Tag Archives: career planning

career planning, careers, college guidance

Essential Skills Every College Student Needs for a Successful Career

Leave a comment
successful career
Photo by Charlotte May: https://www.pexels.com/

When young adults are in college, they are learning and parsing their way through rigorous academic processes. They are understanding social and emotional nuances and broadening their horizons in ways that they did not previously consider.

They aim to graduate and get a job or start a successful career. If you are on that path, you need some skills for a successful career, including education and moving beyond the boundaries of academia. College students can navigate the transition from college to the workforce with this small collection of competencies.

Continue reading Essential Skills Every College Student Needs for a Successful Career →
career colleges, careers, entreprenuership, gap year

Alternatives to College

alternatives to college
Photo – CC0 License

College has, for quite some time now, been proposed as the desired route for a young person to take before entering the professional world. However, this approach is not without its problems, such as the finite number of graduate jobs waiting for people fresh out of school, as well as the positions that are going unfilled because people aren’t looking at other career paths.

There may be alternatives to college that prepare you for the workforce and a career that doesn’t require a college degree.

Continue reading Alternatives to College →
careers, college guidance, college jobs, college planning

Non-Clinical Medical Career Options

Photo by Lucas Vasques on Unsplash

When most people think of medical careers, minds immediately jump to clinical roles like doctors, nurses, physical therapists, and nursing assistants. However, the medical field could not operate without the vital support of many other highly dedicated and qualified people. Indeed, there are so many other non-clinical career options in the medical field that are not only hugely rewarding but also essential to the field. The good news is that you can read about four of the very best non-clinical medical career options below. 

Continue reading Non-Clinical Medical Career Options →
careers, college majors, graduation

Practicing a Career Mindset Before Graduating

1 Comment
career
Unsplash – CC0 License

Universities exist to educate, not to teach students the finer principles of the labor market. As such, many young people look for ways to get into a career mindset before they graduate. This frame of mind helps to make the transition into adulthood pleasanter. 

But what’s required? That’s the topic of this post. We look at some of the ways students can put their career caps on, even if they’re only in the first year of college. 

So, what can they do? Let’s take a look at their options. 

Continue reading Practicing a Career Mindset Before Graduating →
Alternatives to College, careers, online learning

Careers Outside the Traditional College Path

1 Comment
careers

Obtaining a college degree can be essential for certain top end careers. However, not all well-paid and respectable jobs require a degree. Instead, it may be possible to get your foot in the door through other forms of training or by working your way up from an entry level job. Below are just some of the most surprising jobs that you do not need a college degree to break into.

Continue reading Careers Outside the Traditional College Path →
careers, college guidance, college majors, college planning

Creating a Career Plan

1 Comment
career

When you are trying to get your child into college, getting a place seems like the be-all and end-all. However, the bigger picture is that college, while a formative time in a young person’s life, is a stepping stone to securing a role in their desired career field. Indeed, your child will still need support with this as they navigate their way through college. Read on to find out how you can help. 

Continue reading Creating a Career Plan →
careers, parenting

Helping Your Student with Career Choices

career choices

When kids are in college, they often lack the life experiences and self-awareness necessary to determine the best job route for them.

Fortunately, there are several things you can do to assist your child in making these career choices.

Here are some pointers to assist your student in making a career decision.

Continue reading Helping Your Student with Career Choices →
career colleges, careers, parenting

Supporting Your Teen’s Career Aspirations

career

Research shows that parents have a strong influence over their child’s college or career path. That influence may be subtle, and beyond the conscious awareness of the child, or often not so subtle. Parents have been known to push a child into a career path for numerous reasons, most have nothing to do with the child’s interests.

Parents are the number one influence in the career and college major choices made by their children.  

Growing up, my parents had some friends who insisted their children and even their son-in-laws follow the father’s career path as a doctor. They all attended college and medical school following in his footsteps. They all became doctors, but not all were happy in their careers. Most were miserable and floundered around until finally giving up and leaving the medical profession. Not only did they waste years on their education and a medical degree, but they have never recovered from what they perceived to be a failure.

Continue reading Supporting Your Teen’s Career Aspirations →
college majors, college planning, Penn College

Degrees That Work: Planning for a Career, Not Just a Job

1 Comment

 

careerWouldn’t it be great to graduate from college with a career and not just a job? Students all over the country dream of graduating from college with a job. Penn College students graduate with a career.

During my time on campus I spoke with students from all career concentrations and the overwhelming response was, “This education is preparing me for a career, and for a career that I love.” That’s the key—students at Penn College don’t just earn a degree; they discover their true passion and learn the skills to pursue it.

There’s no better way to see the impact of this college than through the words of its students and the companies who employ them.

94% of graduates responding to a survey were employed, continuing their education, or serving in the military within one year of graduation.

