to mention in America, and my non-native English presented an additional hurdle. At this stage of my life, I had an inkling of what type of work would suit me, but I had no idea what that work was or how to figure it out.

Here, I want to step away from my personal story and take a broader look at career counseling as a whole. I believe that society at a global level is interested in ensuring people are satisfied with their work. I also think that it benefits the government for people to earn more and, consequently, pay more taxes. From this, we can conclude that both society and the state should invest in helping people choose their professions.

As far as I know, career counseling is not a top priority in schools. Employment services tend to focus more on helping people find jobs rather than helping them find the right field. Career services are generally limited to written tests and interviews, with recommendations based on the results of those tests and interviews.

I sought help from career counselors at government agencies, private companies, and non-profits. I received numerous transactional tips on resume writing, interview techniques, and self-promotion. However, no one was able to offer me the transformative assistance that would help me, with my skills and existing competencies, secure the highest-paying job in the shortest possible time.

Career counselors, much like coaches, ask, "What job are you looking for?" When I tell them I'm trying to figure that out, they direct me to aptitude tests and career catalogs. Most career counselors are like doctors without diagnostic tools. Professional situations are complex, yet counselors are expected to provide recommendations without the equivalent of medical tests, relying solely on the words of the individual, either directly or through questionnaires.

Instead of solidifying my career strategy, I identified three groups of problems related to the most common career tools:

  1. Overly Simplistic: Tests try to match our personalities and skills to jobs, but they don’t take into account how complex jobs and workplaces can be, nor do they acknowledge that our interests and skills change over time.
  2. Outdated Information: Career counselors often focus on what we want rather than on what jobs are actually available. They may not be aware of the latest developments in various industries.
  3. Not Person-Centric: Tests do not consider the qualifications we already possess. They lack respect for what the test-taker has achieved. While career tests can be helpful for teenagers, they can confuse adults.

In terms of my own job search, the entire process turned out to be a waste of time. And my experience is not unique. I remember a woman who disliked her job as an administrative assistant. A career counselor suggested she would be better suited for a technical writing position. She spent a year trying to get such a job but was unsuccessful, ultimately returning to her role as an administrative assistant.

I would argue that the weakness of career selection services limits social mobility. As a society, we do not provide children with a broad range of opportunities. Instead, we steer them toward traditional or familiar careers based on either their random observations or their parents’ experiences and expectations. As a result, we restrict access to new industries and high-paying professions that could help break the cycle of poverty and expand future prospects.

Returning to my own quest to find my place in the American economy, I began by studying English, understanding that strong language skills are necessary for any professional job. Then I chaotically enrolled in college courses, glad that many institutions were willing to offer financial aid. By the 2010s, I was close to finishing my bachelor's degree in the U.S., but I still hadn't found meaningful work that I both desired and was qualified for.

Reflection 5: Inside of Career Prep

Like many immigrants, I worked basic cash jobs to make a living during my early years in the United States. To strengthen my resume, I registered a non-profit corporation called the Economic Group and took on the role of its volunteer director -- a commitment that continues to this day.

Combined with my Belarusian diplomas, this American experience allowed me to teach business classes part-time. I started at a community college and later expanded to other colleges and universities. Since the late 2000s, I've had the opportunity to teach not only in the U.S. but also in China and Russia. Interestingly, I ended up teaching almost every course I took while working on my business degree.

I also organized academic exchanges and programs for students to study in different countries. Additionally, I assisted in reviewing several college programs and, for many years, directed educational projects for international visitors invited by the U.S. State Department.

These insights helped me understand how colleges prepare students for their future jobs. The competencies needed for a job can be divided into three main groups. We call them "KSA" for short:

  • Knowledge (K): This is the information learned about a subject. It's the easiest and cheapest to teach because it mainly requires an instructor and some basic materials like books.
  • Skills (S): This involves using knowledge to do practical things. It costs more to teach because it requires special equipment such as labs, simulators, and machinery for hands-on learning.
  • Abilities (A): This relates to being capable of performing specific tasks required for a job. It's the most expensive to teach because it needs real-world settings, individual assignments, and feedback from experts.

College budgets are tight, so they often focus on traditional teaching methods like lectures, textbooks, and exams rather than giving students chances to develop practical skills and gain real work experience. Even though universities might say otherwise, they can't avoid trying to cut costs and increase profits.

