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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219-7317 (ext. 118)
As an expected 3,233,000 high school and college graduates
move this summer from hitting the books to hitting the streets in search of
their first job, the nation's foremost career guidance counselor, U.S. Labor
Secretary Robert B. Reich offers some practical tips for a new generation
making their way in the real world.
"This is one of the most profoundly important times in
most young peoples' lives," Reich commented. "The problem is, most of the young
people entering the workforce have the misguided idea that moving from
school--whether it be high school, college or post college studies--to work
means the end of any formalized learning. In today's economy--and today's job
market--the concept of learning, and how it will effect one's earnings, should
be a life-long strategy."
Reich added that there is an increasing premium placed
upon the kind of knowledge that comes only from experience, including
after-school and summer jobs, internships and additional educational pursuits,
like foreign study or technical skills training. "Obviously you have to have
the basics--like a college or technical school education--but technologies are
changing so suddenly that new opportunities are arising without any warning.
Today, street smarts are just as important as book smarts."
Since American workers are "moving across the boundaries
of occupations at a much faster clip than ever before," Reich says, those just
entering the workforce "can expect to spend much of their twenties and early
thirties moving not only from job-to-job, but also from skill-to-skill."
"Consider education and training a critical part of your
short-and long-term career strategy. Education provides you with a competitive
edge, but only if you continually sharpen it. Every economic reality you'll
face in your career will be linked to continuing your education and training."
The numbers back up his claim. According to the Bureau of
Labor Statistics, college graduates out distance others in the labor force. In
1994, the unemployment rate for college graduates was 2.7 percent, compared to
6.4 percent for those with just a high school diploma. Median earnings for all
college graduates were $37,000 a year, compared with $21,000 for high school
graduates. This amounts to a yearly earnings premium between college and high
school graduates of 76 percent. And the difference is magnified over a lifetime
of work: Assuming a 40-year work life after graduation, college graduates will
make $640,000 more than high school graduates earning their medium. Subtract
the costs to attend four years of college (average tuition, room and board of
about $40,000 and foregone earnings of $84,000) and college graduates still
come out ahead by more than half a million dollars over a lifetime of work.
As he travels around the country, the labor secretary is
often asked by the Generation X job seekers: What should I be looking for in my
first job?
His answer: "Even if you have to settle for a little less
pay, shop for a job--and a boss--who is going to teach you something. That will
give you a leg up on your competition when you look for your next job."
He also urges young workers to anticipate change. "Keep in
mind that there are careers out there today that my generation never imagined
would even exist, " he says. He cites the high-growth careers like computer
design, health care administration, hazardous waste management and
statistical-process control and cautions that "many occupations considered
solid professions twenty years ago are not what they used to be. Bank tellers
and telephone operators are quickly being replaced by automation."
Reich also suggests that the new generation of workers
consider the culture of the enterprise they want to work in.
"Remember, you're going to be working for a very long
time, so decisions you make now can have a big affect on your career down the
road. So whether you are looking for your first job or your fifth, keep in mind
that how you work and where you do it are more important than ever before,"
Reich said. "Whether you're interested in working at a small business, a
mid-size firm, or a giant corporation, the quality of your work life may simply
depend on five things:
- Is your company family friendly? The well-being of the company often
hinges on the well-being of its employees, so to balance the demand at home
with the demands at work requires flexible work schedules, day care and family
leave policies.
- Are you provided with a safe and healthy workplace? Nobody should
die for a job, and workplace injuries are often easily preventable. Look for a
workplace that has healthy workers, not just healthy profits.
- Are pension opportunities and health care part of your basic
benefits? The last thing young workers think about when they choose employment
opportunities are what will happen to them when they retire or if they get
sick. A company's health and pension plan says a lot about what it values.
- How strong is your voice at work? The very best companies realize
that worker involvement improves the long-term vitality of the business and
improves the company's bottom line.
- What value does the company put on workers' commitment to better
themselves? Does the company consider its workforce assets to be developed
through education and training, rather than costs to be cut?
According to Reich, these five corporate citizenship
principles define "high road" organizations that offer workers of every age
opportunity, growth and the possibility of a career, not just a job.
NOTE TO EDITORS AND REPORTERS:
Secretary Reich has developed "Reich's Rules: Five Work
Tips for Now and the Next Century." Suggested as a side bar for the information
above, the rules are practical advice for the new generation of American
workers.
Reich's Rules: The Labor Secretary's Five Work Tips For Now
And The Next Century
In the 1990's the old rules of work are no guarantee for
success. Labor Secretary Robert B. Reich suggests that new graduates master
these rules as they head for the 21st century with their ambitions and skills
in hand.
- Born To Be Wired Whether you work in an office, or manage the crew
that cleans it, you've got to be computer literate. Even truck driving and
factory work require some computer skills. If you don't have them, get them.
Now.
- Get An Edge, Keep It Sharp Education may provide a competitive edge
today, but workers need to keep honing that edge for a future pay-off. Simple
maxim: What you earn depends on what you learn.
- Ditch The Ladder, Catch The Web Think of your career less as a ladder
and more like a web -- webs have a center but no top, and a lot of paths that
connect. Forget the climb -- smart workers move along webs, earning more from
skills they have gained, not seniority. Unlike ladders, webs often dissolve
when their purpose is fulfilled. Caution: don't lose your grip or lose sight of
where you are heading.
- Networking Works The best way to hone your skills and widen your web
is by networking, not just swapping information about job openings. Actively
connect with people throughout your industry and profession. Keep current.
Information is the key to the future in any field.
- There Is No "I" In Team More and more people will work in teams.
Teammates at work may know each other only by a phone, fax or Internet address.
And, teams will include more women and people of color than any generation in
history. One day you may be the shortstop, the next day the coach. Learn to
play all positions, and to win as a team.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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