Life Skills

Does College Prepare Students for the "Real World"?

College

• Frequent, quick and concrete feedback (grades, etc)
• Highly structured curriculum and program with lots of direction
• Personally supportive environment
• Few significant changes
• Flexible schedule
• Frequent breaks and time off
• Personal control over time, classes, interests
• Intellectual challenge
• Choose your performance level (A, B, etc)
• Focus on your development and growth
• Create and explore knowledge
• Individual effort
• "Right" answers
• Independence of ideas and thinking
• Professors
• Less initiative required

First Year of Work

• Infrequent and less precise feedback
• Highly structured environment and tasks with few directions
• Less personal support
• Frequent and unexpected changes
• Structured schedule
• Limited time off
• Responding to other's directions and interests
• Organizational and people challenges
• "A" level work required all the time
• Focus on getting results for the organization
• Get results with your knowledge
• Team effort
• Few "right" answers
• Do it the company's way
• Bosses
• Lots of initiative required

Excerpted from Elwood F. Holton III, "Preparing Seniors for Professional Success"; The Senior Year: A Beginning, Not an End; John N. Gardner and Gretchen Van der Veer; Jossey Bass Publishers, San Francisco, California.