“I will … not be left with what so many college graduates are left with … uncertainty about the future. All the degree programs at Penn College prepare students for having a job and take away the uncertainty.” — Matthew Stoltz, Physician Assistant

“My major was a mix of theory and lab … that’s why I came here (Penn College). The reward for completing this major is job security.” —Jorgette Grosso, Systems Application Engineer, Schneider Electric Co.

“In this field (Building Automation Technology), you can write your ticket before graduating … I couldn’t have picked a better place to go.” — Adam Yoder, Service Energy Analyst, Honeywell International

“Throughout each day I am faced with a very wide variety of troubleshooting issues. From networking and communication, to PLC programming, to component and other circuit issues, Penn College has prepared me for it all. I would not be as successful as I am today if I hadn’t made the decision to get my degree from Pennsylvania College of Technology.” –Francis “Dave” Nevill, Controls Engineer, First Quality Enterprises, Inc.

“The hands-on education from Penn College allowed me to hit the ground running from day one on the job. I was able to contribute to my company with the technical skills I’ve learned from college.”—Zachary Brook, Pennsy Corporation

“I attribute the hands-on, strong, and practical work ethic I received from Penn College as the building block to my accelerated career path.”—Sean Stabler, Business Development Engineer, Arkema, Inc.

“Industrial and technological change is inevitable and these changes require a deeper understanding of asset procurement, integration, and organizational-change management … take advantage of the diverse curriculum and extracurricular activities at Penn College to advance in industry, as well as in life.”—Robert Blauser, Manufacturing engineer leader, Harley-Davidson Motor Company

In 2013-14, more than 75 employers participated in on-campus recruiting information and interview sessions, 34 Fortune 500 companies recruited Penn College students and alumni, and 367 employers offering more than 5,200 jobs attended the Penn College Career Fairs.

“We are proud that we have added another Penn College graduate to our team.” — Roger Kipp, Vice President-Engineering, McClarin Plastics, Inc.

“Pennsylvania College of Technology has provided Synthes, USA with a valuable talent pool of manufacturing engineers, engineering technicians, and CNC machinists over the past eight years … In fact, our #1 source for manufacturing engineers over the past several years has been Penn College alumni.”—Mike Sticklin, SPHR, Human Resources Manager, Synths USA Brandywine Plant

Penn College is providing its students with more than a college education. It is preparing them for a career coupled with a unique college experience, a college with all the offerings of any four year university, and a faculty committed to giving their students a hands-on education.

Check out the other articles in the Degrees That Work series: Degrees That Work: One College’s Best Kept Secret; Degrees That Work: A Working World Within a College

career colleges, careers, college guidance, college planning, Uncategorized

Stay Employed With These College Majors

 

college majorsLook to the future and what do you see? Flying cars? Steampunk kids riding hoverboards? Downtrodden dystopias with Harrison Ford-alikes running around in long brown overcoats?

Well, while these visions of the future might never happen, one thing is certain – some jobs will be obsolete, so you have to make your education count.

It’s a tough call to make. But some jobs will always be vital, no matter what era we live in.

So here are a few future-proof college majors for you to study, whether we move into a glistening or a downbeat future.

The children are our future

Despite declining birth rates in the western world, the need to look after and understand the needs of children is greater than ever.

But that doesn’t exclusively lead you towards childcare. For high wages and the chance to work out your brainbox, try studying for a degree in child psychology. Relative to other medical fields, psychology itself is in its relative infancy, making the possibilities for unique advancement high.

Knowing the inner workings of a child’s mind will never go out of style.

Digital love

You can see the impact of the internet on businesses already. As high street stores close their doors and indie retailers struggle to stay afloat, internet giants like Amazon dominate the marketplace.

The future is now in the digital world. As the tech for the internet unfurls before us, the reality is clear – the net is going nowhere.

As such, there are now countless avenues of study for a life in the digital world. Web development, computer programming, app design, game design – the list goes on. Some colleges even offer the chance to study the cultural impact of the web on society.

Not only is the world of the web putting convenience at our fingertips – it’s giving us the jobs of the future.

Get arty

We’ve all dreamed of it in some form or another – wearing a beret on the south bank of the Seine, Paris, you pen your latest novel, pursing a cigarette between your lips and living the life of the moody artiste.

But the successful artist – be they pretentious poet, literary heavyweight, beard-stroking filmmaker or agent provocateur raconteur – is usually one in a million. Yet however precarious a career as an artist might be, it will never go out of date. While the modes of distribution might change, the need for art won’t.

A degree in fine art, illustration or any other creative subject, won’t guarantee you a job straight off the bat. However, many people learn to combine a side job with their artistic aspirations. Creation may not pay amazingly – but it’ll never age away.