Dear Campus Advisor:

I am totally bombed out. I was recently fired from my position in a mandatory coop program for my degree in fashion design. I guess I really messed up. I am a really good designer. They loved my styles and everything. My problem was not being able to get to work on time. First my boyfriend was supposed to take me and he kept being late. Then I started to catch the train and the bus, but the bus was always late. I could have made earlier connections, but that would have gotten me there almost 2 hours before work. I just wasn’t into getting up that early. I can’t believe they would fire me just for this. Now I have to meet with my coop counselor and try to deal with that. Plus, I have to then find my own assignment and convince someone to take me in for the 12 weeks. It feels like I am in an impossible situation. Any ideas?

Kelley at Pratt

Dear Kelley:

It appears that after careful review of your work and your progress as a coop your supervisor was not so impressed with your talent that he would allow you to continue to violate your work assignment’s punctuality requirements.

Kelley, I wonder if your supervisor gave you constructive meetings and warnings regarding his serious concerns about your punctuality that went unheeded or uncorrected. Apparently, despite your supervisor’s best efforts and your half-hearted efforts to improve, you did not show the kind of progress that would cause your coop employer to continue to invest in your training. It is important that I mention these things to you Kelley, because it sounds as if your work ethic is standing in the way of your career progress. I think it is terribly important that you hear this and make a commitment to change your behavior or you will still be looking for another coop position even after your next one. No matter what you may think, attendance and punctuality are grounds for dismissal in any formal work setting. And, make no mistake; your coop is a formal assignment. And it is important that these assignments teach you about real work responsibilities.

You may be a very smart and talented young woman with much potential Kelley, but being smart and talented is not enough for today’s employers. There are so many smart and talented college students trying to enter the fashion industry, that if you aren’t competitive in other areas, including having a good work ethic, you will simply lose out to more ambitious and reliable students in the long run.

I am sure that if you are as talented as you think you are, your coop counselor will be able to land you another opportunity. But if you do not take responsibility for getting your transportation thing together, this problem will surface again and again. I am particularly concerned about your arrogant attitude in saying that you’re not about getting to work two hours ahead of time in order to be on time and to avoid losing your job. Nobody likes to do this, but you must do what you have to do to keep a job – or suffer the consequences. If you are not willing to push yourself a little to achieve your goals, then why should anyone else go out of their way for you?

Get your attitude adjusted Kelley. That’s my suggestion. After that, swallow your pride. Admit your mistake to your coop counselor. Assure her that you have learned a valuable lesson, and that it will not happen again. If you are able to do this convincingly, I am sure another opportunity will be extended to you. This is a lesson that, if learned well, will benefit you for the rest of your career. Maybe this firing so early in your career was your wake up call and a blessing in disguise.

Linda Bates Parker is your Online Campus Advisor. She has authored the Campus Advisor column for THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine for over 13 years. Parker is the director of the Career Development Center at the University of Cincinnati and president of Black Career Women a national organization.

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