Ryan ChartrandEighty percent of college graduates go into a profession different than what they earned their degree in; the normal 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. routine will not suffice for this generation, generation Y.
This is the claim and basis for The New Professionals, a new club on campus that hopes to change the mindset of today’s youth, giving them the tools for a new form of success in the process.
“What would your life look like today if you truly had all the tools to reach your goals today, not tomorrow, not in 10 years?” asked Chase Roles, club president and architecture sophomore.
Inspired by such books as “Rich Dad, Poor Dad,” “Think & Grow Rich” and “Mavericks at Work,” The New Professionals is the brainchild of Roles and a friend of his at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Chapters of the group have been started on both campuses.
Last year, the two worked at a marketing firm and were consequently exposed to vocational seminars, leadership conferences and an influential mentor.
“I was getting all this awesome information,” Roles said. “I felt so privileged, and I thought, ‘Why is this not mainstream?’ We need a vehicle for students to learn this information and how to position themselves to ensure success in this generation.”
The club – which meets Tuesdays at 11 a.m. in the Business building, room 114 – seeks to teach business skills beyond what is generally found in a textbook. Knowledge of these skills – and, more importantly, knowledge of how to apply them – are vital for achieving success in this generation, Roles said.
“It’s something that you can’t learn in the classroom, but will be exposed to in the workforce. You can just work, or you can take advantage of everything available to you. And this club provides just that,” said Joun Kim, an aerospace engineering junior and club member.
“I feel that it’s a club about professional tools that we’ll need once we go out into the workforce,” he said. “It provides a lot of information that people should know, but do not.”
The club focuses on both professional and personal development.
“What changes a person year to year is their personal and professional development, whether that be physically, personally or spiritually,” Roles said.
Although the club is named The New Professionals, it is not just for business majors, but aimed at all majors. The idea is that all students will someday need to sell a product (or themselves), so these business and professional skills are relevant to everyone.
It is about “using innovative, nontraditional, values-based methods in business, sales and marketing (and) creating success beyond the classroom,” as per the group’s motto. This means that the club will be a how-to club, focusing on showing students how to implement new business methods into their lives.
To do this, meetings will be highly discussion-based, Roles said. The club will also bring in professional speakers and encourage students to “get out of their comfort zone and teach. Students can relate to students better than some CEO, for the most part,” Roles said.
Some topics to be covered include time versus energy management, making business plans, thinking innovatively and the brand called you.
“It’s an awesome adventure. We’re just starting out, but I see it going far,” Roles said.