posed2

College Matters

Mon, 15 Apr 2019 11:52:49 -0700

Gen Z Feels Less Prepared for Work Than Did Prior Generations

A recent study conducted by Wakefield Research for Ellucian, a global provider of software and services for higher education, documents the growing importance of credentials; a soft skills gap among college grads; and the need for education business models that support lifelong learning.

By their own report, students are enrolling in college to improve their career prospects, and yet, they wonder whether they’re learning skills that will prepare them for today’s workforce. Their concerns are amplified as big employers such as Google, Apple, and others have begun to look past college degrees in order to identify and recruit talent.

62 percent of students currently cite "improving job prospects" as their top reason to attend college.
Only 36 percent of Generation Z (ages 18-21) feel very prepared for the workforce, compared to 49 percent of Millennials (ages 22-37) and 68 percent of Generation X (ages 38-53).
Only a third of recruiters polled require a degree for entry level positions, and they report the top qualities of candidates with degrees and candidate with credentials are similar.

Both students and recruiters concur that credentials - in addition to traditional degrees - are now essential to students’ job prospects.

97 percent of students believe that credentials are essential to meeting their future career goals.
97 percent of recruiters believe credentials will be important in their company’s consideration of whether to hire someone.
48 percent of executive recruiters think further education is needed - more than once a year - to stay relevant in the workplace.

Transferable soft skills - such as...Read More

You Better Not Pout, I'm Telling You Why.

Fri, 15 Jun 2018 09:12:25 -0700

Harvard consistently rated Asian-American applicants lower than any other race on personal traits like “positive personality,” likability, courage, kindness and being “widely respected,” according to an analysis of more than 160,000 student records filed Friday in federal court in Boston by a group representing Asian-American students in a lawsuit against the university.

Asian-Americans scored higher than applicants of any other racial or ethnic group on admissions measures like test scores, grades and extracurricular activities, according to the analysis commissioned by a group that opposes all race-based admissions criteria. But the students’ personal ratings significantly dragged down their chances of being admitted, the analysis found.

“It turns out that the suspicions of Asian-American alumni, students and applicants were right all along,” the group, Students for Fair Admissions, said in a court document laying out the analysis. “Harvard today engages in the same kind of discrimination and stereotyping that it used to justify quotas on Jewish applicants in the 1920s and 1930s.” Harvard’s own researchers cited a bias against Asian-American applicants in a series of internal reports in 2013. But Harvard ignored the findings, the court papers said, and never publicly released them.

These and other details of Harvard’s closely guarded admissions process were unsealed Friday after the university fought furiously over the last few months to keep them secret. They are part of a lawsuit charging Harvard with systematically discriminating against Asian-Americans, in violation of civil rights law. The suit brought by Students for Fair Admissions says that Harvard imposes what is in effect a soft quota of “racial balancing.” This keeps the numbers of Asian-Americans artificially low, while advancing less qualified white, black and Hispanic applicants, the plaintiffs contend.

Harvard vigorously defended its admissions process on Friday, saying...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wed, 24 Jan 2018 10:55:34 -0800

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Seattle-based Startup, posed2, Inc., Awarded Competitive, Innovation
Grant from the National Science Foundation

Small Business Innovation Research Program Provides Seed Funding for R&D

Seattle, Washington, January 1, 2018 – posed2, Inc. has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for $224,885, to conduct research and development on an algorithmic approach to college and career match, through a mobile app scheduled to launch Spring 2018.

“Most incoming college freshman say that ‘getting a better job’ is the primary reason to go to school. And yet, most college seniors feel unprepared to enter the work place,” said Dr. Allison Rosenberg, founder and CEO of posed2, Inc. “At posed2, we believe helping young folks understand where they want to go after they graduate from college, before they apply to school, can help contain the cost of college and increase the value of a degree. We’re the only startup in the rapidly expanding, AI industry harnessing the power of machine learning and the stickiness of video games to personalize college-to-career planning.” Rosenberg received her undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Harvard. She has served as a senior executive at several top universities – including the University of California System; UNC Chapel Hill; and Iowa State University -- and at Microsoft.

