I share with you today, an empowering role of a ‘teacher’- a mentor, a rock-solid pillar of support, and a big-time inspirer! Hey! where are you fitting in ?
The final-year batch is graduating but placements scenario is heart-breaking. Hope, in these hard times,
you are standing by the side of your students and NOT simply leaving it to the struggling Placement Cell or to the fate of the students. Here is what you can do as a teacher;
1. Reassure them Tell them that the current job situation is temporary. Further that, the situation stemming from the partial discard of China by the powerful economies of the world is ‘Advantage-India’. Meanwhile, students should use time to clear competitive exams of their strength area or go for higher studies in category-1 institutes/institutes of national importance or do a degree abroad in the top 100 institutes on scholarship/work-while-you study basis. Don’t hesitate to seek support of a leading credible agency for picking up a foreign institute.
2. Assist them in Skilling Inspire them to hone-in special skills, particularly in the emerging technologies, cyber security, data science etc. Mentor them on the well- researched options of what course would benefit them the most.
3. Incubators n’ Accelerators A large No. of institutes have incubators just on paper. It is time now to rejig, invest and refurbish these quickly to a standard that the next graduating batch can create a score of start-ups. They will need incubators badly, due to pandemic effect.
4. Advise them to continue to seek jobs aggressively. There are businesses which haven’t been adversely impacted due to COVID-19. Students must therefore continue to try hard in the ‘performing’ businesses. Advise them to be active on the LinkedIn, build an impressive profile and showcase their worthiness. Help them in getting jobs with your personal references, where possible. Assist them in leveraging alumni network.
5. Mentor them to turn entrepreneurs and Freelancers * Ask them to give a shot to small businesses which don’t require much funding and are linked to people wfh, like, food business at doorstep, agri business, Pitza Place with home delivery (even if per day 25 regular customers to begin with), collaborating in making masks, face shields, gloves, sensitisers, fuming machines etc. Ask them to keep pivoting till they meet the business of their true calling. Students with skills on web design, 3-D design, SW development, gaming etc. should *create a profile and go for bidding in the international market.
Infuse spirit in them to fight the odds. Yours’ is amongst the most noble professions of the world, and stretches beyond the realm of teaching-learning. Never mind, if your endeavours to support your students didn’t temporarily succeed. But your inspiration will never go waste and your student will always be proud of you and her/his Alma Mater.
Tell them:
When it gets tough, the tough gets going
Prof JR Sharma-A Thought- Leader and Mentor to the Institutes of Eminence.
