Tag Archives: careers

career colleges, careers, Wednesdays parent

Wednesday’s Parent: Consider a Career Focused College

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planning for a career
Penn College students preparing for careers

With all the news about students graduating without job prospects, parents and students are researching alternatives to traditional higher education. One alternative is a career college. What would that look like? It would be a college that focuses on the career along with the degree–a career focused college.

One such college is Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. This college marries a liberal arts education with preparing students for a career after graduation by providing hands on career experience while attending. Students learn to weld, work on airplanes, construct houses, work on automobiles, and much more. Each career path offers a balance between education and career preparation. For more information on Penn College, check out my series: Degrees That Work on my blog.

Another college would be Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Northeastern offers a Co-op program: an educational program in which you alternate semesters of academic study with semesters of full-time employment in positions related to your academic and/or career interests in the U.S. or globally. Northeastern explains, “We do this through our experiential learning model which is, simply put, learning by doing. While experiential learning can and does happen in classroom, lab and studio situations, it is much more powerful and robust when students have opportunities to use their knowledge and practice their skills in authentic, real-world situations”.

When searching for colleges, consider a career focused college that focus on preparing students for careers after graduation.

Read Wendy’s post: College and Career Game Plan

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Wednesday’s child may be full of woe but Wednesday’s Parent can substitute action for anxiety. Each Wednesday Wendy and I will provide parent tips to get and keep your student on the college track. It’s never too late or too early to start!

The bonus is on the fourth Wednesday of each month when Wendy and I will host Twitter chat #CampusChat at 9pm ET/6pm PT. We will feature an expert on a topic of interest for parents of the college-bound.

Wednesday’s Parent will give twice the info and double the blog posts on critical parenting issues by clicking on the link at the end of the article from parentingforcollege to pocsmom.com and vice versa.

careers, college majors

Is Your Student Considering a Career in Nursing?

 

nursingObamacare is changing the face of healthcare, and with it the nursing profession. Here’s what you need to know if you’re considering this field.

LPN

An LPN is one of the most widely-recognized types of nursing degrees out there. LPNs are licensed practical nurses and perform a variety of tasks under supervision of an RN. They administer medication to patients, check vitals, and give injections. They can also take blood.

RN

A registered nurse, or “RN,” is what you probably think of when you think of a nurse. It’s an individual with an associate or bachelor’s degree in nursing. They often assist physicians in hospitals and have extensive job responsibilities that can include management. But, they are also responsible for hands-on care of patients. Then consider upgrading your RN to a BSN here: RN to BSN San Antonio.

Clinical Specialist

A clinical nurse specialist is an advanced practice nurse. This type of nurse is proficient in diagnosing and treating illnesses within a specialized niche. These types of degrees are available through online colleges in Florida or specialized nursing schools.

A clinical nurse can focus on patients and families, staff management, or administration. They are often placed in leadership roles because of their extensive medical knowledge.

Nurse Practitioner

A nurse practitioner might work under the supervision of a doctor, but more and more of them are becoming autonomous and taking on the role of a physician. NPs can diagnose and treat diseases, prescribe medicine, and initiate treatment plans for patients. This is basically the nurse equivalent of a medical doctor.

Nurse Case Manager

A nurse case manager coordinates long-term care for elderly or disabled patients who need long-term skilled nursing care.

They often choose to specialize in treating people with diseases like cancer or the elderly.

PhD

Getting your PhD in nursing almost always means you’re headed into teaching or some kind of educational role. A PhD in nursing is heavy on theoretical knowledge, but also allows a nurse to gain a deeper understanding of the practical application of the nursing profession.

Travel Registered Nurse

This type of nurse works in temporary jobs across the country or in foreign countries, sometimes for weeks at a time, and even years at a time. Travel nurses may perform many of the same duties as a traditional RN, but often work for an agency that needs to supplement core staff at a facility.

Staff Nurse

A staff nurse works in a variety of different settings, including rehab centers psychiatric wards, ICUs and critical care, and outpatient facilities. They often provide direct care to patients and administer medications, perform IV therapy and assist LPNs and RNs.

Emergency Room/Triage Nurse

This type of nurse treats patients in an ER, and often works with trauma victims, though many types of individuals enter an ER and a triage nurse needs to be quick on his or her feet in order to address emergency and life-threatening situations. The job is stressful, but the pay is commensurate. If you don’t mind working in constant chaos, this job is for you.

______________________________

Audrey Lovett works in a senior role involved with medical recruitment. She likes to be able to share her insights and experiences with an online audience. Her thoughts have been published across a variety of different websites.

careers

5 Things That Make an Educational Company Great to Work For

 

When you were young, school didn’t seem like somewhere a person would choose to work. For the few who defy their younger selves by venturing back into the halls of learning in adulthood to help educate a new generation, a deeply rewarding and well-regarded career awaits. Here’s a few things that make an educational company great to work for.

1. A culture of positivity and purpose

School are now, more than they’ve ever been, a place of purpose and positivity. This is reinforced through every layer of the establishment, from faculty to the student body. Great educational institutions will place a huge premium on both the distribution of knowledge and generation of a positive atmosphere for all on campus. Places like these make every part of the school a much more pleasant place to work.

2. Growth opportunities abound

Many companies have a big focus on growth opportunities for long-term employees but that doesn’t always mean sticking to a traditional career path. Depending on the way the school apportions their budgets and manages their facilities, you may find that while your position does not change much over time, evolving technology, training and equipment may allow you to be much more effective at your job.