This project reflects the growing importance of artificial intelligence and predictive analytics in higher education and workforce training. posed2’s team of behavioral and data scientists, game designers, and software engineers, are...Read More

The Career Within You.

Fri, 03 Nov 2017 19:04:26 -0700

Elizabeth Wagele was the co-author of The Career Within You: How to Find the Perfect Job for Your Personality. The author -- an American artist, musician, and best-selling writer on the subject of the Enneagram (the Enneagram is a typology of nine interconnected personality types; see https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/) -- passed away on March 27, 2017, at age 77. Her blog post, slightly edited for brevity, appeared originally on Psychology Today's online blog (July 01, 2014).

________________________________________________________

I found clues to President Obama’s Enneagram type in his book, Dreams from My Father (1995). He was a young adult when he wrote it, often a time when one's Enneagram type is most evident. These personalities are all related: the Achiever, the Questioner, and the Peace Seeker.

If there’s one thing that is consistent with Obama throughout his life, it’s his desire to see all sides of issues. This and his desire to be fair, especially, indicate that he is primarily Type 9-Peace Seeker.

As a teenager, Obama smoked pot. He said he didn’t get high to prove how great he was (9s are often modest), but rather to push questions of who he was out of his mind. When he was 18 years old, Obama seemed to be sleepwalking through life, and had trouble figuring out what he wanted. An older man, a friend of his, asked him what he expected to get out of college he said he didn’t know. The friend said, “That’s the problem, isn’t it? You don’t know. You’re like the rest of these young cats out here. All you know is that college is the next thing you’re supposed to...Read More

Million Dollar Scholar

Mon, 07 Aug 2017 09:58:00 -0700

My high school told me to apply to 100 colleges — and I almost lost myself in the process. By ANISH KARIM
High schools have become obsessed with “million-dollar scholars,” and it’s hurting students.
Across Memphis, students often are pushed by counselors to apply to as many colleges as possible — as many as 100 — all to push students to reach that million-dollar scholarship mark. The more dollars and college acceptance, the better!
I graduated in 2016, and my experience offers a case study.
I’m a pretty well-rounded individual: In high school, I was a finalist in the Let’s Innovate Through Education program and was able to launch SousChef-Memphis, a culinary nonprofit organization. I was a dual-enrollment student and took honors courses. I was committed to community service. I was vice president of my high school organization, Modern Distinctive Ladies. I was on the bowling team, managed the basketball team, and participated in debate forensics and drama.
I was also told by counselors to apply to 100 colleges. I was never told why that number was chosen, but my peers were told the same. We were often pulled out of class to complete these applications, which took away from instructional time — about an hour per day. My high school also ran on an infraction system, and not turning in college applications and other documents led to disciplinary actions.
The quality of those applications only shed a dim light on the student and person that I am. A hundred applications was never my goal. A hundred applications doesn’t measure the capability, intelligence or worth of me as a student. A hundred applications is just ridiculous!
Schools with similar approaches, though, get...Read More

WHAT WOULD BILL GATES STUDY?

