Senior communications major Latrell Armstrong isn't worriedabout graduating or even finding his first "real" job, but beingable to do his job well does keep him up some nights.
"I'm actually fearful of doing the work because I learned thehands-on stuff early in my major," said Armstrong. "I just don'twant to get into my assignments and not remember what I learned inclass."
Associate Dean of Minority Affairs Lonnie Latham said somestudents mislead their employers about their abilities in certainareas, such as computer software literacy. He said some studentshave difficulties when it comes to applying information learned inthe classroom to various tasks at work and that employers may dothings differently from the way students learned.
"Work done in the real world is different from work done in theclassroom," Latham said.
A recent survey shows 40 percent of executives polled said it iscommon for managers to oversee projects about which they havelittle experience or knowledge.
Night manager and junior journalism major Jeffrey Freeman saidthere have been times when he was given an assignment he was unsureof how to handle. He said he was rarely not sure of where to start,but the job would get done, regardless.
"If it's something I don't know how to do, I'm pretty sure I canlearn it," said Freeman.
Freeman has the advantage of being on both sides of thepersonnel. Not only is he a manager, he is also a retail storeemployee. Freeman said he is a good manager, possibly because heavoids doing what his manager does.
"My manager is not effective at all," Freeman said. "She is notgood with scheduling, delegating or communicating when it comes toreprimanding employees ."
With some students afraid to apply for certain jobs aftergraduation, Armstrong said the main thing he thinks graduatesshould remember is to be honest, open and confident.
"Even though I am somewhat nervous about the task I will begiven, I know I am capable of getting the job done," saidArmstrong.
