Cochise Newsroom

With the rise of artificial intelligence, there can be a tendency to rely on chatbots to reason and analyze for us.  One skill that employers want in their new employees is the ability to “identify and respond to needs based on an understanding of situational context and logical analysis of relevant information.”  Some of this comes from work and life experiences, but it can also be gained through a good liberal arts education. 

 

Your general education classes are highly valuable if you choose to use them.  English 101 gives you time to practice communicating your ideas.  You may learn that you need to go back and think more deeply about a topic to truly communicate how you feel about it.  Your humanities class gives you an opportunity to dissect and analyze meaning.  Do you agree or disagree with someone from the past?  Why?  Taking time to practice these skills helps you grow and develop.  Math helps you reason and gain logic.  Education is work, but work brings about change and growth.  Just as a bodybuilder grows muscle by creating tiny microtears first, education takes work, challenge, and the satisfying epiphanies that come as the reward.  This process is how we gain critical thinking skills.  While artificial intelligence has its merits, using it to do your thinking may limit your ability to grow the way you need to be an employee that stands out.  Your college journey is a form of practice.  Each class you take is one more step in your growth.

 

The first step in critical thinking is understanding the situation.  Do you need to gather more information?  If you cannot gather any more information, do you have enough to analyze the situation?  Sometimes recognizing that you don’t have the information you need to make a decision is the right answer.  The second step in critical thinking is being able to take all that information and analyze it.  Sometimes this needs to be done almost instantaneously.  That type of critical thinking takes a great deal of practice.  The third piece of critical thinking is responding appropriately.  This is not a reaction, but rather a response coming from being informed.  The ability to pause and think in situations before acting is very important. 

 

Your educational journey will give you many opportunities to sharpen and practice these skills.  That class you ‘have’ to take but don’t really want to?  Use it as an opportunity for growth in your critical thinking skills.  Get your value from that class.  Find your pain points and work to overcome them.  Sometimes that’s a mindset change; sometimes that might be heading to tutoring to get some extra help and feedback. 

 

Career preparation isn’t always about resumes or interview tips.  You can prepare for your future career through each class you take, through goal setting, and hard work.  Even the setbacks and failures have value if we choose to learn from them.  Career Services can help you set goals, attend school with intention and keep going.  Come find a time to meet with us. 

 

To explore career readiness resources or schedule an appointment, visit cochise.edu and search for Career Services.

 

About the author: Erin Ross is the Career Services Coordinator at Cochise College, where she helps students explore career options, prepare for the workforce and connect their education to future opportunities. To contact Erin, email rosse@cochise.edu or call (520) 452-2641.