Counselor Helps Students Avoid ‘Trap’

There was a time, career counselor and author Adele Scheele said Wednesday, when doing homework, getting good grades and paying attention in class guaranteed students a good job after college.

Not anymore.

If graduates are to succeed in today’s competitive job market, they must learn how to turn class projects into potential business plans, club meetings into networking sessions and professors into lifelong mentors.

“The prepared student of today is the employed graduate of tomorrow,” said Scheele, director of the Career Center at Cal State Northridge whose book “The ‘Good’ Student Trap” has just been published.

“It is imperative that students get the most out of their college education--namely, a successful career--but many students either have no clue how or are headed in the wrong direction,” she said.

Scheele encourages students to turn average term papers into business plans, product surveys or advertising campaign analyses. “Students could then present the paper to the company, which could get them in the door,” she said.

Students should view their instructors as their first professional contacts within a chosen field.

Involvement in campus organizations is a good way to hone the interpersonal skills necessary for success in the workplace, Scheele said.

“Clubs and activities help students learn about leadership, responsibility, creativity, decision-making and how to deal with rivalry,” she said.

Another strategy for success, Scheele said, is to consult with career counselors before starting a job search.

“Kids who come out of college still not knowing what they want to do feel very defeated,” Scheele said. “College is a time of hope, and you don’t want to waste hope.”