They Don’t Teach Corporate in Yeshivah

“I don’t even know what I don’t know.”

A couple of weeks ago, a smiling student walked up to me after Minchah to share the great news that he’d secured an internship at a Fortune 100 company for the summer. After I offered my warm congratulations, his look turned much more serious. While he was excited about the opportunity, he had no idea what to expect in the corporate world and was nervous about it.

This student was certainly not alone. In my 14 years in Career Services at Touro University, I’ve seen this scene play out many times. Yeshivah graduates tend to be intelligent, hardworking, and motivated to succeed. They have the potential to be highly successful in the corporate world. But the biggest challenge they face is that “they don’t teach ‘corporate’ ” in yeshivah.

Adjusting to a foreign corporate culture can seem like an overwhelming task. (While frum women adjusting to the workplace might find themselves facing many of the challenges addressed in the article, I am much more familiar with yeshivah culture, so I’ve addressed the piece specifically to them. If someone wants to pick up the baton, I think “They Don’t Teach Corporate in Bais Yaakov” would be a great idea.)

Corporate culture often celebrates ideals and concepts that are very different from what a yeshivah graduate is used to. Most have probably never even considered the challenges posed by day-to-day corporate activities like handshakes, closed-door meetings, and business travel. Even fewer are prepared for a workplace where they may be considered the experts on Jewish beliefs, practices, and even current events.