Students are a handful. They are inexperienced, time consuming, and all around a lot of hard work. They tend to be eager, chirpy, and excited about anything. They ask a lot of questions, make a lot of mistakes, and ultimately, want a lot more than you can actually offer them.
I LOVE working with students. Students remind you of the things you, an experienced business person, often forget.
Boundaries
When you work with students, you'll notice that they are so eager for the chance to do anything they bend over backwards trying to please you. I often have to remind students that their hours are 9 am - 5 pm. They shouldn't work later than that. They'll also say yes to anything I ask them. That's sweet, but our role as an educator is to ensure that we teach boundaries, empowerment and assertiveness. We also have to expect that from ourselves. Students are not "free labour." A student shouldn't be working on any programs that are vital to the organisation, if they are, you should be paying them.
Excitement
Often times, I do my thing. I wake up, get ready for work, come to work, do my job, go home. I love my job. I love the work I do, the people I meet and the experiences I get. However, a student comes to work eyes wide open, smile from ear to ear and that 'can do' attitude. That excitement is quite infectious. It reminds us that we should have a little bit of time for playfulness in our work. Especially those of us who work around mental health. Its draining, exhausting and more often than not, leads to quick and easy burn out. We often leave excitement at the front door Monday through Friday. How do we bring it into our every day working habits?
Mentoring goes both ways
I see my role very much as a role that provides the next generation with a glimpse of the past. In all honesty, the things they are learning in undergrad are not going to be the same when they get out into the 'real world.' Sure some things will be relevant, but mostly, things will change. So like the generations before me, I want to leave a little bit of old school behind. A new age chivalry maybe. With that said, students offer a lot of insight into the future. They are our next employees, or employers. Students show us the youthfulness in the workplace. A kind reminder that we don't laugh as much as we used to. Its as good for the practice as it is for them.
I implore you though, without structure, governance, and the time, having a student will be detrimental to both, you and them. If you don't take the time to have a dedicated internship or placement, with goals and an outcome, please don't take on a student. With that said, I don't see enough student placements in the community. This is our chance to give back to our field. We should be offering student placements as often as possible.
If you are interested in student placements or would like some ideas on how to develop the one you currently have, I'd love to chat. Send me a message.