I had the opportunity last week to be a guest lecturer at Ryerson University, speaking to Dr. Abhay Sharma’s 4th year Graphic Communications Management (GCM) class of over 100 students.
“Management of Workflow II” is a required course to graduate and focuses on the ways to manage and automate graphic arts workflows. The course looks at practical examples of workflow automation and JDF connectivity as well as the role of the MIS system in workflow management.
Dr. Sharma asked me to speak about real world examples, so I titled my talk “Automation: Tying all the pieces together” As Dr. Sharma mentioned in his intro, this is a great way to bring all the concepts together that he has been teaching them for the past 10 weeks; as a way to wrap up the course as they prepare for exams.
The hour and a half together just flew by!
After extolling the virtues of JDF and talking the students through how Avanti customers have leveraged automation as a way to differentiate themselves from the competition, I had a little fun with them. I showed up with a real life example of a “job cost and contribution” report from one of Avanti’s customers and asked them to make recommendations for improvements to how the job ran. This certainly got the students very engaged – perhaps because Dr. Sharma said “and don’t forget, print shops are typically owned and run by middle aged bald men, so your ideas can definitely help” – when I looked at him strangely and then casually pointed at myself, they roared with laughter. The discussion that followed was quite lively.
It’s always fun speaking with the graduating class and this is the 5th year in a row that I’ve done it. My goal is to do a little knowledge transfer about what I see going on “in the trenches” of our industry, but I think that I learn more from them than they do from me – their questions and comments always reflect an optimism and a fresh set of eyes to problem solving. Their ideas aren’t bogged down by “experience” and “expertise” that we myopically think makes us “middle aged bald guys” better problem solvers. It reminds me of a quote from Cynthia Barton Rabe in her great book “The Innovation Killer”: “Don’t let what you know limit what you can imagine”. That is definitely easier said than done, based on my experience.
Dr. Abhay’s 4th year class is getting ready to graduate in April, and the GCM students seemed more interested in job prospects and what to expect as they hit the streets to begin their careers. Dr. Sharma asked the class to come up with their list of generic skills and unique skills they bring to the table and then I gave them a brief overview of what Avanti looks for when hiring people and a few tips on how to prepare for the big interview. The lists were very similar, although I couldn’t resist telling them my motto that “5 minutes early is on time” and to judge accordingly if they come into Avanti for an interview.
Over the years, Ryerson University has been our #1 source of new hires, thanks to their focused program for Graphic Communications Management. I really appreciate that students get to expand their horizons by also taking courses in marketing and technology. They also get the opportunity to take the theory they learn in the classroom and apply it in their internships, which is of huge value to their employer, as they can hit the ground running.
I took this picture right before starting my presentation – I clearly had my work cut out for me.
