As someone who, back in the day, graduated with a bachelor’s degree and entered the labor force with little understanding of the transition, I remember it being not all that pleasant. In fact, it was sometimes akin to a job market “Hunger Games.”
Boy, could I have used a mentor then.
To help give today’s graduates a competitive edge in that transition, the Lutgert College of Business at Florida Gulf Coast University cultivates a network of mentors who commit time and talent to guide students they’re matched with. They provide friendship, coaching and advice that help students learn how to network, prepare for interviews, write and post an effective resume and maybe even develop an elevator pitch for themselves.
There’s no monetary benefit for these mentors. They are just generous people who have time at this point in their careers to give back. However, from the feedback they give me, mentoring’s nonmonetary benefits are huge. Like me, many remember what it was like to enter the workforce without mentors. Some interview college seniors regularly and are well-acquainted with common mistakes students make.
It’s heartening to see our mentorship program grow. The cross-generational connections forged between students and mentors offer hope when world news seems filled with constant crises, and the culture at large can feel unusually dystopian compared to even 10 years ago.
The truth is that the present has never been better. This is especially true for someone graduating with a business degree in Southwest Florida, an area attracting capital that will grow to be more like Tampa over the next 25 years. What an exciting time and place to be a young, talented Lutgert student entering the workforce.
Students in our mentorship program thwart the dominant negative narrative. With their actions, they say they will not participate in it. Instead, they commit time to this non-credit-earning activity to work with a mentor, hoping to improve the skills necessary to embark on full and productive careers. They are willing to take advantage of opportunities such as mentoring to write their narratives. I admire that.
Former FGCU President Mike Martin had a line he often used that referred to the successful men and women who donated to our still-growing university. “Winners bet on winners,” he said, which is what donors do by making gifts to support programs or fund buildings at FGCU.
Mentors do the same thing. Their commitment tells me they think students are worth betting time on. There will be benefits wherever graduates go in their careers, especially in this region. They see the social benefit of our business college and want to be a part of it and add to it. I am grateful they do.
Students and mentors, in this sense, are my role models. They motivate me and the many people who make this program and our college work. At the university, we like to say, “FGCU is turning ideas into impact,” in reference to our positive effect on the community. The Lutgert mentorship program exemplifies this by guiding students into full, productive and happy careers. They make wherever they land, but especially Southwest Florida, even better.
For more information about the Lutgert Mentorship Program, go to fgcu.edu/cob/mentor.
Christopher Westley is dean of Florida Gulf Coast University’s Lutgert College of Business.