As a result, most students graduate with some basic knowledge in their field but lack the hands-on skills needed for successful careers.

Higher education faces a significant challenge: while colleges focus on imparting knowledge, the high costs of gaining professional experience often prevent students from acquiring it before graduation. Meanwhile, employers are increasingly seeking candidates who already have experience.

Reflection 6: Mentors Make Differences

In the early 2010s, I got a surprising full-time job with the US Marine Corps. They put me in charge of the Russian part of their cultural program. I wasn't the usual candidate -- I had never taught the subject I was hired to teach, and I hadn't even studied it before my first day on this job. Maybe my active professional profile and, surely, my network helped me stand out.

It was a role that would show me how much of a difference mentors can make. I got to connect with top experts in the field. I'd reach out to people who wrote textbooks, created language apps, and other big names in language learning.

The job was awesome because I had the freedom to try new ideas. We had great resources and not many rules, so we could use cool tech and different ways of teaching.

At first, we taught Russian using college textbooks and conversation practice. But when our first group of students took their special assessment called Defense Language Proficiency Test, we realized we needed to change things up. The test was focused on military, not just the stuff you find in conventional textbooks.

This challenge led me to an amazing mentor. I teamed up with Professor Soboleva from the Defense Language Institute, a special language school in California. She agreed to try something different and became my mentor. She'd visit my classroom to see how things were going and guide our new teaching approach.

Mentors really do make a difference. With Professor Soboleva's help, we quickly came up with a new way of teaching Russian for the learners' specific purpose. As a result, our students matched the listening scores of students from that top language school. In a big part, this success was because of the guidance and support from my mentor.

The project only lasted a year because of money issues. Later, I did receive a promising offer from Professor Soboleva to teach at her institute in California. However, the low salary combined with the high cost of living in the area made it less attractive.

Nevertheless, even though the project was short, it had a big impact. It boosted my confidence for future projects and showed me how important mentors are for growing in our careers and coming up with new ideas.

Reflection 7: Tough, But Vital Networks

Before joining the Marines full-time, a colleague at my community college in New York suggested I consider teaching in public schools. He had experience running a school district.

I researched two school districts: one in my home area and another where the college was located. Their websites indicated I could teach math or physical science. When I asked my colleague for advice on which job to pursue, he recommended science, explaining, "There are more math jobs, but, for us, it's always been harder to find science teachers."

I then inquired about the hiring process. In my home district, the HR department handled the bulk of hiring, with the school principals just making the final decisions. In the college's district, school principals managed the hiring, with HR handling the paperwork.

This insider information wasn't available on the official websites, highlighting the importance of knowing people who understand the inner workings of the system.

Going further, my network was key in helping me get a job with the US Marine Corps. A professional contact let the hiring manager know that I was both able to do the job and available.

After my time with the Marines, I had to choose what new job to pursue. By that time, I already moved to Virginia. School teaching didn't pay well there, so keep teaching languages or switch to IT? To help decide, I asked people working in both fields.

For language teaching, I consulted a hiring manager at a major company. Their candid response was revealing: "There aren't many jobs, but a lot of people want them. Most of these applicants have better degrees and more experience than you do. 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."

Getting meaningful info about IT jobs was harder. Many people only knew about small parts of the field. I saw that IT jobs were changing fast and had more options than language teaching. I also noticed that people who find IT workers for companies seemed to get tired of their jobs faster than in other fields.

Still, I got a lot of useless advice. Many people were happy to listen and give basic suggestions without really understanding my situation.

Reflection 8: Practice as a Career Tool

By the mid-2010s, I had accumulated extensive experience as an instructor. To take my teaching career to the next level, I chose to specialize in IT training.

I started a meetup community called 'Hands-On Training,' which organized free IT workshops on related topics. To find workshop facilitators in Northern Virginia, I partnered with a local non-profit group called CNM. To differentiate ourselves from the mainland branch of CNM, we later began referring to our team as 'CNMCyber'.

People often say that working together on real projects shows who works well as a team. This idea came to life when two hiring managers asked me to host hands-on training for SharePoint administrators through my meetup community. They needed more qualified admins and were willing to train people on the job but wanted to find out who they'd work well with.

My experience developing apprenticeships in Belarus and workshops in Virginia was very helpful when I started recruiting and training for a venture that invested in startups. Startups need staff who can handle many different tasks. Interviews help find good candidates, but seeing how they actually perform is what really matters.

