Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mark Crawford. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Mark, appreciate you joining us today. So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?

I’ve taught at the college level over 30 years. One consistent question I see students struggle to answer is “what do I want to do with my life.” I feel for students who try to pick a career path based on little or no practical experience. To help a student gain more career insight and make informed decisions, one aspect of the educational system I’d like to see changed is the addition of mandatory shadow programs and internships, as well as regular side visits and guest speakers.

To that end, during my tenure I’ve dedicated specific time and energy to expose students to the “real world.” Fortunately, the university program I coordinate requires an internship. Completion of the one internship meets the minimum requirement, but I advise students to pursue more. For my program, I was able to modify the internship class so that it is a repeatable credit class, meaning a student can take the course multiple times and continue receiving credit. I stress to the students that an internship is a great way to gain practical experience, increase their professional network, and add significant experiences to their resume.

Additional ways I try to widen my students’ career horizons is to arrange for career-related site visits, as well as have industry professionals visit various classes. Throughout my years teaching, I’ve taken my students on many site visits. It provides students with the opportunity to see a work environment, experience the cooperate culture, and witness business practices. For some students, such visits confirmed their impressions, and for other students, they realized their perceptions were not accurate and concluded that the respective industry was not for them.

Having guest speakers come to my classes also provides career insight. Visitors provide another opportunity for students to hear first hand accounts about an industry, ask questions, and gather additional information into a potential career path. It has been my experience that the visiting professionals sincerely want to help younger generations,

It’s my conviction that provided with sufficient information and experiences, students can make more informed choices about career selection and preparation, and ideally have a more fulfilling life and career.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My parents were both educators and life-long learnings. This influenced me in several ways. For example, I have an appreciate for knowledge. I simply like knowing “stuff.” Some say it might border on trivia, but I like to see how bits and pieces of knowledge fit together. In addition, as an educator, I am comfortable being in front of people. Its been reported that public speaking causes the most stress and fear for most people. I remember many times when I was younger seeing my parents stand in front of a variety of audiences. They modeled effective presentation skills and taught me early how to present to an audience. My parents’ examples also helped me develop a sense of seeing potential in a student. A primary service I try to provide to my students is that of direction. If I see a talent, skill, or interest in a student, I try to find an appropriate opportunity to make a connection. This applies to class selections, internships, and entry-level jobs. In fact, among my proudest moments are when students – upon my insistence – reluctantly apply for an internship or job and end up receiving an offer. I saw the potential, but they did not. I’m happy to help a student through self-doubt!

Have you ever had to pivot?

After I graduated from college, I moved to Nashville to start my career. At the time, it seemed like I was not making any progress. Try as I might, I couldn’t get the jobs I applied for. I slowly began to realize that I wasn’t as prepared for the “real world” as I thought I was. I had to do something about my rut. My solution was to go to graduate school. Even with a graduate degree, I was still not moving forward as fast and as far as I wanted. I had to face the fact that not being from Nashville, nor going to college in this area, put be at a disadvantage. I simply did not have have the connections (this was long before the Internet). I knew I had to do something different; I new I had to pivot. Around that time, among the few contacts I had, a college friend of mine let me know about a position in a smaller market away from Nashville. I did not want to leave Music City, but I knew I could succeed in the position and it would be an opportunity to increase my skill set.

That pivot was the best choice I made for my career. I spent eight years away from Nashville, but during that time I was gaining new job skills, expanding my network, and building my resume. Eventually, a desirable position became available back in Nashville, and this time around, I was more than ready. This taught me a life lesson: Sometimes you have to leave, to come back. It might sound simplistic, but the action of leaving — retreating — to re-tool,
paid dividends for me. It’s a life lesson that I share with my students.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Hopefully, I have a reputation that I sincerely care about my students. I have found that I can be a more effective educator when I simply take the time to know the backgrounds and interest of my students. To foster these relationships, I schedule regular advising sessions with each student, I attend 0n-campus and off-campus events that my students are a part of, I share all my contact information, I forward specific information to select students, and I’ve even visited out-of-state students during my summer break.

Likewise, I take the time to know the school’s professional partners. I make time to visit our supporters at their offices, or meet with them socially. I want all the site coordinators I interact with to know I appreciate their time and space as they utilized my students as interns. I want them to be comfortable with me, the students, and the university.

Image Credits

Mark Crawford