As a Math major, I spent eight years of training at a University where I learned all the intricacies of how Mathematics works. Throughout that time, I had the same question many of you currently have i.e., how does math fit into my career?

Two weeks after I graduated, I started working for a large insurance company just north of San Francisco, California. I spent almost 17 years working for that same company.  Six of those years were in a field called Management Information Systems, and I spent almost 11 years in business management and business development for the same company. During those years, I spent considerable time using all the math skills I built up in my university training. What I found is that there are three specific areas that you will continue to use the math skills you learn in college:

When you think about the skills that you learn in your math classes i.e., Analysis, Problem Solving and Logic, each of those are easily applied to investments, financing, business, the medical industry and any field that requires these skill sets. So, the next time you’re in a math class at Bryant & Stratton College, remember, you’re not just working on skills to get you through a class, but rather you are building skills to make you successful in your career.

You probably already know that two of your most effective techniques for exploring career options are informational interviews and job-shadowing. Both put you in positions where you can ask questions, discuss alternative career paths, get insights from insiders on job and industry pros and cons, and in general figure out if this is a career path of potential interest to you.

And you know that you never, ever use an informational interview or job shadowing as a sneaky, sideways approach to landing a job interview (basically, that’s the fastest way to get bounced out the door….).

But there are some informational interview questions you can ask during your job shadow as well as other cool benefits from your informational interview or day(s) spent job-shadowing.

Build your professional reputation  Both informational interviewing and job shadowing give you an opportunity to impress someone with your professional, mature demeanor. So be prepared with thoughtful questions that showcase your knowledge of the job be on time if not a few minutes early to your meetings, dress professionally, take notes when your contact provides you with advice and counsel, listen way more than you talk, and always follow up with a thank-you note.

Build your professional network Every time you come into contact with someone in your profession (or the profession you’re working towards), you want to capture that connection. That’s how you start building the professional network that will sustain you over a multitude of career changes, and potentially open up a similar number of career opportunities. So after you’ve impressed your contact with how professional you are (and sent your thank-you note), follow up shortly with a request to connect on LinkedIn so you can stay in touch.

Learn how the company hires One of the most important questions to ask in an informational interview or job shadow is “how did you get your job?” If you’re potentially interested in working for the employer in question, this will give you an indication of how they hire (for example, through a recruiter, based on resumes submitted online, via internal referrals, etc.) for future reference.

Get a sense of the company culture  When you ask people what they like most/least about their job, their answers may have more to do with their employer than the actual work they do. Try to distinguish between the two, so you can understand what responses indicate a positive or toxic organizational culture if you’re potentially interested in this employer. (However, keep in mind that in large companies the “corporate culture” can vary by department and by boss.)

Get a broader sense of the industry – and additional employers/job opportunities One of the questions you can ask during an informational interview or job shadow is who your contact sees as his or her employer’s main competition. Although you would never disclose any information about the company that your contact shared with you, that doesn’t mean that you can’t use what you’ve learned to understand what type of job or career you might want to pursue with a different company in the same industry.

Ready to start exploring your career options? Now’s a great time to start lining up some informational interviews and job-shadowing opportunities! Need help? Check out Career LifePrep for advice and assistance

Think of a good elevator pitch for job seekers as a 30-second explanation to a complete stranger of what you do (or what you would do amazingly well if given the opportunity) in language that’s clear, concise, and conversational. It’s an essential part of your professional brand, and yet often it’s one of the toughest things to come up with.How Long is an Elevator Pitch?

Based on the idea that you’re in an elevator with someone who asks you what you do and you’ve got the length of the elevator ride to dazzle them (or at least pique their interest), the best elevator pitch should focus not so much on what you do, but on the benefits of what you do for your employer, customers, patients, or perhaps clients.

As noted, you want your elevator speech to explain not just what you do, but also the benefits those skills provide. So, for example, your elevator pitch outline may start out with a statement similar to one of these:

Notice how each of these statements “positions” you to your fellow elevator rider:  you’ve expressed enthusiasm for what you do, you’ve indicated that you’re an engaged professional, and you’ve demonstrated that you’re sufficiently confident to be able to talk to a stranger.

In addition, each one of these elevator speech examples for college students gives your companion an opening to ask you more about what you do. It’s almost as if you’re providing the opening line of an interesting story. If you’ve expressed enthusiasm for your work (or potential work), people are likely to want to hear more, which gives you an opportunity to talk a bit more about your career and/or career aspirations (with the goal of demonstrating your value and contribution). If asked, you can give an example of something your skills enabled you to do that you’re really proud of, or think especially interesting.

This is the element of an elevator speech that people often fail to mention: always reciprocate! With genuine interest, ask them to tell you about their work or career.

This provides you with two benefits: 1) you don’t come across as a self-absorbed, boring jerk, and 2) it tells you whether this conversation might develop into a valuable professional connection for one or both of you.

And just in case you’re wondering if working on a killer elevator speech is really worth the effort, keep in mind the other really important benefit you get from this: your folks/spouse/in-laws/kids will now have something they can tell people when asked what you’re up to!

