Career development: part 1

American Music Teacher, Dec, 2004 by Derek Mithaug

Instead, a better beginning is to listen carefully to the student's own experiences, his or her background, goals, perceptions of the career and so forth. This basic information will help guide how best to offer help--especially the timing of information. Just as assigning Rachmaninoff's third piano concerto to someone who is just learning the names of the keys is premature, giving too much advice to a student during initial meetings is counterproductive. The process takes time.

Professional Materials

Every student should have professional materials (resume, biography, headshots, press kit, repertoire list and so forth) that are appropriate for their initial career interests. Students always can alter their material later if they choose to do something different. I usually insist on preparing the appropriate materials before initiating work on a career strategy. Without this material, progress is minimal. I personally have witnessed many students missing out on once-in-a-lifetime opportunities because they did not have their materials prepared in time. If students are enrolled in college, they should have--at the minimum--a functional resume. Most every college career center has extensive experience helping students prepare their resumes.

Resources

Once materials have been prepared, I introduce the student to the resources germane to their interests, including print material, web services, e-mail subscriptions and other resources available in the career services office. I don't tell them where to find the information. Instead, we explore the resources together. This partnering approach is far more effective in career development than a more directive relationship. It is exciting to finally be considering the immediate possibilities of one's course in life. In a partnering approach, I can be more effective infusing students with curiosity, openness and a sense of adventure. This, in turn, ensures they will want to continue working on the discovery process.

Learning about the world of niches is not just about finding where the jobs are located or how to create them. It also includes why and how certain jobs or industries exist. For instance, if a student's primary interest is to land an orchestra position, I will sometimes begin by leading them to principal publications for those jobs. En route, we will spend considerable time learning about the professional world of orchestras, including relevant employment statistics, opportunities for growth, overall job satisfaction, historical trends and long-term security issues. This way, they will possess a working knowledge of the industry and how to maximize their potential within it. This working knowledge is easily transferable to other fields once they know how to acquire it.

I also make sure to offer information ancillary to their intended goal. Although a student may express a primary interest in an orchestra position, there may be positions just outside the domain that may awaken curiosity. I like to pepper the horizon with other possibilities. Job descriptions of orchestra personnel managers, librarians, tour managers, publicists, directors, administrators, teaching artists and other related fields help explain more about the industry, as well as provide new possibilities.