My recruitment plan started with 1,000 candidates. Through a step-by-step process, this number went down to 100 who began training, 10 who moved on to work trials, and finally one person who got hired.

I realized something important: while I needed a specific type of candidate and had to reach out to many people, it wasn't just about finding "gold nuggets" among grains of sand. Each candidate had potential value, if not for my startup clients, then definitely for other opportunities.

Hands-on experience clarifies 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 is the King

For most of my life, over 35 years, I have either hired myself or helped other companies find suitable candidates for their vacancies.

The hiring process involves several stages. To narrow down the pool of candidates, front-line recruiters typically focus on standard documents like diplomas and certificates, especially when the vacant position requires them. When choosing a candidate, hiring managers consider three main factors:

  1. Can the candidate perform the job well?
  2. Will they integrate well with the company's culture and team?
  3. Are they satisfied with the salary and benefits offered?

Experience doesn't guarantee a good fit with company culture or satisfaction with compensation. However, it is the top credential for assessing whether a candidate can perform the job effectively. If someone has successfully done a similar job in the past, they're more likely to excel in a new position.

That's why many job listings say things like "Experience can replace education requirements." In the real world, hands-on experience often matters more than classroom learning. One could even argue that if education costs money, real-world experience should be worth even more.

This focus on experience is one reason why it is often tough for new graduates to get their first job. While school is important, classroom learning alone lacks the practical experience employers seek.

I'd like to support this point with another personal story. Early in my time as an immigrant, one of my college professors was instrumental in helping me navigate new environments. However, when I needed a job recommendation, she couldn’t provide one because we hadn't worked together directly. The best she could offer was that I was a good student, which wasn't very helpful for someone in their 40s seeking a professional job.

College degrees may open doors, but it's experience that helps us walk through them confidently. An interesting point to note is that if a job recruiter mentions that experience isn't very important, it might be worth asking about their own education. In my experience, it's uncommon to find a recruiter with a degree specifically in recruiting. If such a recruiter does exist, it may be insightful to learn whether their degree alone helped them secure their position. If they indicate that it did, they might be focused on hiring students for a college.

Reflection 10: Experience as a Craft

Careers often take unexpected turns, and trying different things can lead to surprising opportunities. For example, I know someone with a performing arts degree who started a recruiting business. Even though the business didn't succeed, it helped them land a job in corporate recruiting. I've also gained a lot by exploring various types of work.

Doing projects, internships, apprenticeships, starting a business, and freelancing often give us more freedom than regular jobs and can work well alongside traditional jobs.

These different roles help us build important skills and expand our network. They might not offer all the benefits of a full-time job, but they are often easier to get into. A typical path from no experience to a paid job might be: volunteering, gaining credentials, moving to part-time or entry-level work, and finally getting a full-time job.

However, reaching the "final" stage of full-time employment is rarely the end goal. These unconventional experiences can prepare individuals for future opportunities they might not even anticipate.

Volunteering is usually the most flexible way to build credentials. It can be used for career growth by making connections, earning credentials, or learning new skills -- not just to help out.

I learned this the hard way. I volunteered at my community college's tutoring center, hoping to get job recommendations later. It turns out the college didn't allow staff to give recommendations. The experience was still useful, but knowing this policy beforehand could have saved me time. I would have volunteered for six months instead of eighteen.

In contrast, my long-term unpaid work with 'CNM' has matched my career goals perfectly. Over more than ten years of my engagement with this volunteer group, I've noticed two main approaches to non-traditional work:

  1. Immersive: Typically involves full-time volunteering to quickly meet a specific need, often using personal savings or financial support. It requires a financial runway long enough to sustain one through the immersion.
  2. Incremental: Involves part-time or sporadic arrangements to gradually build credentials while maintaining other commitments, such as a full-time job.

Sometimes, I consider this hypothetical scenario: What if I had worked part-time as an engineering assistant or volunteered with a society of mechanical engineers while attending university? I would have graduated with a professional network, a better understanding of the industry, and a couple of years of experience.

Reflection 11: The Scarcity of Time

Many people follow a familiar trajectory: they go to school, get qualifications, find an entry-level job, start paying bills, get one or two promotions, and settle into life's routine. They start families, take out loans, buy property, and often feel stuck. Better or higher-paying jobs are available, but their routine leaves little room for career advancement. Balancing education and career is especially hard for those with family responsibilities and limited time for growth.

