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• Do you work?
• Where?
• How many hours?
• What do you do there?
• How about over the summer?
• How about during high school?

I think I first started asking those questions just to fill empty space – to get through those dead moments when I was pulling up information on the PC or writing down numbers. But as I grew as an adviser, I started getting good advising mileage out of what students told me. I came to realize that knowing the student's work situation is extremely valuable in helping them develop academically – in creating the kinds of conversational opportunities that academic advising hopes to create. Now I almost always ask my advisees about their job status. I thought it might be helpful to list some of the uses I've found for that information.

1. It provides personal information that helps me remember individual students. Many students have similar transcripts and academic interests (particularly during the freshman and sophomore years). Yet their work typically falls across the spectrum. The parade of company names and jobs constantly amazes me – everything from pizza delivery to medical lab delivery. Knowing that information becomes an excellent mnemonic device. Just seeing it in my notes often jogs my memory.

Everybody knows that student recognition helps build credibility and trust. But it genuinely surprises students when I remember work details. “Are you still working at the International Students Office?” Many students never expect real personal interaction. They expect another corporate retail associate. They expect “sticking to the script.” And this represents a sneaky stumbling block to student development. Recalling work details (or any others) that get beyond “just advising” may help them see the exchange as something outside the boundaries of McCollege.

2. I can also connect with my students by discovering shared experience. I've had my share of grunt jobs in the past. I constantly find students engaged in the same kinds of toil – often for the same firms. If I'm able to initiate some relaxed conversation on the topic, those awful food-service/assembly-line/temp-agency first jobs help us find cultural common ground. It makes me more real to my advisee when I can say, “I hated using the grease rejuvenator! Do they still make you do that?” The topic isn't related to campus life. That ironically helps establish me as an individual they can really talk with – which has the potential to unlock all kinds of productive dialogue down the road.

Sometimes we have never worked in similar places. But I often find common ground with these students anyway. We discover that I frequently patronize their places of business. “Oh yaaah … the chocolate pie is awesome there!” Or maybe, “Wow! It seems so complicated there.” This still helps the student see me as another individual. It breaks down that “follow-the-script” mentality.

3. Many students say, “But what can I do with a major in … ?” This is my chance to educate them about major-career connections. I'm often able to do it more clearly by using examples that tie into their jobs. If the student works in Sears hardware and wants to know about the horizons for chemistry majors, I talk about how Sears Easy Living paint is made by corporations that need chemists and chemical engineers. This, hopefully, makes the point better than “Industry employs chemists.” If the student is interested in English, I talk about how there are reams of instruction manuals and training brochures floating around Sears that were probably written by technical writers. This is, hopefully, better than “Industry employs writers.” Finding these links gets easier with practice, too. Most majors have connective threads with most areas of employment. It just takes some creativity to flesh them out.



4. “But what I can do with a major in … ?” also gives me an opportunity to educate students about the transferable skills concept. I see too many students paralyzed by the “Which-major-matches-which-career?” mentality. If I can offer workplace examples, I believe the student sees more readily what I'm talking about. I might discuss how research skills developed in history classes are useful to the dean who employs that person. Or I might discuss how Wal-Mart needs those same research skills when they gather market data or request zoning changes for the new Hypermart. This gives us a more concrete basis for examining which skills are truly needed for various career paths.



5. Most students complain, “Why do I have to take this class … ?” Hated subjects inevitably find their way into the requirements. Not always just one! Some students are so negative that they stifle discussion. I'll grant that. But others are just trying out various intellectual stances. I can help this group frame the classroom experience more productively. Student jobs help me contextualize the value of these courses, probably more effectively than broad rationales.

For example, I spoke with several students who disliked the fine arts. They had also worked for Sprint and Coca-Cola over the summer. I mentioned that such large corporations sponsored many artistic events. “They might want you to participate on the sponsorship committee someday … What if your boss loves modern art?” Suddenly the value of knowing something about the fine arts emerges more clearly. I'll admit that there are more beautiful justifications. But it seems like What is this student prepared to hear … where is this dialogue beginning? becomes pivotal. One student might hear me talk about cultural expression and the value of creativity. Another might need Coke and Sprint first.

6. I also gain professionally. I learn about the types of employment and activities that exist. Students bring fresh data from the field. My students work with satellite dish installation, independent film production, cabinetmaking, data warehousing, banjo playing, greenhouse operation, and more. How do they fall into this stuff? The knowledge enables me to pass along more colorful, more complete information to new advisees. I learn about new careers in which particular majors might apply. This sharper picture of the career landscape helps me combat the narrow view of work (and the narrow view of the applicability of knowledge) that many students bring to college.



7. I better grasp the time issues each student faces. Work schedules contribute to many academic problems. Talking about the employment situation often clues me in to where the crux of poor performance lies. These issues typically surface eventually. But I get the discussion on the table before grades fall. We talk about the student's work scenario during that first meeting. This means we talk sooner about where priorities may conflict. I can demonstrate work vs. study hours using numbers the student provides. We can discuss time management in that context.

I'm not naive. These early conversations rarely help very much. Saying “I think you work too much!” sways few students who work too much. Attitudes and assumptions are deeply rooted. Financial necessity is often inflexible. But I hope that talking about the issue initially – before any context of academic trouble is established – allows the student to enter the dialogue further along, developmentally speaking, once problems do strike.

In addition, I gain insight into the student's larger situation. Does the family support the student? Is the job necessary for making ends meet? Is the job just for beer money? Is the stress needle dipping into the DANGER zone? The answers will (sometimes) pop out with minimal prying when I start with “So how many hours are you working?” It can potentially help me discover when referrals are needed – anybody from the campus attorney to the biofeedback guy.

8. Many students will say, “No job right now … .” That still represents an important aspect of my student profile. Unemployed students face a different dynamic for time management. Their challenge is imposing structure on the free hours. “Juggling your many demands” differs from “What happens to all that time?” That distinction should steer the conversation.

“No job right now …” also offers an opening to promote campus involvement. We can discuss alternatives to work. Students often respond to excess time by filling out job applications, particularly when they are not connecting. “Oh good … so you can attend that lecture (or whatever) next weekend! Have you looked at joining any clubs? Do you play intramurals?” I want to convey an expectation of immersion in the college experience. Getting involved typically enhances retention more than twenty-five hours a week at Video Magic.

At the other end of the spectrum, some students need jobs. For these students, I can share basic tips about hiring in the campus and community. “I know the stadium hires students … I hear that DQ works with your schedule …” I can coach the student on locating campus jobs and/or approaching faculty about employment. I also get an early chance to discuss priorities – perhaps suggest job attributes that might fit better with school demands. “Do you realize that bartenders work until 2:00 a.m.?” My willingness to brainstorm is an investment in the advisee/adviser relationship. It also becomes a good follow-up for the next meeting.

To conclude my list, it is hard to ask all students about their employment status. Some meetings just flow in other directions. The same principle applies even when I ask. Sometimes I just get the information and take it nowhere. The discussion forks down another river and sails away. Or my rapport with the student feels too shaky. Or the job just seems utterly irrelevant. No problem. My goal here is not to establish this list as the recommended meeting agenda for all appointments. But rather I've sought to bring into focus some of the windows of opportunity that may open when you begin asking these work questions on a consistent basis.