"Career Services" Must Die

Andy Chan, the Vice President for Personal and Career Development at Wake Forest University in Florida, says Career Services must die. 

In this online lecture about how students and career advisers should approach "Career Services", Chan says that college recruiters often leave students disillusioned by the end of four years about why they should get a good education.

One of the many reasons why people get an education is to get a better job and hopefully make more money than if they did not go to college. And perhaps that's the immediate case with some professions, for example science and engineering. There are some specialized skills that one must learn in college to be able to be the most successful as an engineer or a scientist.

However, a lot of people, including myself, go to college for a liberal arts degree. I got dual degrees in political science and economics. Although I could have chosen a career path as political scientist or an economist, that's not what I'm doing now. I am working in a call center for American Express, delivering great customer service every day (which I am very grateful and count myself blessed to have). 

But I didn't need a degree to get the job, and as Chan says, this is why there is a lot of angst among college graduates--they either aren't finding a job or are working in a job they could have gotten maybe a year or two out of high school.

A good job does not come easily. A lot of times employers are looking for people with experience and don't count a degree as business experience.

But thankfully there is another side of the coin. Businesses and employers have communicated to career services that they want to hire the best student available that is interested in their industry, not just the best business student.

Andy Chan has changed the name from "Career Services" to "Career Development" because he believes any career-related office is a long term commitment by students and employers to develop their career with internships and opportunities to talk with professionals in a field they may still be exploring. The goal of a career-focused department should be to facilitate multiple arenas of career development (ex. interviewing, internships, etc.) and to encourage students to engage with employers well before they get to the end of four years of college.

Public Service and Urban Governance

Apache Junction is an excellent example of a local government that portrays the ideals of public service and urban governance.

Public service, which is generally defined as a service or public good provided to citizens within a particular jurisdiction, is the basic purpose of any local government. Apache Junction provides services that include: public safety, public works, public library, development services, and many more areas of public need.

The overall good for the city of AJ is the completion of projects and promotion of private individuals to all work together for the common good. Public service in order to be successful requires good urban governance.

Urban governance is broadly defined as a political institution that influences the economic and social aspects of society through policy, participation, and accountability. Good governance is the political authority responding to it's citizens in a way where the overall society benefits from the decisions made by the government.

Apache Junction strives to meet these ideals of serving the public and offering good governance through the services provided by local taxes.

A Contradiction of Terms? Leadership and Internship?

One of the last things people think about when I mention I'm an intern is that the internship is an opportunity to show my leadership skills. And to a certain extent, they are right to assume this.

When people think of "the intern", they think of the guy who is asked to work for free, make a coffee or donut run for the office, do menial office tasks, clean the fridge, someone they can make jokes about, and pass off any unwanted tasks.

All of these examples are obviously stereotypes, but if you've interned with multiple places while you were in high school or college or even out of school like I have, you've had at least a handful of these experiences.

The internship I have in the city manager's office in Apache Junction is antithetical to this stereotype intern. The staff at AJ give me a tremendous amount of respect and allow a lot of input in what I do to help them on projects. The blessing is that they have all been interns before and have seen the benefit an internship has had on their careers. They allow me to lead and add my own creativity to the projects they have assigned to me.

In a sense, it's very difficult to be a leader and an intern. Why? Because you're the new kid on the block, per se. You're just learning about the organization and how everyone interacts with one another.

Are you going to become someone's supervisor in the first month of your internship? Probably not. But you will get to see other people demonstrate leadership abilities around you and ask a lot of questions.

I get to view two leaders in particular in my office: the assistant city manager and the assistant to the city manager. They have a couple dozen projects and items going on at a time and its impressive to see them balance so much work and be able to maintain relationships with people throughout the City of Apache Junction. They have a lot of responsibility and since the current city manager will be retiring soon, the pressure is on them to perform at even higher levels than their position requires.

This internship excites me more than others have in the past. I get to be involved in the city manager's office. Since they all are excellent managers, I get to be in the midst of leaders. Though I may not able to practice leadership, I have the opportunity to observe leaders close up and see what they do on a daily basis. I am excited for all the future learning experiences I have in AJ.

Career Profiles in the City Management Office

Am I suited to be a city manager some point in my career? This is the fundamental question that I asked myself as I interviewed the Assistant to the City Manager, the Assistant City Manager and the City Manager of Apache Junction, Arizona.

So far, my experience interning with Apache Junction (AJ) is an incredibly rewarding experience. They want to engage me and help me sink my teeth into the departmental operations, the current managerial difficulties within AJ, the financial details within the annual budget and the importance of intergovernmental partnerships for AJ.

Below are career profiles describing the stories and advice of city managers in Apache Junction:

George Hoffman, City Manager
 

George "Geo" Hoffman first became interested in the career path as a city manager in his undergraduate degree for public administration at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. His first position in government was in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio as the National Municipal League Murray and Agnes Season Good Government Fund Intern.

"I mean, how could one forget a title like that?" quipped Hoffman.

What was an internship he did not think he would get ended up being "really enjoyable, and a pivotal experience" in shaping his career path.

The next step for Hoffman was contemplating law school and even pursuing a doctorate degree in public administration at Arizona State University, which led to another internship with the city of Glendale in the Economic Development department, then moving to the position of the Assistant to the City Manager of Apache Junction. Through a quick promotion to Assistant City Manager and the then-City Manager's conviction of a second DUI, Hoffman became the Interim City Manager of Apache Junction. Thinking that he wouldn't be able to handle the pressure as City Manager due to personal matters at home, he looked toward an open position in Gilbert as the Assistant City Manager.

"I would have been the number two role in a much larger shop," Hoffman said.

