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In a crisis, fundamental education becomes a protective asset, because it provides knowledge and tools that expand choice and help to withstand uncertainty. Recently, one of the sessions during NES Popular Science Days in memory of Gur Ofer was devoted to the interaction between universities and employers representing business. Here we publish the summarized ideas presented by the speakers: Anton Suvorov, NES Professor and Rector; Andrey Raigorodsky, Dean of the Phystech School of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science; Maria Bogomolova, Partner, Leader of the strategic HR agenda of "Technologies of Trust"; and Andrey Skorochkin, CEO of Reksoft Consulting.
Anton Suvorov: The understanding of fundamental education still depends on the specific field. If we talk about it using the example of our NES and HSE Joint Program in Economics, then it stands on three pillars: basic economics courses, math discipline, and English.
My understanding of basic education has expanded over time: today, it should not be reduced to a set of professional skills. I also consider communication skills part of basic education. Whatever you do, you have to find a way to tell people about it, explain what interesting things you have done and why it may be useful to people. Self-discipline, empathy, and the ability to think about other people and understand your goals – all these elements are now parts of a really good fundamental education.
Andrey Skorochkin: I am not from an academic field, so I define fundamental education as good knowledge of the tools to learn the world. This toolkit helps people understand what is happening, model reality, and realize their place in it. The spectrum of this knowledge may include math as a description language, understanding of the social and economic structure of the world, the laws of nature, etc. This knowledge would allow an individual to not get lost, including in a technological environment designed with the help of neural networks and artificial intelligence. Fundamental education allows one to create one's future independently and make any choice consciously.
Maria Bogomolova: I would add art criticism, literature, and history to the list that my colleagues gave. This is the basis. As Lewis Carroll wrote, we must run as fast as we can, just to stay in place. In the modern world, you need to continue studying after graduation. Many professions are dying out, and new ones are emerging. We will be changing professional areas more and more often. In addition, I believe that so-called meta-skills should precede mastering technical, applied, and communication skills. They are awareness, being unbiased, and the quality of contact with others. Of course, developing them should not happen only at the university but also in the family and during elementary education.
Andrey Raigorodsky: I share the idea that fundamental education should include a very good base in humanities. I urge you not to think that there is a huge gap between math and humanities. From my point of view, mathematics also belongs to the humanities. For some reason, nowadays, disciplines are divided into natural sciences, humanities, and technical sciences. If a person does not have sufficient training to understand history, the structure of literary texts, and language structure, he or she loses a lot.
Andrey Skorochkin: I have been in management consulting for about 17 years and have tried different approaches. Now I believe that the first degree should give a basis. A degree in an applied subject significantly reduces the range of opportunities and the freedom to choose a profession. The more basic knowledge you get, from math to physics, chemistry, cultural studies, and psychology, the more combinations of professions and options will be available to you. We have come to the situation where we have eliminated the requirements for specific skills for entry-level specialists since any of them can be mastered quite quickly. We expect candidates to have a good fundamental education, the ability to think and make decisions, and the desire to learn. We need them to have intelligence and curiosity, and then we can give them specialized functional training. The main thing is that they should want it for themselves.
Maria Bogomolova: I agree with Andrey. Basic knowledge, a broad outlook, intelligence, and the desire to learn are minimum 'hygienic' requirements. I also believe that practical knowledge can be easily acquired if a person has a good theoretical base. As employers, we are ready to participate in teaching students these skills if the universities move towards greater flexibility and allow students to alternate theoretical knowledge with applied competencies. If we do this already in the 3rd year, then we could interact more closely with students before their graduation. To the list of skills required today, I would add self-organization, which demonstrates maturity. I read a study that said that, unlike in the West, students in Russia are treated more like children, they get more 'parental' support. As a result, when they get employed they expect the same support. I would also add communication skills that are critical nowadays, including both persuasion and the ability to interact with other people. I am convinced that it is possible to develop them all within the framework of university education.
Maria Bogomolova: Entry-level specialists undergo testing and several interviews: first, with HR, and then with department representatives where they apply. We employ most people right after they graduate from a university, so they don't have much practical knowledge. We need from candidates basic aptitude, and the desire to learn, develop and invest in themselves. And then, on an annual basis, we evaluate the quality of an employee's work according to four criteria. They are the same for employees at all levels, but we expect a different degree of proficiency at each of them. The criteria include leadership, hard skills, relationship building, and understanding of the business context. This list is determined by the fact that our employees must be able to communicate with both colleagues and clients, as well as understand our clients’ businesses.
The concept of leadership includes self-discipline and the ability to self-develop in junior positions. In senior positions, it is the ability to manage teams of different sizes. Based on the employees’ appraisal, each of them is given an annual score. This data is used to determine the bonus and salary.
Andrey Skorochkin: I have worked in Accenture and KPMG and witnessed the evolution of approaches. Now we have abandoned tests altogether because it is impossible to understand how a person thinks and what potential he or she has. We conduct interviews with entry-level specialists, checking first of all the ability to think critically. For example, we can ask to read the text and give its main idea in a few words or write a story based on it. We may ask to show an example of manipulation in this text, i.e. an unverified fact that impacts the perception and attitude. Or ask to change a text so that it would have a completely different tone of voice.
In those interviews that I conduct, we always discuss some important and current issues. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, I could suggest talking about change management, for example, by asking the following question: how can biology, chemistry, or immunology help in corporate transformation? We are looking for people who like to think – if this is the case, then the person has read something on the topic that worries him or her. Next, I can offer to solve a problem: suppose that a consultant is a virus that injects new DNA into a client's company, and some antibodies are represented by department directors who resist changes. And then we continue the conversation in similar terminology.
Another option is to ask a person to predict the future: what can happen in 10 years, given current conditions? The person will start to come up with ideas, and we will understand how he or she thinks. I can ask what books the person reads, and how many dystopias have been read.
Such conversations from time to time shock people who expect that at the interview they will be asked to take the second derivative, or given a test. However, this is how we can assess a candidate’s outlook, tools for exploring the world, and the ability to model. In addition, this is how we evaluate the presence of his or her viewpoint, which any consultant must have. As a manager, I may disagree with it, but if it exists and is justified, that is great. We offer strategic consulting services, which means that we are the ones who have to go against the flow. No one hires consultants to simply confirm the obvious things. We have to say something new, dare to justify it, be ready to get rejected, and move on.
Anton Suvorov: Although there are traditional fields in which NES graduates usually build their careers, including consulting, their tracks may be completely different. I now talk a lot with graduates, and it seems to me that what colleagues from the industry say is very relevant to them. What matters to them is not the formulas they have been taught, but the meaning of their activities. It is difficult not to note that professions in one way or another related to data analysis are becoming more and more in demand. The implications are very important because if graduates, along with high-class hard skills of working with data, develop an understanding of the very need for them and critically look at the results of their work, they will then most likely be able to realize themselves in very different areas. We don't know if it will be correct to talk about professions in the future, since their boundaries are blurring. Versatility and ethical component – that's what distinguishes high-quality modern education and graduates who get it.
Andrey Raigorodsky: We have two principal values at the Phystech School of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science. The first one is that fundamental education should be above all, and applications of it should follow. And the second one is that freedom is better than unfreedom. That is why we give our students a huge number of opportunities that open up thanks to fundamental education. Already 3rd and 4th year students have different tracks. A person studying with us can become a great scholar or teacher, an outstanding specialist in data analysis, the best of the best analysts, and a director of a company with an appropriate profile. Or they can become the new Elon Musk!
