Here I share the welcome letter I write to my students who take my course
By: Fahri Karakas
Tags: University, Big Picture, Inspiration, Masterclass, Learning

First, I would like to start with a warning: Please note that this module requires you to work intensively. Therefore, it is not for the faint-hearted — you will be working very hard and you are expected to complete all the module activities, projects, and assignments.

This is an optional module. If you are not ready for it or if you do not like it, drop it. Take this module only if you are ready for the hard work.

Please note that this module requires full attendance and participation in ALL lectures and seminars. Please make sure that you are here with your whole body, mind, and spirit. You will start building your portfolio from Day 1 and you will continue working on your portfolio activities during lectures and seminars. Throughout the semester, you will be gradually building up your portfolio. This means you will need to attend all lectures and seminars — otherwise, you will be missing a lot.

We live in one of the most exciting times in history. A perfect storm of technology is shifting the landscape you will graduate into. Multidimensional technological forces involving automation, 3D printing, augmented reality, machine learning, Industry 4.0, internet of things, voice assistants, digital twins, Mirrorworld, and blockchain are rapidly transforming the future of work, organizations, and jobs. Software is indeed eating the world. Computing becomes ubiquitous and intelligence becomes ambient. Many of the things we do and experience in our careers and lives are being digitized and transformed through an ever-growing network of connected devices, power from cloud computing, insights from big data, and intelligence from machine learning.

Make no mistake; we live in a disruptive era. However, our educational systems are still largely stuck within the industrial paradigm. Universities and educational systems still prepare students (you) for large organizations and bureaucratic systems, which are struggling to cope with change and to survive. You are still taught and prepared for jobs that are becoming obsolete, and replaced by automation and machine learning. In the next decade, you need new ways of thinking about your career and investing in yourself. You need to disrupt and re-invent yourself and compound yourself through investing in continuous learning and new skill development. You need to become self-directed learners who take responsibility for your own learning and work effectively with others. You need to solve complex problems through higher-order thinking and creativity in domains you find interesting and compelling. You need to develop ‘new era’ skills for future jobs that are yet to be created, including:

- self-directed learning, - cognitive flexibility to handle complexity and ambiguity, - transdisciplinary sense-making, - creativity, imagination, and design thinking, - innovation and experimentation skills, - entrepreneurial skills and practice, - virtual collaboration skills, - openness for change and adaptive skills, - cognitive stamina and resilience to deal with uncertainty, risk, failures, and mistakes, - skills for crowdfunding, self-employment, and sharing economy, - investments and personal finance, - cross-cultural competences, - digital skills and new media literacy.

In these times, you need to be driven by your curiosity and thirst for learning. You need to read and finish a book every week. You need to sign up for more online courses than you can complete. If you are not learning new things every day, you are going backward. So, curiosity, imagination, and hunger for knowledge should be your guiding principles. As you look forward, you must zero in on what you can uniquely contribute to the world.

We are living, leading, and working in an era of clashing forces, multiple polarities, increasing uncertainty, chaos, and change. The collapse of national economic boundaries, rapid technological changes, workforce mobility, cultural diversity, and the increasing interdependence of human communities pose new challenges for organizations. We live in an era of unprecedented change.

This module is intended to help you appreciate and prepare for increasing complexity and paradox of careers and organizations in the light of social, cultural, economic, technological, and organizational changes in the global landscape. This is an applied vision and skill development module; focusing on the development of the new skill sets for professionals of the 21st century. The module will increase your awareness and understanding of the global business/career context and the self-making skills that are necessary for you.

During the course of the year, we will have intensive brainstorming sessions, professional development workshops and executive training programs to help you and your colleagues to develop and apply employability skills for your career in the 21st century.

This is not a traditional module, but a rich global learning platform and a rewarding dynamic learning network. We will not limit ourselves within a traditional discipline; instead, we will have innovative and futuristic perspectives on business, leadership, careers, and entrepreneurship.

The module draws from a new and exciting paradigm for a managerial practice called Positive Organizational Scholarship (http://www.bus.umich.edu/Positive/). The core premise of this paradigm is that management and leadership excellence is fundamentally tied to creating/enabling organizational contexts that build human strengths and unlock the positive and generative dynamics of vibrant human communities. You all have different dreams, hopes, goals, and aspirations about your future. You all have different unique gifts, talents, strengths, and skills. We want you to be truly committed, inspired, and engaged; so we will provide you the freedom and space to choose and create your own customized projects based on your strengths, dreams, and passions.

As you start your academic semester at UEA, you are getting much closer to your career in the business world. This module is designed to help you think more deeply about your future and yourself: Where do you want to be in five years? What is your dream job? Where do your passions lie? What do you want to achieve? Have you developed the skills and knowledge to differentiate yourself in the job market?

This module is one of the few business modules in the UK that challenges you to think about yourself and your future career, prepare yourself for your career, and develop the set of management skills that you need for this career. It is an intellectual tour that will expand your horizons and change your life — only if you are ready for continuous learning and creative thinking.

This is an integrative, innovative, and interdisciplinary module. It is meant to be an enriching and rewarding experience for all of us. But this all depends on our assumptions, attitudes, and collective effort. Do not focus heavily on the grade, but instead focus on your independent learning for your career. Be engaged and involved. Make this module useful and helpful for your own goals and life. Go beyond the class. Be creative and innovative. Create breakthrough projects and ideas for your future. Sharpen your skills. Challenge yourself. Bring your best contribution to the table. What you get from this module all depends on what you put into this.

Next, every one of us needs to do our best work and lead. Each of us must find meaning in our work. The best work happens when you know that it is not just work, but something that will improve other people’s lives. Do that work in your life. Your life in this world is limited — make it count. Get out of your comfort zone, your class, and even your campus/university to become leaders and change agents who have an impact out there. Do more of what you care about — get stuff done, have fun, communicate, and accomplish great things. You need to do magical things with our creations and ultimately make the world a better place.

You will probably be future leaders, creative artists, or entrepreneurs in your careers and you are graduating to the multinational and multicultural professional context. Therefore, you have to be independent professionals and life-long learners. I will expect you to take full responsibility for your learning and development. Please treat our classes as professional meetings in a multinational corporation. Full attendance and active participation in all sessions and workshops are required, without excuses. Moreover, I recommend and encourage you to start to read and follow the global business press regularly. I recommend Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Wired, Financial Times, and Fortune as initial references.

Leaders or creative professionals cannot be created only by traditional classroom methods such as lectures. There will not be grading in professional life. There are no tests, quizzes, or exams conducted in companies. In real life, performance boils down to several components which have little to do with classical assessment strategies in college: Projects, teamwork, reflection, observation, self-assessment, creativity, interpersonal skills, integrative cognitive skills, applying knowledge to make sound decisions, openness to learning and development, discipline, resilience, hard work. You can best develop proficiency in professional skills by applying and experiencing them in business-like contexts.

In today’s global, rapidly changing knowledge-based economy, learning and practicing soft skills as well as creativity is one of the smartest investments you can make for your future.

This module will add to the repertoire of future professionals who are bright, passionate, willing to take initiative, care about developing themselves, and yet also care about their colleagues, community, and the world.

This beautiful city of Norwich, a truly lovely and creative city, is a wonderful place to explore, learn, develop skills, and reflect on your career.

UEA is the perfect spot for learning and thinking about 21st-century management issues as one of UK’s most internationally diverse universities with bright students coming from all over the world.

Welcome to our global learning network. I am looking forward to seeing you and sharing this learning platform with you.

Dr. Fahri Karakas

Fahri Karakas is the author of Self-making Studio. You can explore more here.