NJIT has incorporated professional development courses into engineering and computer science students’ curricula. However, for other majors including business, natural sciences, and the arts, such a class is not included.
Professional development is generally held as seminar style classes that focus on providing students the support in transferring the skills learned in the classroom into marketable achievements that companies are looking for.
In these classes, students typically see presentations from industry leaders, career development services, and alumni who can shed light on the current hiring process, the presence of Artificial Intelligence, and how to stand out from the rest of the pool of job seekers.
From personal experience in ENGR 211: Professional Skills for Engineers I, I have already worked on resume building, heard presentations about NJIT’s partnership with Hiration, the benefits of using Big Interview, and the importance of updating LinkedIn and Handshake profiles. NJIT’s Career Development Services presented and none other than Dr. Michael Smullen, director of the undergraduate engineering cooperative education program, came to sell the idea about planning for co-ops and internships. Smullen walked through how to use Handshake, make appointments with career advisors, and use Navigate — his preferred method of communication.
Since professional development would do little if it didn’t prepare students for the Career Fair that is fast approaching this semester, the class has been planned so that the curriculum covers how to write a cover letter for any job description and planning your elevator pitch.
While a student could theoretically complete professional development training through searches on their own, it is much simpler for these lessons to be covered in a curriculum with a class that is dedicated to their progress. An even more enticing argument would be to incorporate such a class in a students’ curricula so that they would need to spend time on the improvements that are necessary. From an outside perspective, any student required to take a professional development class is in a significantly better position than a student without it.
Having done career searching and resume writing before taking this class, I noticed an overwhelming number of videos and blog posts that claimed to know the industry secrets. While some may have, there was no way for anyone, including myself, to verify this information. Moreover, the amount of pay walls could deter any student without the means to afford such costs or a student who wasn’t sure which services were genuine and which ones were thirsty for your money.
If a college’s purpose is to provide students with a return of investment that could sway a student in attending their campus, it should be one that promises at least two things: a fruitful education that will provide the skills applicable in the workforce and lessons on how to market themselves and make the best impressions in every application.
