Every day I hear more stories of APU alums not getting good jobs after college and they all seem to wonder what they missed. I have come to realize that much of the experience at APU is completely inadequate when it comes to preparing young people for their future careers. There are exceptions though. Obviously nurses, psychology majors and health majors, and many Bible majors need to establish grounds in an undergraduate degree and then follow up with graduate programs, but for the most part, APU is guiding their students straight into a path of failure as a member of the global workforce. I have three primary reasons for this belief. First, provided internships are unprofessional and lack any real-world expectations. Second, much on-campus employment is founded on a system of four-year and part-time employment and has no paths for true success after graduation. Third and most challenging for me to express, many professors are not pushing their students enough to really maximize their potential.
First off, the internships. I have had two different opportunities for internships and I will not go into much detail about them but instead focus on the general concept of unpaid internships. In the traditional sequence of events, a student arrives at college having a small idea of how they want to contribute to the world. They then try out their classes and figure out exactly how God has fitted their skills into the vast world of working adults. So after this sense of calling, they embark on their core courses and begin the oh so wonderful internship. While this may sound promising, there is one huge factor in this process that is missing. The problem with college internships is that they are given to you, feeding the famous millennial mindset of having life handed to you on a platter. Unlike paid and well-designed job opportunities, internships have no real competition. Without competition, the choice of applicants is quickly diminished and the students have no real desire to work. Their incentives boil down to fulfilling credits and hopefully locking in a job after the intern period is completed. There is no reason for me to go out and do a spiritually and educationally fulfilling internship if all I need is a signature for completed work hours. If students really want to succeed in the world, they have to learn the essential skills of interviewing, personal presentation, design, and individuality. These skills develop through specific courses and lots of trial and error, not internships handed to a student with a need for credit. Honestly, students need to learn how to lose. Then from loss do they finally understand what their strengths and weaknesses are and how they can reshape their resumés and hone skills to succeed. Their identity needs to be clearly identified. How do we expect college graduates to stand out when they look exactly like everybody else? America has created a society that is scared of risk and settles for mediocrity when it comes to the job-seeking process. Successful students will put all they have on the table and show people who they really are. By creating this blueprint for success, we have abandoned creativity and decided it is better to be shaped from the corporate cookie cutter.
I really hate to put some blame on my professors because they are fantastic people with many different backgrounds and many have been extremely successful in their careers, but there is a serious issue to be addressed. The problem with the teaching at APU is that it is too easy. I am completely serious. Perhaps it is just certain programs, even though APU is apparently well accredited in many different fields. But why is it that I can walk into my junior year of college and get straight A's without skipping a beat? I mean, I am not beyond talented in anything particular. While I may have a lot of motivation and be very ambitious in my educational journey, I would like to see professors challenge me more. Is every paper I write really A quality? Really? That cannot be right. Even if I am a good writer or mathematician or whatever, challenge me to do better! How can I make myself above and beyond the rest of the world. Again, settling for mediocrity.
Back to internships and employment, much of APU has a serious lack of competitive and challenging student employment opportunities. Students wonder why their real world experience as a hamburger flipper did not directly apply to their career in journalism. Well maybe you should not have applied for that job in the first place. Yes there must be people to fill these jobs that keep the world running, but where has our motivation gone? When I started high school, about ninety percent of students planned on going to college. This was extraordinary! A group of students excited for the world and eager to seek their dreams! Suddenly, graduation comes along and they have nowhere to go because they lost the motivation to apply to 4-year universities. This same thought is contagious among college students. It is sort of this idea that if they can not land that dream job they might as well settle for less. Well of course you can not get that dream job. Why on earth would I hire somebody without passion and respect for what we do? I recently asked a local recruiter for Russ Reid company, a multi-million dollar fund-raising organization based in Pasadena, what really makes students that walk into her office really stand out. Without a second's thought she answered “Students that get jobs here, walk in and know what they are doing. They know the company backwards and front, and they have an intense desire to be part of Russ Reid.” That is the attitude students need to take. So how do this relate to student employment, well the university needs to get over this idea that students are incapable of serious jobs and start providing quality positions for students. There is a reason that the title is student worker, not employee.
Of course, there are some great examples of very successful programs. I have been blessed with incredible opportunities as a student and employee of APU. Among the many problems with the political system of APU's student employment program, there are a few shining stars that set a clear example. First off, the introduction of new school sponsored businesses such as Evoke are smart opportunities for student engagement. The reason why this, among others, stands out above internships is that the job market is competitive and provides appropriate monetary incentives for employees to work their hardest. If an applicant is not good enough, they do not get the job and they must then work harder and push themselves to new heights to compete in the jog market. In the hierarchy of resumé highlights, real world job experience will almost always stand above unpaid internships.
I have personally been blessed with a fantastic job at the APU Computer Store. As an employee for over 19 months, I have never been more challenged to succeed. While the experience in a multi-million dollar retail business is fantastic, the hallmark is in the way the Computer Store inspires success and service into their staff. This business is highly competitive and everybody knows it. Through a very selective process of hiring, we have become a proud team that serves God in everything we do. When a future employer asks me about my experience at the Computer Store, I know that I will not be able to withhold a smile as I think of all the great memories and victories we have had as a family. This is what students should feel about their jobs at APU. Through passionate camaraderie and inspirational leadership, any firm can dramatically change the morale of the workplace and only then will they reach the goals that they uniquely desire.
Aside from the workplace, APU has really guided me in my journey of finding my identity and why God places me where I am. I do not think there is another place in the world where I will learn more about God and the ways peoples' lives are changed and shaped into a life of passion and beauty. I look around every morning and can not believe that I am living in LA County and am working with the fantastic individuals I get to call my friends and family. There is not a day that goes by without me looking at this school and smiling out of joy for the people here. APU provides a community of reality. There are no boundaries or conversations that are uncomfortable. Every person in this family has dark struggles and for the first time in my life, we share them! I have shared my darkest struggles and temptations with people I have only known for a matter of hours! Who the heck does that? If I shared my life story with anybody else outside of this community, they would think I am from another planet for being so transparent. Where else will you find such a loving and encouraging group of people. It is incredible and I am grateful for such an opportunity.
One year from now, when I walk out across that stage and shake Jon Wallace's hand as he hands me my diploma, I will know that my money spent here has been the greatest investment I will ever make. Will I walk across that stage into the hands of an eager employer? Probably not. Am I ok with that? No, of course not. That is what I would like to change. How can APU begin to reshape itself to prepare people for their future? The students of APU have a chance to really change the way we challenge ourselves to reach success. We are all blessed to be in such a community of gifted leaders and talented peers, I hope and pray that we learn to embrace this and see where it takes us.
In the words of my loving grandfather:
Grace and Peace,
Britton