The existing career preparation system fails many people, and I have observed this problem firsthand countless times. Moreover, some of my colleagues -- talented individuals -- were counting down the days to retirement, even if it was years away. They wished for time to pass faster due to dissatisfaction with spending most of their waking hours at a job they didn't love.

Changing careers often requires significant time and financial resources. While money can be obtained through sponsors, grants, or government support, additional time cannot be acquired. Time is the scarcest resource.

In my experience hiring for startups, I reviewed a thousand applications to hire just one individual. The primary challenge was not finding skilled candidates but identifying those who could dedicate time to practice-based training.

Most adults have families to support and require a stable income. Taking risks on startups or investing time in learning new skills is a luxury many cannot afford.

Money can be a strong motivator for success. Having pursued two graduate degrees – one funded by the government and one self-financed – it is evident that personal financial investment increases seriousness. At CNMCyber, we always request some contribution from participants. It is not about the money; it is about the commitment. However, commitments demand time.

Onboarding training at CNMCyber is relatively brief, spanning months rather than the years traditional degrees require. Nonetheless, even a few months without income is too much for many adults. It is a paradox: new skills are necessary for advancement, but there is no time to acquire them.

Reflection 12: Career as an Enterprise

A career is like a journey, full of ups, downs, and unexpected turns. Bad fire departments simply wait for fires; good ones prepare for them. Similarly, our careers can be more than just finding a job when needed; they can be about actively managing and growing our professional paths.

As both a seasoned business professor and a successful entrepreneur, I've observed that treating a career as a personal enterprise can mirror managing a business. Among the many comparisons, two stand out to me.

Firstly, one's ability to land various jobs makes up their career portfolio. This involves building strong credentials, acquiring new skills, maintaining reliable abilities, and possibly letting go of less productive activities.

Just as businesses offer multiple products for sale, having two or more jobs is a feasible option. 'Bread' jobs provide financial stability, while 'butter' jobs are driven by passion and bring satisfaction.

Let's imagine how work-like practice can help me. With strong skills in training, securing a job in that field is achievable for me. I used to teach IT and business, but they no longer excite me. As AI becomes increasingly important, I could gain experience by volunteering on an AI project or starting a small AI training business. This approach would combine my existing skills (the 'bread') with an innovative field that interests me (the 'butter').

As another example, my interest in vocational discovery might lead me to work at a public school and offer an after-school program like WiseNxt. In this case, my "bread" job would also be a key to my "butter" job.

Secondly, a successful career requires many skills: planning your path, building up your qualifications, understanding job markets, providing good service, and handling marketing, sales, and financial matters. It's like being a jack-of-all-trades in the work world – part job expert, part career guide, part office manager, and part networking pro.

Even this very comparison of careers to businesses requires the listener – you – to understand both career management and business concepts simultaneously. However, this is not always the case. Similarly, not every business owner is familiar with every aspect of their enterprise.

That is why entrepreneurs often hire experts to help them. In the same way, getting outside advice and other assistance can really boost our careers. If companies split up tasks to work better, why shouldn't those on the job market do the same? If rightly managed, it shall save time and money.

Career is Agile, Not Waterfall

Let's move from problems to solutions. As an educator, recruiter, hiring manager, and corporate trainer, I’ve had the opportunity to see all phases of the transition from school to work from the inside. Understanding the areas where career preparation can be improved inspired me to create services and resources that I wish I had when I started my journey -- first in Belarus and then in the United States.

I began with examining career development through the lens of business project management. Traditionally, many people have viewed their careers in a way that mirrors the Waterfall approach, but I questioned whether this view is correct.

The term 'Waterfall' describes a step-by-step process. In this model, progress moves in one direction, from start to finish, like water flowing down steps. Once a step is done, it is hard and expensive to go back. The Waterfall model’s predictability allows for detailed planning, making it popular in industries like construction, where projects start with a clear plan.

Similarly, people often dream of a specific career and use higher education as a foundation to achieve that goal. However, only a few can accurately predict their future and are faced with the choice of either going with the flow or trying to turn the river back.

Life does not flow in a single direction, so career projects are best approached using Agile methodologies. Agile methodologies, initially created for software projects, can be effectively applied to career development. These methodologies emphasize continuous adjustments: actions are taken, results are evaluated, and modifications are made accordingly.

To apply Agile effectively in career management, education, mentorship, and practical experience should be combined from the start, not spread out over years.