For more information about programs designed to help you advance your career, contact the Admissions office at Bryant & Stratton College.

Yes sir, the light was green, I am positive…or was it yellow….maybe it just turned yellow….ok, now I am not sure…

 The exciting field of criminal justice is all about dealing with people; whether in the course of an investigation, arrest, court proceeding, or corrections setting.  One of the most frustrating aspects of this occupation is attempting to gather facts in the course of ones duties. 

I cannot recall how many times I have performed interviews from seemingly reliable individuals, only to find later that their factual account of an incident was incorrect? Sometimes we are lucky and find those “ideal” witnesses, who seemed to have a clear, unobstructed view of the event, and appear to be completely unbiased, yet when interviewed, they falsely recount even the most simplest of facts.

One such investigation comes to mind that stemmed my interest in this topic area of research. I was performing a field investigation of a possible “jump in” in the claimant’s vehicle.

The claimant was receiving aggressive medical treatment, yet my insured and the police report did not place him in the claimant’s car. I located two eyewitnesses to the event who were standing on the exact corner of this intersection accident; both with a clear view of the loss and of course the claimant’s car. These were ideal witnesses, both were college educated, presented themselves well, and were unbiased, yet when I interviewed them, they could not even provide the correct color of my insured’s car, which was a distinctive yellow hue.

Some of the seemingly “simple” questions appeared inaccurate- weather, clothing etc…Immediately I thought of how unreliable these reliable witnesses were and wondered why they could not provide a clear account of the simple facts of loss. The reliability of eyewitness testimony is not a new topic of research; it has been explored for more than a hundred years by psychologists and legal experts. Let’s take a brief look at the historical development of eyewitness reliability to establish a foundation for our topic.

In his seminal book, “On the Witness Stand” (1908) Hugo Mu¨nsterberg questioned the reliability of witness testimony. He is considered one of the early pioneers of research and development in this topic area of law and psychology. His early research has shown itself to be applicable to many contemporary situations involving testimony. Mu¨nsterberg performed a significant study which supported his theory of witness unreliability. In the study he had a sample group of children and adults view pictures of a farmer’s room, immediately afterward they were asked a mixture of leading and objective questions. These studies revealed that the adult sample was highly misled by leading questions, but the children were not. The younger group seemed to be less resistant to suggestion than adults.

Contemporary researchers such as Roberts & Schneider (2000) have also supported these findings. Can we infer from these studies that the younger witnesses provide more accurate testimony? The research suggests that we can. A similar study by Valentine, Pickering, and Darling (2003) studied the identification accuracy of 640 witnesses from 314 lineups conducted in London. The researchers categorized the age of the witnesses and correlated their findings to accuracy. They found overwhelmingly, that the age of the witness had a significant effect on identification accuracy, with a rate of 48% accuracy in the under 20-year old group as compared to 28% in the 40-plus group. How about the testimony of the claimant or insured, we would think that someone directly involved in the event would be able to provide a clear recount of the occurrence. However, studies have proven otherwise.

A significant study performed by Patricia Tollestrup, John Turtle, and John Yille (1994) focused on how individuals acquire and retain information from an occurrence. They studied specific cases where a suspect confessed to a crime and also involved eyewitness victims and bystanders. The study revealed that bystanders had a more accurate memory of the crime scene than the victims involved. Victim accuracy rate was 40% lower than that of the bystanders. The most significant aspect of the study surrounded the findings that both the bystanders and the victim eyewitnesses chose the right criminal only 48% of the time in a lineup.

This study illustrates that eyewitness testimony is very weak and unreliable. It also shows that if the eyewitness was directly involved in the crime, chances are their testimony is even weaker because of many factors that bias their memory. In the early 1990’s the development and use of DNA evidence in criminal cases was a significant “eye opener” in eyewitness reliability. The revisiting of cases across the world revealed the many criminals that were initially convicted by eyewitnesses were exonerated by DNA evidence. This caused new found interest in reliability.

Tests by psychologists using mock crime scenes has revealed that eyewitnesses are incorrect approximately half (50%) of the time. In 1996, the Department of Justice assembled a panel of leading psychologists to address this reliability issue and develop strategies to assist with gathering more reliable information. They concluded that the interview format can often times have an affect on the outcome of the testimony. That is, they recommended asking very open-ended questions, so as to extract a more unbiased account of events. They also recognized that the less time that elapses between the interview and the occurrence can also have affect on accuracy. So what can we conclude from this research. Many of the studies overwhelmingly revealed that eye witness testimony is highly unreliable; approximately 50% of the time their testimony is inaccurate.

The message gleaned from this article should not be to discount all eyewitness testimony, instead to use the testimony as part of your overall investigative strategy. Actually sir…now that I have thought about it I am sure the light was yellow…I think…

I recently visited the Kennedy Space Center. Talk about a fish out of water. I don\’t understand the aerodynamics of flight. How is it possible for man to go to that dark, vast, cold place and see remarkable things and return safely to Earth?  Talk about team work.  How are so many minds able to work together for a common goal without the whole project going haywire?

