From First-Generation Professionals: Stories of Strength-Building Journeys
Before they joined your organization, First-Generation Professionals (FGPs) were first-gen college students.
With parents and families able to offer little guidance on how to navigate this unfamiliar territory, many first-gen college students found themselves taking a “learn as you go” approach from first application through graduation.
As one FGP noted, When I compare myself to other people out there, whose parents went to college […], I had to do it all on my own. I mean, I had to navigate; I had to make the mistakes.
The good news is that as first-gen student enrollment numbers have continued to increase, more academic institutions are now recognizing the benefits of offering focused support for this population. Targeting those areas that can be most confusing and connecting students with classmates or mentors who can offer guidance and support is much more effective than learning from mistakes.
Entering the professional working world will once again put these new graduates in unfamiliar territory where they need to learn and adapt quickly.
But it would be a mistake to view the FGP journey as only one of barriers and gaps.
Their story is also one strengths – many developed as a result of the challenges they face.
The first-gen graduate’s knowledge and education goes well beyond the formal classroom. 1They are more likely to be racial minorities, have dependents, have served in the military, be immigrants or children of immigrants, and come from low-earning households. Twenty-eight percent are also 30 or older.
They have sorted through the complexities of financial aid, housing, transportation, part-time employment, and family responsibilities, on top of the academic demands of being full-time students. This meant quickly expanding their capabilities in multiple areas that will also serve them well in the professional world:
Flexibility and adaptability under uncertainty
Critical thinking and complex decision making
Budgeting and fiscal responsibility
Negotiating and prioritizing competing demands
Beyond these capabilities, they also bring a tenacity, determination, resilience, and motivation to succeed that can't be measured through test scores, college pedigree, or interview skills.
They bring deep insight to the diverse populations and customer bases that they represent that can’t be gleaned through market surveys alone.
They bring an ability to mentor and coach the FGPs that follow in their footsteps that can only be acquired through personal experience.
Discovering and cultivating FGPs' sometimes hidden strengths can be a game-changing differentiator for your talent pool and organization.
Don’t overlook FGPs’ strengths by using too narrow a gauge of capabilities and readiness, or by focusing only on what gaps might exist. In the hiring process, consider including questions about challenges they have successfully overcome or about practical experiences, and then explore how those capabilities can be applied in the context of daily work.
At Baem, our goal is to help organizations identify how to address key barriers that FGPs may encounter, as well as cultivate and leverage their strengths.
Resources:
“Children from Immigrant Families Are Increasingly the Face of Higher Education,” New York Times, 15 October 2020.
Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/15/us/immigrant-families-students-college.html
First-Generation College Student Statistics in 2022,” Bankrate, 15 August 2022
Link: https://www.bankrate.com/loans/student-loans/first-generation-college-student-statistics/
Migration Policy Institute: Investing in the Future: Higher Ed Should Give Greater Focus to Growing Immigrant-Origin Student Population, August 2023
Link: https://www.migrationpolicy.org/news/investing-future-immigrant-origin-students