  • Studying without practice is like learning a language without ever using it or trying to learn to ride a bike without ever getting on one.
  • Working without structured learning takes longer to see results. Kids learn to say their first words without textbooks, but it takes them a few months.
  • Career advice should be ongoing and based on real work experience.

Time is crucial in career development. Younger individuals generally have more free time, but the current system often delays hands-on practice, weakening the connection between education and real-world application.

By adopting an Agile model, career development becomes a dynamic and adaptable process, better suited to the uncertainties of the professional world.

Fellowship for Career Prep

In the late 2010s, I worked on the WorldOpp project, which helped entrepreneurs in underserved areas with education, mentorship, and business funding. When financial priorities changed, the funding -- the most expensive part -- was cut, leading to the idea for Educaship.

Educaship aims to enhance career preparation by blending formal education, career support, and practical experience. Therefore, it is planned to have three main pillars:

  1. Education: The 'edu-' prefix represents formal training. Educaship doesn’t aim to replace existing educational systems but to complement them. Collaborations with established institutions will enhance curricula through real-world projects, internships, and apprenticeships. Targeted training modules will prepare participants for hands-on experiences, with additional support for those seeking deeper knowledge.
  2. Career Support: The '-ca-' infix stands for career development. Educaship connects participants with mentors and administrative support efficiently. At CNMCyber, we've built a network of skilled professionals, including retirees and career changers. This network is now moving online to cnmcyber.com, offering mentorship to anyone, anywhere. We are also incorporating AI-powered tools to assist with career management and professional networking.
  3. Entry-Level Work: The '-ship' suffix highlights the focus on internship, residency, or similar practical work experience. Opplet, a developing technology platform, will provide a digital workplace environment with various applications and tools. While not a perfect replica of professional settings, Opplet will enable participants to engage in realistic professional scenarios, equipping them with hands-on experience in modern technologies and greater control over their career preparation.

We anticipate that establishing the full scope of Educaship will take 3 to 7 years. The biggest challenges will likely be finding mentors and working with colleges. These institutions, with their complex processes, aren't usually seen as leaders of change.

WiseNxt for Career Discovery

As we developed the Educaship fellowship, we realized we could start with something simpler and quicker: WiseNxt. This program is designed to help students make informed career choices and prepare them for success before they enter college, vocational education, or our Educaship fellowship.

WiseNxt offers more than just traditional career services:

  • Insights into over a hundred careers, helping students make better choices and giving useful information to career consultants and mentors.
  • Practical projects and real-world challenges that add to classroom learning.
  • Work experience that employers value, giving students an advantage in the job market.

WiseNxt is a platform where students can explore the workplace. Often, young people are pressured to choose careers without a "fitting room." Experiencing different jobs firsthand is the best way to learn about them. Early exposure to various roles -- through projects, gap years, part-time jobs, or volunteer work -- helps people find the right fit.

The cost of higher education or job training is high, including tuition and the time and support needed from parents or others. Yet, career exploration often gets less attention and resources than buying a car. People don’t buy cars based only on movies or sales pitches, so why invest in expensive career preparation without a "test drive"?

Practical experiences help people understand what type of work fits their abilities and passions. Yet, the process of career exploration -- finding one’s interests, skills, strengths, and potential career paths -- is often overlooked by current systems. In the end, developing WiseNxt will improve our chances of finding partners to help create the full Educaship program.

KenyaX as a Practice Place

We first planned to launch WiseNxt in Ukraine, but now we're starting it in Kenya through the "KenyaX" program, which will begin soon. KenyaX will help students explore different careers early in their education.

KenyaX has two levels of hands-on practice:

  • First Level: Participants will start with practical experience in areas like product analysis, website development, event planning, and cloud operations. These are not permanent jobs and will change over time, especially as AI technology grows. We call these roles "pre-entry-level" because they help participants understand basic job tasks.
  • Second Level: Participants will move up to entry-level roles, working with professionals like developers, operators, analysts, and marketers. They’ll use their new skills to manage contracts and support KenyaX projects.

Participants will learn about jobs from both sides—what workers do and what employers need. This experience can help them choose the right career and give mentors the information they need to guide them better.

The contract management experience will also include helping with recruitment, so participants can learn about the hiring process.

Those working on commercial projects will earn small wages. Some nonprofit projects with CNMCyber will also get funding.