Mon, 22 May 2017 13:39:17 -0700

When I arrived at Harvard to begin my doctoral degree (more years ago than I'm willing to admit), my adviser sat me down for an introductory one-on-one. The chair of the department and one of the top academic psychologists in the country, his office on the top floor of William James Hall was impressive. Intimidating might be the better word. The ceilings soared to 20 feet, and his balcony offered the best view of the Cambridge campus from anywhere in town.
My erstwhile mentor began our encounter that day not with a question. He showed little interest in who I was nor in what had brought me to that hallowed hall. Rather, he launched immediately into his monologue, wherein he reminisced on the beginnings of his personal, academic journey.
"When I started graduate school - soon after World War II and following the failed promises of Freud's psychoanalytic theory of the mind - my cohort of young psychologists believed we would crack the secrets of the human psyche. We were certain we were on the cusp of solving important problems of mankind. Beyond all doubt, we believed modern science and the new, experimental approach to studying human behavior held the promise of fundamental improvements in the human condition."
With an attitude of assuredness only tenure at Harvard can impart, he continued, "We now know that promise was a pipe dream. Since I obtained my Ph.D., we have not cracked the code of human behavior. What’s more, today, those who are similarly driven to solve mankind’s problems are going into the biological sciences. That is where the breakthroughs of the coming decades lie! That is where students determined to see an impact of their work are turning! That is where the smart students go!!”
I sat speechless though out his adjuration. Silence was my argument. I did not say it then, but I share with you now the words that reverberated in my mind.
What am I? Chopped...Read More

Comic Book Heroine

Sat, 14 Jan 2017 09:18:32 -0800

The Academic of Comic Books
by Kim O Connor
( Hillary Chute. Illustration: Ivan Brunetti)
Comics scholar Hillary Chute has a curious origin story. Once an unassuming graduate student in New Jersey, her life changed forever when Art Spiegelman saw an obscure Web piece she had written and invited her to a party. Soon thereafter he asked her to collaborate on MetaMaus, the companion book to his Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel. It turned out to be the first of many unconventional working relationships Chute has enjoyed with practicing cartoonists like Alison Bechdel.
Since 2005, the year she met Spiegelman, Chute has interviewed cartoonists for outlets like the Village Voice and the Believer in parallel with her academic work. Her new book, Outside the Box (University of Chicago Press, 2014), collects 11 of those conversations. She also just co-edited a special comics-centric issue of Critical Inquiry (“academe’s most prestigious theory journal,” per the New York Times). It is probably the only academic publication to date that features cover art by R. Crumb.
Of course, comics haven’t always been the objects of “serious” criticism. Not so long ago, Maus was one of the few graphic texts considered...Read More

Diana Pham's 3 Minute Proust

Thu, 17 Mar 2016 18:20:49 -0700

(Delightful) Dinohulk
About five years ago, Diana Pham dropped out of college, left home, and started a new life in Seattle with only about $15 in her pocket. For a while, she worked two full-time jobs -- and a constant flow of side gigs -- to save up for a future that was murky and unclear. Two years later, she decided to put up her life savings to join a women-only program at a modern-day trade program known as Code Fellows.
"Learning how to program opened up my career options a significant amount," she says. "Nearing graduation from the bootcamp, many of my peers applied to work as web developers, but I decided I wanted to explore options in technology more before settling on a career path."
“A bootcamp at Code Fellows was exactly what I needed to harness my confidence,” she relates. “After being accepted into the program, the fact that I was able to keep up with everyone in class even though I was working nights and weekends made me feel invincible."
"I realized that the skills I acquired while learning Ruby on Rails could be applied to many other facets of technology, such as creating mobile apps, video games, and robotics." This revelation -- that “there is no end to what you can do” -- led Pham to start her own company, DinoHulk.
Want to look into what it takes to hack life like Diana is doing? Come check us out at posed2. Meanwhile, for your delight and your reading pleasure, here is Diana Pham's "3 Minute Proust."
What is your most marked characteristic?
I’m a quick learner.
What is your current state of mind?
Mellow.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
I go through waves of insecurity.
What is the trait you most deplore in...Read More

