Faced with a faltering economy and a stagnant workforce, American college graduates are gradually shifting their eyes to China in order to seek employment.
China boasts the world’s largest population and a growing economy with many employment opportunities. Two recent additions to this workforce are recent Guilford College graduates Michael MacVane ‘14 and Blade Cruickshank ‘13.
Both MacVane and Cruickshank are former Guilford athletes who now teach golf to children in Sanya, China.
They work for Future of Golf, an organization headed by Ron Cruickshank ’72, its co-owner and president.
“My experience at Guilford was without a doubt the most richly rewarding educational experience of my life,” said Ron.
“Few people truly understand the value of achieving coherence and consensus like the graduates of Guilford,” he added. “While seeking consensus can be painful and frustrating at times, the rewards far outweigh the difficulties of the process, and I highly value working with folks that understand this.”
MacVane, while working to get his degree in psychology and sports management, served as Guilford’s soccer captain from 2013 to 2014.
“Guilford was a great help in getting me prepared for my job,” said MacVane in an email interview with The Guilfordian.
“The skill of being able to take a problem and to look at it in multiple ways was something Guilford taught me well.”
When asked about his transition from playing soccer at Guilford to teaching golf in China, MacVane said, “Soccer was one of the best things that I did in college.
“Coach Jeff Bateson was a huge influence on making me a better soccer player and a better person. He helped me become a better leader and a better mentor for teaching kids.”
“The transition was still very different. Going from playing competitively to teaching competitively was hard and a little frustrating at first.”
Blade Cruickshank, while working to get his degree in business management, served as Guilford’s lacrosse goalie from 2012 to 2013.
“Guilford has always been on the cutting edge of educational experiences for their students,” said Blade in an email interview with The Guilfordian.
“We have a core belief at FOG that nothing is set in stone. Meaning, if something is working fantastic right now, then in six months it may not. So we change it. This is the same type of critical thinking and problem solving skills I honed during my time at Guilford.”
When asked about the reason why he chose to pursue a career in China Blade said, “By percentages, China has a golf population of zero percent. There are more active golfers in South Korea than in all of China. Just think about that. So for me, it wasn’t about coming to the East. It was about going to the marketplace.”
Guilford College not only successfully prepares its graduates for the challenges that lie ahead but also aids in molding students to become suited for finding jobs anywhere in the world.
