4BB
AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT BY MIA MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS GROUP TO THE MIAMI HERALD
Millennial
MONDAY, JULY 17, 2017
Back to Basics: Students Must First Learn Life Skills to Succeed
By Gregoire Carter Narcisse
Educa�on – our one true star�ng point as a society – is not given the appropriate respect it deserves. We spend the bulk of our �me reveling in the greatest of many professions, yet not enough �me admiring the vital part educa�on plays into everything. How do we celebrate the inven�on and the inventor, while forge�ng the instructor who taught the inventor and
fostered the crea�vity within them to create their inven�on? As we celebrate top educators in our community, let us take a step back and evaluate our current teaching curriculum landscape. How are we preparing this genera�on, and those following it, for life? I won’t argue that the Pythagorean theorem and Plato’s Allegory of the Cave aren’t crucial to understand for me to succeed in everyday life; however, it’s a shame that my genera�on (I’m 22 years old) was robbed of “prac�cal” classes such as shop class, home economics, social studies and civic educa�on. From the ages of 3 to 18, society’s educa�onal standard suggests that our youth be ins�lled with discipline and understand the concepts of literature, mathema�cs, science and history as among the plethora of subjects crammed into their developing brains. What we have forgo�en is the quantum leap that a child is expected to make going from the sheltered culture of primary educa�on to the freedom and liberty of higher educa�on. How do we expect our youth to have the requisite skills and ap�tude to balance life and truly
succeed if we, ourselves, do not teach it to them? How many teenagers matricula�ng into college do we know that have not the slightest clue how to: balance a checkbook, make simple repairs to a car, understand basic accoun�ng and taxes, cook for themselves, do laundry, and maintain proper fiscal and �me management? We all can name those select few, but should we not be able to confidently proclaim that the next genera�ons are adequately prepared for life? The educators I most revered growing up are those who taught me poignant and prac�cal life skills. The ones who understood that while I need all the general knowledge in the world, it would serve me no good if I had no common sense or basic life skills. We have a responsibility to our future leaders to ensure their development is as thorough as it possibly can be. The purpose of your forma�ve years is not to have a robo�c rank-in-file mentality and to believe that being the most disciplined equates to the most successful. Instead, a child’s forma�ve years should see their
crea�vity fostered to the fullest, while learning the prac�cal skills needed to survive in this vast world. To the peak educators who believe in a greater tomorrow and who prepare their students for the world, rather than blindly following a curriculum, I say thank you for your incredible work. Kids should be leaving school with the knowledge base that essen�al life skills were a part of their core curriculum. I want to live in a world where a high school graduate can balance a checkbook, do laundry, change a �re and, in the same breath, figure out A²+B²= C². Gregoire Carter Narcisse 954-881-6335 gregoirenarcisse@gmail.com Gregoire Narcisse attended Florida State University where he became the youngest to ever graduate with a Bachelor's Degree, doing so at 18 years of age. Gregoire then went on to pursue his Master of Science in Education at the University of Miami, achieving it at the age of 19. He is currently a Financial Representative with Northwestern Mutual.
Career Leadership Development By Mary V. Davids
5 Ways to Reinvent Your Career Before Year’s End
Have you ever felt stuck in your career? Reached a glass ceiling? Tired of working a dead-end job without being able to see a clear way out? Don’t worry. You’re not alone. Feeling burned out and frustrated are normal challenges faced by many professionals within the workforce at some point during their careers.
Here are some specific ways in which you can prepare yourself in order to get to that next level within your career and regain control of your legacy. 1. Take Inventory. Set aside �me to write down the things you like and the things you don’t like to do. This simple step will help you discover your limits no ma�er how much money is on the line. Be clear about the things you would love to do if money weren’t a factor at all. Deciding what you are willing or not willing to do will help you to clarify what next steps you need to take to have a sa�sfying career and life. 2. Prepare for the Current Interview Process. When you’re comfortable in your posi�on, it is reasonable for you to stay out of touch with interviewing techniques and styles being used in the current job market. In a recent survey of 2,000 bosses, 33 percent indicated they know within the first 90 seconds of an interview if they will hire that candidate. This means it is crucial that you are adequately prepared before you start that interview. Get in touch with
a recruiter to learn more about preparing for an interview. As technology and corporate culture desires change, so do interviewing techniques. You will need to be prepared for what the “new normal” is so you don’t look foolish in front of hiring managers. 3. Evaluate Your Strengths and Transferable Skills. Knowing the difference between where your skills and knowledge levels are right now and what your prospec�ve employer or industry requires is vital to landing new opportuni�es. Do a comparison, then if necessary, discover how you can get the level of experience and knowledge required to land the posi�on. 4. Create a Realis�c Plan. I coach dozens of professionals each year who desire to either transi�on into higher level posi�ons or change industries and start their own businesses. I’ve found the issue isn’t that they don’t know how to do the work. It’s that most just need help crea�ng a realis�c and clear pathway to get to where they want to go. Once you have a plan and a �meline, you can make serious
moves within your career. 5. Leverage Social Media. The people you are connected with on social media o�en have significant value–value that most people never tap into. Just because you know someone in one capacity doesn’t mean you know everything about them, who they know, what they’ve heard, and how they can become a valuable resource for you to leverage in pursuit of a new career path. Update your profiles to reflect your most recent accomplishments and work experience. When sharing content, instead of sharing without thinking of your brand message, become more strategic by reitera�ng your skills, reminding your contacts of your knowledge and providing valuable �ps they can use based on your experience within the industry. Mary V. Davids is a Brand Strategist, Career Development Coach and Owner of D&M Consulting Services, LLC. For career tips and advice visit www.marydavids.com or email info@marydavids.com.