3 Minute Proust: Simon Yu

Sat, 12 Mar 2016 17:20:49 -0800

I met Simon in Techstar's "Startup Next" program in Seattle this winter. "Startup Next" is the #1 startup pre-acceleration program in the world, providing superior mentorship and access to a global network of investors and founders. Simon's company, CakeCodes, was one of nine companies chosen to participate in this highly competitive program (posed2, Inc., was another). His gentle but spirited style caught my eye early, but it was when I heard about his food truck from someone outside our startup program that I realized I wanted to share his story with others. Here it is. Simon. In his own words.
My name is Simon Yu, I am 24 years old and I am a recent graduate of University of Washington. I have had an entrepreneurial passion from a very early age. My parents never had much income, and so I always had to find the money to buy the things I wanted. Watching my parents work 14 hours a day, 7 days a week, taught me respect for their strong work ethic and it has always come naturally to me to work hard. Even when I was young, I hustled to earn money from different side jobs, as much as possible.
My parents had a small business that began to fail when I was 19, which forced me to drop out of college as a sophomore and find a full time job to save money for tuition. While I was working as a bank teller, I really wanted to push to realize my entrepreneurial dream. I started delivering Korean tacos to my friends and students at the UW at nights and weekends, after my day job. Eventually, I was able to turn that side gig into a popular Seattle food truck, which I still maintain today.
In addition to my food truck, I am passionate about CakeCodes, the startup I began with two friends and a shared vision to build the next generation of mobile apps. You can learn more about us here.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Sleep.
What do you consider your...Read More

Elazar Sontag's 3 Minute Proust

Fri, 04 Mar 2016 14:50:15 -0800

Only just 18, Elazar Sontag is still in high school, in Oakland, California. Yet, his creativity and passion have already given birth to an amazing resume. Distilling the traditions of Northern California’s East Bay -- Berkeley and neighboring Oakland are considered Ground Zero of social activism and the foodie movement, both of which took off there in the 60’s and 70’s – Elazar has worked in the kitchens of several of Oakland’s hippest restaurants, and teaches kids to cook at a culinary program in nearby Emeryville. He’s also publishing his second cookbook, Flavors of Oakland, with a photographer friend he got to know over Snapchat.
Sontag is passionate about his craft and about community building in Oakland. The book he has co-created with Anya Ku, a junior in college at nearby UC Berkeley, is “as much of a storybook as a cookbook,” he says. “We want to encourage people to cross racial boundaries and realize that we have more in common than we have differences,” Ku adds.
"People gave us such amazing stories," Sontag says. "We've tried to convey in book form what it's like to sit down to dinner with 20 different Oakland home cooks from 20 different cultures. It's a portrait of what we think is beautiful about Oakland."
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A secure world.
What is your greatest fear?
Lack of motivation.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Criticism of the easily critique-able.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Lack of interest in the new or unfamiliar.
Which living person do you most admire?
My mother/ my father. My role models from the kitchen to the classroom. I admire shamelessly and often.
What is your greatest...Read More

posed2

College Matters

Gen Z Feels Less Prepared for Work Than Did Prior Generations

You Better Not Pout, I'm Telling You Why.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Seattle-based Startup, posed2, Inc., Awarded Competitive, InnovationGrant from the National Science Foundation

Small Business Innovation Research Program Provides Seed Funding for R&D

The Career Within You.

Million Dollar Scholar

My high school told me to apply to 100 colleges — and I almost lost myself in the process. By ANISH KARIM

High schools have become obsessed with “million-dollar scholars,” and it’s hurting students.

Across Memphis, students often are pushed by counselors to apply to as many colleges as possible — as many as 100 — all to push students to reach that million-dollar scholarship mark. The more dollars and college acceptance, the better!

I graduated in 2016, and my experience offers a case study.

The quality of those applications only shed a dim light on the student and person that I am. A hundred applications was never my goal. A hundred applications doesn’t measure the capability, intelligence or worth of me as a student. A hundred applications is just ridiculous!

Schools with similar approaches, though, get...Read More

WHAT WOULD BILL GATES STUDY?

Comic Book Heroine

The Academic of Comic Books

Diana Pham's 3 Minute Proust

(Delightful) Dinohulk

3 Minute Proust: Simon Yu

Elazar Sontag's 3 Minute Proust

Seattle-based Startup, posed2, Inc., Awarded Competitive, Innovation
Grant from the National Science Foundation