HBCU Students Brand Yourself Past SWAG
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Posted By: William Jackson on May 22, 2016 HBCU Students Brand Yourself Past SWAG William Jackson, M.Edu. Edwards Waters College Educational Technology and Social Media Department of Education and Urban Studies @wmjackson #MyQuestToTeach The college years seem to move along at a snails pace, each semester drags on at its own leisurely pace until you notice graduation is right around the corner. Juniors are starting to feel the excitement even as the summer progresses and another academic years starts in several months. At the writing of this blog May 21st 2016 Edward Waters College like other HBCUs are evaluating their curriculum's to determine if changes need to be made. Schools are preparing for the future to prepare graduates to compete in a global economy. My college prepared me to plan for my future, from the teachers, to the coaches as I ran track and even the cafeteria workers they encouraged us as students to look at our abilities as investments to be cultivated and groomed for success. South Carolina State University @SCSTATE1896 HBCU students need a strategy, a unique plan catered to their specific situation. The economy is not favorable to African Americans when there is economic volatility so HBCU students must plan and execute their plan. It takes more than what you know academically, who you pledged with as a Greek, what your GPA is and even the status of your parents. HBCU students must have an exit strategy from higher education for their particular career options. The terms: Branding, Marketing, Marketability, Networking, Thought Leader, Innovator, Content Creator, Global Analysis, Human Capital, Strategically Positioned should not continue to be foreign terms. In my Educational Technology and Social Media class at Edward Waters College these terms are taught, discussed, and implemented in blogs. In too many cases HBCU students because of their limited exposure and background knowledge do not know nor understand the importance of career talent, soft skills and marketable abilities needed to grind out a career that is transformative and stable. Exposure and association, collaboration and cooperation, terms that should be familiar. HBCU students need to start seeing themselves as their own CEO, CFO, CVO and other terms of industry leadership. If HBCU students are not aware of these terms they should google them to start a mindset of structural Branding and Marketing. How can HBCU students climb the corporate ladder if they do not know what the name of each step is. Strategic planning is through networking at community events, "mixers," being involved in the Chamber of Commerce, and volunteering in civic, political and educational organizations. One of the best places to start is LinkedIn to see what is going on locally and "Meetups" of all levels of professional careers. The growth in Meetup, EdCamps, Seminars, and even online discussions like @Edu_Match on Strategic planning for HBCU students consists of: 1. Researching a career that accesses your talents, skills, and abilities. Allows you to grow, learn and contribute. 2. Planning your education while attending an HBCU to build your knowledge base in the path you want to take. 3. Participate in networking opportunities, even if you don't know anyone show up and show out by working the room. 4. Find mentors that share your passions and think of you not as a friend or ticket for them, but as an investment to a better life for you. 5. Look at each class as a paycheck to refinance your growth and expanding career options. 6. Interact with instructors to learn as much as they do, to learn the benefits of experiences through life. 7. Join clubs at HBCUs that provide opportunities to apply, practice and learn new skills. Clubs provide leadership opportunities and collaboration for projects around campus and the community. 8. Create a calendar of priorities for academic career pathways that lead to building a Curriculum Vitae or Resume with more than just grades, GPA and academics. 9. Dress for success 10. Your online platforms should mature just as you do. 11. Ask a seasoned instructor to be a mentor and someone to bounce ideas off of. 12. Use Social Media to build a following in either traditional blogging, or expand to Vblogging (video), Podcasting (audio), Microblogging (Twitter) 13. Take advantage of Internships paid and unpaid. 14. Take advantage of career and academic counselors. 15. Be early to meetings, interviews. 16. When you receive emails - reply no more than a day. 17. If you make a mistake apologize and keep it moving. 18. Learn, Learn, and Learn some more. 19. Don't worry about where you came from, focus on where your going and where you want to be. 20. No every man or woman is compatible for you. Not every man or woman has the same goals as you. 21. Before you get in a persons bed, get into their head to see what their direction and goals are in life. 22. Manage your bank accounts, manage your credit, manage your finances. 23. Plan to get your degrees while you are still young. 24. You can't take your friends with you every where you go. 25. Take time to travel and be exposed to the world not just your neighborhood. Starting your career is increasing strategically planned in this digital and technology driven world. HBCU students must let the world know ahead of graduation who you are and what your about. These are just a few steps that need to be accomplished that are listed to help establish yourself, to help in building your Brand while building your SWAG. When people look for you, you can have more flexibility in what your want to negotiate in salary, benefits and other options. HBCU students using Social Media platforms and tools, networking, marketing, volunteering and even mentoring lift themselves up to be noticed and in demand before graduation. Learning to strategically position yourself is a planned process. "Strategically Brand and Market Yourself" Resources: Twitter Resource: 1. TED Talks Twitter @TEDTalks 2. Blogger Week Twitter @BloggerWeek 3. Orlando Tech Twitter @OrlandoTech 4. TEDx FSCJ Twitter @TEDxFSCJ 5. WordCamp Jax Twitter @WordCampJax 6. Smithsonian NMAAHC Twitter @NMAAHC 7. Urban Teacher Twitter @urban_teacher 8. EduColor Movement Twitter @EduColorMVMT 9. Sarah Thomas @sarahdateechur #EduMatch @edu_match 10. UrbanEdChat Twitter @UrbanEdChat 11. Blogging While Brown Twitter @BWBConference 12. Central Florida Association of Black Journalist Orlando Twitter @CFLABJ 13. GotteGetBloggin @GottaGetBloggin 14. My Quest To Teach #MyQuestToTeach 15. Scholarships @prepforcollege #CollegeChat If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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William Jackson
Enigineering Educator, Duval County Public Schools South Carolina State University class of 1985 Member Since October 2008 |
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