By Nicholas Proch
Why do we go to school? Why do we pay several thousand dollars to sit through 122 credits hours? The homework, the exams, the essays and the boring lectures all add to our daily misery. But why do we do it? We do it to get jobs and further our lives. So we can pay our mortgages and drive nice cars.
With that being said, there is a trend around campus, and beyond the boundaries of CCSU, to look and act unprofessionally. Let me take you through what it’s going to be like when you leave this school. You’re going to end up going down one of several tracks.
On one of those tracks you might end up applying for a job involving physical labor. You’re going to go into your interview in work boots, a pair of jeans and a (new) plaid shirt. It’s not going to matter if you don’t have perfect grammar and don’t wear the most expensive cologne. I’m not trying to take away anything from this sect of society, but those jobs are not why most of us came to a four-year institution.
Another path you might head down is the track of customer service. You’ll be working as a waiter, for an airline or possibly in retail. The interview process will be much different. You’re going to need a nicer set of interview clothes, nice shoes and your resume will need to reflect you and that you’re ready for the job at hand. These careers are only scratching the surface of what someone with a bachelor’s degree will be looking for upon graduation.
For most of us, we’ll be driving into a corporation. A cubicle or office will be become home. It will become the business of first impression. There’s a common phrase that has something to do with the fact that you only get one first impression. For as clichéd as it is, it’s true.
In an office setting, you will be judged from the moment you step foot onto the property for the first time. Do you have a tie on? Is it straight? Do you have a ‘Mike Tyson’ tattoo on your face? Can the hiring agent put their index finger through a gage in your ear? Society should be encouraging individualism, but in the midst of an economic crisis, they don’t stop to think about how their unprofessionalism might stop them from getting a job.
The university is supposed to be a proving ground for the workplace, but what is this university making us prove? Nothing. Without any type of dress code or code of conduct, which doesn’t even thwart people from smoking three feet outside of an academic building, the school is essentially coming up short on requiring students to be professional.
Enforcing a school uniform would be a bit harsh, especially at a public school, but having a stronger dress code wouldn’t hurt the student body. An employer is going to require that you dress a certain way in the workplace. If the university really wants to act like model of what’s to come, they’d certainly help a lot of students get the hang of how to look and behave.
Of course, you could become a freelance writer and never have to get out of bed or pajamas. How’s that for individuality?
falchek • Mar 17, 2011 at 10:13 am
Dear Mr. Proch,
I would like to reference my letter to the editor last year, please take the time to read it because it applies directly to you. <a href="http:// <a href="http://(http://centralrecorder.com/2010/03/30/letter-to-the-editor-do-your-research)"” target=”_blank”>(http://centralrecorder.com/2010/03/30/letter-to-the-editor-do-your-research)" target="_blank"> (http://centralrecorder.com/2010/03/30/letter-to-the-editor-do-your-research)
In the case of your article you stated, "The university is supposed to be a proving ground for the workplace, but what is this university making us prove? Nothing. Without any type of dress code or code of conduct, which doesn’t even thwart people from smoking three feet outside of an academic building, the school is essentially coming up short on requiring students to be professional."
You mentioned CCSU not having any type of code of conduct, yet here is a link to something you claim doesn't exist. <a href="http://www.ccsu.edu/page.cfm?p=4155" rel="nofollow"> <a href="http://;http://www.ccsu.edu/page.cfm?p=4155” target=”_blank”>;http://www.ccsu.edu/page.cfm?p=4155
You berated the university for not preparing students to be professionals. Again here is a link to the Student Professional Advancement Program offered on campus and open to all students. <a href="http://www.ccsu.edu/page.cfm?p=6712" rel="nofollow"> <a href="http://;http://www.ccsu.edu/page.cfm?p=6712” target=”_blank”>;http://www.ccsu.edu/page.cfm?p=6712
Also do you have any "professional" degree or years of experience in Career Advising that would make you some one that can inform students "what it's going to be like when they leave this school"? Something I was taught (here at CCSU) about being professional is to be creditable. This brings me to my final statement.
Don't put the blame on the university, who tries relentlessly everyday to better there students. Its actually part of their mission, take a look. <a href="http://www.ccsu.edu/page.cfm?p=10" rel="nofollow"> <a href="http://;http://www.ccsu.edu/page.cfm?p=10” target=”_blank”>;http://www.ccsu.edu/page.cfm?p=10 Put the blame on the students who are filled with apathy and choose not to take advantage of what this institution has to offer. Instead of writing a negative article bashing the school you are choosing to get your degree at. Try writing a positive article encouraging students to take part and get involved and better themselves so that they may be prepared for the real world.
Best Regards,
Andrew Froning
CCSU Alumnus Class of 2010