We'll support the program with basic training, help from our team, and workspaces at Opplet. We know that first jobs can be stressful, so our goal is to create a supportive and stress-free environment.

Early exposure to different careers has big benefits. It helps students understand industries, build professional networks, and make better career choices. This program aims to help participants grow professionally and choose their careers more wisely.

EmployableU for Career Ed

Why don’t high schools teach us how to get jobs and manage our careers? Why is understanding how to make money not considered as important as math or science?

At CNMCyber, we recognized those gaps in education when we found ourselves having to teach basic career awareness, which took valuable time away from developing tech skills. Many participants misunderstood key career concepts. For instance, they didn't realize that working without pay, when managed strategically, could lead to better-paying opportunities later on.

In December 2019, I came to the United States from China, planning to return by February 2020. But the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything, and I ended up staying longer than expected. This situation pushed me to start a project I had been thinking about for a while: a course on job market navigation and career management.

Using my previous experience from the WorldOpp project, I developed "EmployableU Concepts." This course includes modules on employment, recruitment, career exploration, job marketing, networking, and entrepreneurship, all designed to help people succeed in today's job market.

The EmployableU course is currently a prototype that has been tested by a limited number of participants from Kenya and Pakistan. This course aims to:

  1. Prepare students for WiseNxt or any future work-like practice programs.
  2. Provide career education to our partner high schools.
  3. Establish WiseNxt and other Educaship products on the career solutions market.

Our top priority is making career education accessible. To do this, EmployableU will be offered for free, ensuring that essential career knowledge reaches as many people as possible.

If my parents had known more about career options, they could have guided me better. Similarly, if I had been taught about different career paths, I could have saved time and money. If colleges claim their education is key to job success, then learning how to navigate a career is just as important for landing that very job.

The Pipeline vs Careerprise

Let's bring it all together. At our core, we're committed to more than just preparing people for jobs -- we're dedicated to facilitating their long-term career success and professional fulfillment. Career discovery, preparation, and support are multifaceted challenges that require equally sophisticated solutions.

The complete vision of Educaship is embodied in a comprehensive 5-step process that we at CNMCyber refer to as the pipeline:

  1. EmployableU Concepts: A course covering essential topics like employment, recruitment, career planning, and job search strategies, ensuring participants know what to focus on as they progress through the pipeline.
  2. Orientation: A brief introductory course to help participants determine if Educaship aligns with their goals.
  3. WiseNxt: Hands-on experience in various roles to introduce participants to the workplace and assist them in choosing a career specialty.
  4. Fellowship: An apprenticeship phase where participants receive mentorship and attend college while gaining practical experience.
  5. Continuous Support: Ongoing guidance and on-demand training as participants engage in meaningful work and plan their next career steps.

CNMCyber volunteers manage the first three phases of the pipeline, which will always be free of charge. We are committed to making the final two stages free for our volunteers as well. As we seek partners, this will be a key requirement.

While volunteers are the backbone of our service, financial resources are still needed to cover organizational, technological, and internet service costs. For this reason, some aspects of Educaship will also be available commercially under the brand name "Careerprise," a blend of "career" and "enterprise."

Join the Career Revolution

In closing, I want to reiterate what I mentioned at the start. My purpose today isn't to promote any specific product we're developing. These projects are still evolving, and their names and features may change. Instead, I'm here to focus on the challenges that Educaship aims to address and to share how its underlying concepts have developed over time.

Our approach to work-like practice is revolutionary because it goes beyond simply complementing standardized curricula or mimicking job scenarios. We are building a comprehensive ecosystem where:

  • Learners explore diverse roles to discover their vocations and strengths, empowering them to confidently answer the question, 'What do you want to do when you grow up?'
  • We collaborate with educational institutions to facilitate internships and apprenticeships for our fellows, providing them with formal training.
  • Our fellows enter the workforce equipped with formal education, practical experience, and a wealth of career opportunities.
  • Once in the workforce, our graduates continue to receive support through mentorship and career resources.

Over a decade ago, I started developing these career concepts and practical solutions for my own children. However, I believe these ideas and resources have the potential to benefit many others, including you and your loved ones.

I'm deeply committed to bringing this vision to life and would gladly dedicate my life to its success. I invite you to join this transformation -- as a participant, parent, supporter, or advocate. Will you help us revolutionize education and career development?

Finally, if you have better ideas for advancing work-like practice or improving career preparation, I would be happy to support your initiatives.