But that ended up being the "the road not taken," so he worked with the City Council of AJ, who ultimately decided to hire him as the City Manager. "Running my own show at AJ was an itch I needed to scratch," Hoffman admitted.

The main functions of a city manager are "addressing the strategic issues that face the community," "is more oriented to spending time with council members," and helps the "functionality of the organization on a human level through a leadership role." The assistant city manager role is more responsible for day-to-day operations.

Some advice that George gave me to be the best in a career in city management is as follows:

• Learn public speaking skills because "communication is key."
• Have an understanding and be able to grasp internally why you want to be in this profession. You have to have thick skin and deal with a lot of tough issues as a city manager.
• Build a "good cohort and network to get input on issues."
• Be an expert in mediation and conflict resolutions. "You will have to deal with council members, community and staff. How you view conflict is fundamental," Hoffman said.

George lastly left me with some advice that if I wanted to be a city manager in the future, the goal is ultimately to get into the manager's office and have some level of supervisorial experience. He also warned that you have to be mindful of the expectations of the City Council, to set boundaries and maintain clear communication standards.

Bryant Powell, Assistant City Manager

Bryant Powell has a different story than George. He grew up in a family where both parents worked as school teachers. So for his undergraduate, he went to Southern Utah University with plans to be a Spanish teacher and coach on the side. But that changed when Powell starting dating in college, since "they wanted to stay at home" and not both be working. "With teachers making $36,000 a year, I had to think otherwise for my career."

Powell's opportunity came when he ended up being the only student interested in getting a masters of public administration (MPA) at Brigham Young University (BYU).

"I had never heard of an MPA degree before this," said Powell. "I spent an hour asking the representative questions about the program."

Powell decided that an MPA would be something he would like to gain to increase job opportunities. Through the program at BYU, he got an internship with Cedar City, Utah, leading to a budget analyst position in San Antonio, Texas, and finally as the Assistant to the City Manager in Apache Junction. When George Hoffman moved in as the City Manager, Bryant moved in as the Assistant City Manager.

Bryant gave me a few helpful pieces of advice for what to expect in the career path of city management:

• "You have the power to have a huge impact on the long term and system wide improvements of a city," said Powell. "I like the diversity of the job."
• The three areas where you need the most expertise as a manager are: management and communication skills, human resource knowledge and skills and an education of development services (from the areas of economic development to engineering).
• "Don't expect to be in a manager's office soon. And don't expect after two years to be the assistant city manager. Be open to taking on assignments and the tough projects in an organization."
• For a work life balance, make sure to "get your own balance and set some limits." Also, "combine community events with family events because it can be an Achilles' heel if you're not involved in the community."

Matt Busby, Assistant to the City Manager

Matt Busby did not have a preconceived notion of entering into the field of city management as a young adult. He grew up in a family of accountants and realized it was not something he wanted to do.

"Mentally, some people don't get it -- I was one of those people," said Busby.

Getting his bachelors degree in epidemiology, Busby knew he was passionate about helping the public and decided to supplement his education with a MPA degree. His first job out of graduate school was working for the State of Arizona as a Joint Legislative Budget Committee Analyst. This led to him accepting a job in Apache Junction as the Assistant to the City Manager where Busby says, "I got lucky."

Following both Bryant and George as assistants to previous city managers, Busby says that he has been able to get his hands into a lot of different issues and learn a lot about the budget and more recently how to improve his supervisory skills.

The main piece of advice that Matt has about the work life balance is finding the right organization that will allow you to have balance.

Busby shared his honest opinion, saying: "I've struggled with the balance on a personal level, being involved in work, church, and family. It's busy, really busy. You just have to know when enough is enough and prioritize, use time management."

Final Thoughts

All three of these interviews have given me a good foundation of what it means to be in the city manager's office and what to expect with a city manager career path. I am excited to see what the future holds and what opportunities are ahead for my career path. I am sure that someday I will be on the other side of the table being interviewed by interns and giving advice to them, encouraging their own self-discovery and perhaps in some respect, guiding the direction they will take for their future.

Hello from Boaz...Who Is Almost in AJ City

Hello, my name is Boaz Witbeck and I am a second year masters of public administration student  at Arizona State University. To start my blog, "Boaz in AJ City", it only makes sense to introduce myself.

Here are a few interesting things about me:

• I am the oldest and only boy in my family. I have 3 younger sisters whom I love dearly
• I work full time on a graveyard shift at American Express speaking with Aussies and New Zealanders on the phones
• I am involved in my church, Tempe Vineyard Church where I teach Sunday school, help with the Audio/Video Team, and am active in my Bible study group
• I played tennis for 4 years of high school and still occasionally pick up my racket for exercise and fun
• I have a dry but silly sense of humor and I love to make others laugh
• I just celebrated my 23rd birthday about two weeks ago

I am excited that I will be interning for the city of Apache Junction (known as AJ) and I will be working within the city manager's office under the budget director and the special assistant to the city manager. I am very grateful for this opportunity to learn and grow in my career skills and hope to build upon what I have learned in my MPA degree to apply it in practical ways in AJ. I will begin this upcoming Tuesday!

My primary project for the summer will be to fold the Capital Investment Plan (CIP) into the annual budget. The three goals I have for this internship are as follows:

1. To learn the many ways that the CIP fits into the overall budget plan and to find the best fit from the options I will research for AJ
2. To build professional relationships and get to know the roles and importance of various persons within the city manager's office
3. To prepare myself to be a budget analyst and a future leader in city government

This blog will range from personal topics to discussions about what I am learning in my internship with AJ City. I hope you enjoy the blog and learn something about yourself through my experiences and thoughts.