Career development: Part II.(Forum focus: collegiate chapters)

Editor's Note: This is the second of a two-part series. Part I appeared in the December/January 2004/2005 AMT.

After considerable review of career resources, we enter into the strategic phase. This is the nuts and bolts of what we are going to do and how we plan to evaluate our performance. I begin the strategic phase by asking the student to develop a reasonable three-month plan. This serves two functions. First, it helps students put their stated goals and strategies in writing. Second, it gives them a marker from which to gauge their progress--a difficult, but invaluable, part of career development.

I'm a strong advocate for encouraging students to start with small plans. Three months is reasonable and achievable. During this interval, students learn about themselves, their commitment and their enthusiasm for their intended career. Those who are thrilled with the course they have chosen are nearly always successful to some degree. They pursue their career plans with vigor. Even if they don't achieve all they hoped, they usually discover meaningful experiences and leads to other possibilities. Contrast these students with those who do not follow through on the goals they have set for themselves. In this case, the students need assistance. What is preventing students from following through on their plans? Is this career path interesting to them? Are they passionate about succeeding? No amount of talent, teacher encouragement or parental nagging will enable them to succeed on a path for which they have no passion.

For a plan to be effective, it needs more than a few broadly stated goals. It's too easy to write, "Look for teaching positions," "Prepare teaching materials," "Send resume and cover letters to schools." The better approach is a combination of broadly stated goals followed by a set of defined tasks that should be assigned certain days. For instance, students interested in booking tours might spend Tuesday and Thursday mornings researching possible performance venues in the southern region of their home states. They may visit a variety of websites, including the State Council for the Arts, Musical America, Department of Education and other keyword searches on Google. On Mondays and Wednesdays, they spend an hour drafting correspondences to possible performance venues. On Fridays, they spend one hour following up with their correspondences by phone and e-mail. However students choose to set their schedules, there should be something concrete on their calendars at least three to four days of the week.

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