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Today we're going
to talk about how

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one goes beyond the basic
education and college degree

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into the world of
lifelong learning.

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In the past, with a good
education under your belt,

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you could hope that
your employer would

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take responsibility
for providing more

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training and ongoing education.

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But in today's world
of work, there's

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less training that's
provided by employers.

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So it's more important
for individuals

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to think about what
they need to do

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to take care of their
lifelong learning needs.

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That means you have
to have a strategy.

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So let's start with
those in high school.

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In high school the
message that we emphasize

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is that it's important to
stay in school, to work hard,

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to graduate in good standing.

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Nothing is more
important than that.

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If you can while you
are in high school

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get internships, co-op jobs,
part-time jobs in the summer

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or even during the school
year if that's possible

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so that you can begin to see
what the world of work is like.

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Maybe you can meet some
people who are good role

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models in the workplace.

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Maybe you can test whether you
are really interested in one

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kind of a job or another.

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Maybe you can get
some technical skills

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that will help you identify
what you really are good at.

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Let me give you the
advice of Dr. James

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Fico, an industrial
psychologist who

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works with employers to match
good, talented young people

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with the jobs that
are available.

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Dr. Fico says, "There are plenty
of good jobs in my sectors--

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manufacturing and
law enforcement.

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Retirements are creating
lots of opportunities.

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Employers expect much more
of their employees today

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than at anytime in my memory.

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They want technical skills, and
they want a much higher caliber

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of job readiness and character.

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Students' best bet
is to find mentors

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for whom they can learn from
over a longer period of time."

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And employers want a great
deal of the following.

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They want courage.

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They want integrity.

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They want a devotion to
the job and a commitment

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to really doing a great job.

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They want a vision
for the future of what

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the work might look like.

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They want a commitment
to working in teams.

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And, yes, of course, they
want technical competence.

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The first four of these are
the most desired and maybe

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the hardest to find, according
to Dr. Fico, regardless

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of the age of the applicant.

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But then he goes
on to say that "I

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find that the most critical
language of the workplace today

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is the language of math."

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A thorough knowledge of
arithmetic, he says, yes,

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he means basic math--
algebra, geometry,

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basic adding and subtracting--

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would do more for
business success

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than any other single discipline
outside of the character

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features mentioned earlier.

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Remember that "the best
mathematicians in the United

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States led us into this
recession a few years ago

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because they didn't
understand the numbers

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they were working with and
how to really calculate risk."

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What about those of
you who are going

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to go on for technical
degrees in community colleges

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after high school?

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Well, here the key, from all
kinds of research and evidence,

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is that the most
important thing to do

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is to look for programs that
are well-linked to the employers

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in your region and in the
industry you want to work in.

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Employers working with
community colleges

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and vocational schools,
designing the curriculum

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together, providing advice
and mentoring for students,

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and then helping to make
sure that the skills that

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are being taught are the modern
skills needed on the job.

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The second feature
is to make sure

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that these programs that
you choose mix classroom

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experience in teaching with
on-the-job opportunities

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to apply those skills and to see
the relevance of the material

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that you are learning in
the classroom first hand.

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The third feature of a
successful community college

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and vocational
school is that they

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have success in
placing graduates

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not only in that first
job but with employers

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who have career pathways,
that is job ladders that allow

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people to continue to learn
and to advance over time

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and maybe to come back for
refresher courses as needed.

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How about college graduates
and college students?

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Well, the thing to do here
is to make sure again,

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like in high school, one gains
experience while in school,

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looking for those summer
internships or co-op

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placements in schools
that provide that,

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so that you can really start to
build your professional network

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while you're still in school.

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And again, test
whether you are really

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well-suited for
different kinds of jobs.

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Then it's important to seek
out mentors on your first job.

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The evidence is very clear that
having a supervisor or a mentor

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from somewhere else in
the organization that

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helps you learn the
ropes and can then

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vouch for you for other
jobs as they come along

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is really critical to
your future success

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in that organization.

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It's important that
you pursue outside

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educational opportunities.

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Take advantage of
all the universities,

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like MIT and other great
schools, that are now providing

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online learning opportunities
so that you can deepen

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your knowledge and broaden
out your professional base

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over time.

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It's also important
that you maintain

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your professional networks
and your contacts over time.

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Make sure that you are
interacting with your peers.

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Ask your employers to make sure
that you have opportunities

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to go to professional meetings
and to stay current in what

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is going on and
build those networks

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so that you have others who are
sharing the same experiences,

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and you are learning together.

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And then finally, it's
always important to keep

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that resume up to date.

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Keep one foot in the
external labor market

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because you never
know when you will

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have to draw on it for looking
for your next opportunity.

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So I believe we are in a world
where lifelong learning now

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becomes critical to
long-term career success.

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Start by picking an
occupation, a profession that

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is of interest to you.

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And then keep working on
your career over time,

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testing yourself.

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Am I staying current?

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Can I find a job in
my profession outside

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of my current employer?

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And do I keep my network
strong and up to date

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so that I can draw on the
assistance of other people as

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needed?