This article by Thomas L Friedman, discusses the hiring philosophy of Google. Key aspects of the hiring process of Google are seeing what your leadership capabilities are, learning abilities, problem solving, responsibility, willingness to change, and the skills you have rather than the degrees. The article stresses that looking at GPA is not a good indicator of these skills. Interviewing prospective employees the right way is the best way to assess these criteria.
I very much agree with the philosophy behind Google's hiring. I think that skill is more important than concrete knowledge or diplomas. I have been producing music for about 5 years now and one thing I like about the music industry is no matter where you are in the world, no matter if you have no training or training at Berklee, what matters is your demo. If your demo is great, than you likely will get a response. You can be a high school drop-out (which I certainly don't recommend), be unable to read music, never have attended a music school, but if you self educate yourself as a music producer and can make a great record, that is all that matters. It is a very straightforward and practical--albeit difficult--path. I think more jobs should be like that. Programming is another great example. If you learn how to program at a professional level on your own time by the time you are 18, you should have the option of getting a job programming straight out of high school based on your level of demonstrable skill rather than formal academic training in my opinion.
I want to be a teacher who prepares students for a job like Google, and for the skills companies like Google look for in an applicant. I think that at this point, less than a year into teacher, I still room to improve and more learning to do. However, I have a willingness to keep working to be a teacher who is preparing students for the skills of the 21st century. I have created a few projects for my students at both my school sites, and I hope to develop more project based learning in the future which builds the skills companies like Google look for.
I very much agree with the philosophy behind Google's hiring. I think that skill is more important than concrete knowledge or diplomas. I have been producing music for about 5 years now and one thing I like about the music industry is no matter where you are in the world, no matter if you have no training or training at Berklee, what matters is your demo. If your demo is great, than you likely will get a response. You can be a high school drop-out (which I certainly don't recommend), be unable to read music, never have attended a music school, but if you self educate yourself as a music producer and can make a great record, that is all that matters. It is a very straightforward and practical--albeit difficult--path. I think more jobs should be like that. Programming is another great example. If you learn how to program at a professional level on your own time by the time you are 18, you should have the option of getting a job programming straight out of high school based on your level of demonstrable skill rather than formal academic training in my opinion.
I want to be a teacher who prepares students for a job like Google, and for the skills companies like Google look for in an applicant. I think that at this point, less than a year into teacher, I still room to improve and more learning to do. However, I have a willingness to keep working to be a teacher who is preparing students for the skills of the 21st century. I have created a few projects for my students at both my school sites, and I hope to develop more project based learning in the future which builds the skills companies like Google look for.