I’m intimidated by all the knowledge in a place like this.  As I walk among the buildings seeing what my fellow countrymen have created, the dreams and aspirations they have realized, astound me.  Everyone here didn’t get to walk in space, visit the space station, or have the fame of being the first to walk on the Moon.  But everyone did work together realizing that the mission to space was bigger than just one man, or one team, or one department of NASA. I can relate these feelings of intimidation back to my own classroom, to my own students here at Bryant & Stratton College Online. 

I see many comments from students saying they are afraid of technology.  I hear you and I feel your pain.  It wasn’t that long ago for me, and I can still imagine what it is like to open up Excel and stare at a blank spreadsheet wondering what you are supposed to do with each of those little squares (cells).  Students know they can perform magic and do powerful things, but it takes knowledge to get there.  And it is intimidating when you know the power, but not the process.  I know the power of space flight, but not the process.  Not yet, anyway.  I have never forgotten my days as a new user of technology and software.  Yes, today I am technically savvy, but I wasn\’t always.  Like you, I had to start somewhere.  I remember those early days of being a computer technician working for Kodak in its heyday. I made a lot of silly mistakes.  When I would embarrass myself by a mistake, I always swallowed my pride and kept moving forward.  I learned from it.  I made lots of mistakes, but tried hard never to make the same one twice.

Nothing is too big to understand if you just ground yourself and take it one piece at a time.  I can still remember my mother telling me that you can even eat an elephant, if you do it one bite at a time. The imagery was awful, but the message was true.  You can conquer anything if you break it down into manageable parts. The best instructors and teachers are those who never forget where they came from, and the journey they took to arrive at the present day.  If you can muster up enough inner-strength to make the determination that you will not let defeat rule the day, you can master anything, even Excel spreadsheets or Access databases. 

They are actually pretty cool, once you become comfortable with them. Technology isn’t going away.  If anything, it will embed itself deeper into our lives, our automobiles, our entertainment, and our very clothing.  We can be left behind, we can be intimidated, we can stand here and wring our hands, or we can choose to take the smallest steps in understanding those little pieces we use daily, our smart phones, our computers, and other peripheral devices.  As we explore our world and really take a solid look at all the technology everywhere, we realize a choice must be made.  Embrace the pieces we choose to use, understand, explore, and experiment – even if we make mistakes.

As my students comments ring in my ears it dawns on me that I am so fortunate to see the transformation from the first weeks of class to the end of class.  Most students learn as much about themselves as they do about technology.  They realize that technology isn’t to be feared and it was their own misgivings that were standing in their way. 

Most want the class to continue for several more months so they can learn everything once they have mastered a few new skills.  I get great joy out of watching this transformation. I am a witness to the journey; the journey of education, the journey of self-realization, and the journey of a thirst for knowledge.  The best part about teaching technology isn’t the technology itself, (although I love that aspect of teaching), it’s watching the student triumph over something that used to hold power over them and intimidate them, and now is nothing more than circuit boards and software in their eyes. 

That is the ultimate rush. I believe I need to come back to Kennedy Space Center next year.  I need to learn more.  I need to understand the process of space flight.  I’ll never be a pilot, and it isn’t the marvel of engineering, or the mathematical calculations that I need to understand. 

It’s the drive, the desire, the passion to make a difference, to achieve, to receive knowledge and mostly to learn about myself as I travel on my journey.

Don’t wait until graduation to start preparing yourself for a career change or advancement. Start taking small steps while you are still in school. This will better prepare you and can help build your career more effectively after graduation. Here are a few actions to consider that can help make you more desirable in a tough job market:

Research what you can do with your degree. As a Bryant & Stratton College student, you have access to a number of research and information databases that are not free to the public. While you are a student, take advantage of this access. Use the Virtual Library outside of your classwork. Research articles on job advancement, different positions requiring your degree, and labor statistics and data in your area.

Build a resume. If you haven’t already, start building your resume. Adding to an existing one after graduation is quicker than designing one from scratch. Take advantage of the Career Services Department and your Career Management Seminar to perfect resume building. The Optimal Resume program available to Bryant & Stratton College students is the perfect place to create and store a developing resume.

Add more to your resume. Consider seeking out supplemental experience to enhance your resume. Volunteer at a local organization, research professional groups or societies online, or look into certifications that will improve your marketability. Talk to successful people or employers in your field and ask them what they look for in potential employees.

Practice Interviewing. Ask a friend to go over a mock interview with you. Have them ask you questions that you are not expecting and did not prepare for beforehand. The more you do it, the more comfortable you will be!

Work hard to achieve good grades. Making Dean’s List or qualifying for the Alpha Beta Gamma Honor Society looks excellent on a resume. In a tough economy, these small steps can add value to your degree. Don’t wait until graduation to start thinking about your career and how to be successful in it!