3. The opportunity to work with people you respect and admire

As an educator, being surrounded by like-minded people who hold a similar set of values to your own is one of the best parts of working at an educational institution. It allows you to network, hear different opinions and explore new areas of thought and study. You’re able to learn from people whose work you respect and literally train with the best. Institutions such as Evocca College place a large emphasis on providing a high degree of training and support for their educators – you can find out more information here.

4. You face new academic challenges daily

Problem solvers make great teachers and educators. Becoming an educator is an excellent career for those who like to be challenged by their profession. Figuring things out, cracking codes, making important breakthroughs – it’s something we as a species thrive on and nowhere is this itch better scratched than when working in the educational sector.

5. You get to make a difference

One of the very best parts of the job is knowing that you’ve helped shape a new generation of people, hopefully for the better. You’ve provided them with all the tools they need to not only survive in a hostile world but to make it better. You’ve managed to truly touch or even change lives with the knowledge you had to give and that is the kind of reward that’s not easy to come by in any other profession.

A great company is somewhere that allows you to do amazing things and enjoy yourself alongside like-minded people who desire the same things. That’s what you get when you go to work for an educational company, and it’s why they’re pretty great to work for.

careers

Preparing For a Career in Finance

 

career in financeAs a parent, you obviously want your children to achieve success in their education and careers. It is often easy to guide your children when they follow your example, but when they show aptitude in subjects and topics in which you are unfamiliar, then it can be difficult to know how to help.

This guide provides you with practical advice to ensure your son or daughter will be fully prepared to enter the competitive and rewarding world of finance.

Why should you help?

Some parents take the attitude that once their children reach higher education it is time to stand back and allow them to find their own paths. However, many young adults in school have little idea about how the working world operates, and while colleges and universities provide some career advice, it usually comes from scholars who have spent most of their working lives in academia.

By taking an active role in preparing your children for their careers, you will greatly increase the chances of them landing a role that will offer excellent prospects for the future.

How you can help

There are many ways to prepare your children for a career in finance, such as understanding more about their education and interests and how this may fit opportunities. Start by talking about what their main interests are in finance. The financial industry requires more than just accountants and investment managers. Firms require business development managers, client service executives, data analysts, human resource managers, IT systems support, and marketing officers.

After gathering details from your children, begin researching the career paths that will allow them to reach their goals. To achieve the best positions in finance, they will need to obtain financial certificates and further qualifications. Students who begin studying for these qualifications as soon as they graduate will give an excellent impression to prospective employers.

The best way to determine which courses are required is to review job listings and read the qualifications. Many websites will list the latest opportunities, and the qualifications and experience required for each role.

Many roles ask for candidates to have knowledge and practical experience with specific computer packages; many of these can be studied online and courses can provide a good foundation in using them.

Although your child will not beat out somebody with several years of experience, in the recruitment process, they may well come across as the best of all graduates, if they can demonstrate they are familiar with the computer systems used.

Teach interview skills

Interview skills are possibly the most important part of landing a good career. How a person performs in 30 minutes in a room with two total strangers can determine his or her entire career.

What many students do not appreciate is that an interview is an opportunity to sell themselves; this is where you can help. Encourage your children to list all of their most positive aspects, their best skills, and their educational strengths and get them to talk candidly about these.

People who can casually talk about their best aspects come across as being confident, articulate, and professional. An interview is not the time to highlight to an employer all the things that you do not know; it is a time to sell yourself as an asset they cannot afford to lose to a competitor.

What companies are the best?

This is one of the most common questions asked by parents. Many people assume the best companies must be the huge financial organizations that are in the news every week. Although J.P. Morgan Chase, Bank of America Corp, and Citigroup are the largest in America, they do not necessarily offer the best career prospects; competition within the banking industry is extremely tough and they all take on hundreds of graduates each year.

It is often better to look to the smaller investment companies that provide a more bespoke and personal approach. In a smaller company, it is often easier to impress and rise through the ranks to board level, which is ultimately most people’s ambition.

Some excellent local opportunities that are an ideal match for your child may be available, so research the local area. Small regional offices can often be a great place to start a rewarding career in finance.

Supporting your children during this time is a challenge, but with a little information and some research, you can help guide them and hopefully they will land the career they have been dreaming of, or at least, the one they would have been dreaming of, had they known what opportunities were out there.

careers, social networks

Using Social Media to Find a Job

 

job searchThese days the recruitment process has moved online, which includes a shift to social media. Not only do employers browse social profiles when deciding who to interview, they’ll also use social channels to advertise opportunities. This media can help you or it can hinder you when trying to land that dream job, whether it’s for a learning mentor or a care worker, marketing professional or a skill tradesperson. Here’s how:

Private versus Public

There’s a strong chance employers will try to learn more about you via your social media profiles. For this reason, your public profile should convey the right impression. If anyone and everyone can view your Facebook or Twitter profile pictures, make sure they’re professional. Pictures that reveal aspects of your private life show you drinking excessive amounts of alcohol or generally just clowning around are best reserved for friends only. This also applies to the information you choose to publicly display on your social profiles. Do you want potential employers to be able to see your relationship status, the bands you like or even your birthday? If there’s any information you don’t feel entirely comfortable with employers seeing, switch your settings to private.

An opportunity to network

Many companies use social media to head hunt as well as recruit. Setting up a professional profile can get you noticed. At the same time, you don’t have to wait for employers to approach you. LinkedIn is an excellent networking tool and there’s no harm in trying to connect with companies or organisations you might like to work for in the future.

Creating the right impression

There are, of course, social profiles you might want potential employers to see. If you have a LinkedIn profile, you’re likely to use it to network and hunt for jobs. This makes it essential for your profile to create the right impression. Choose a professional-looking photo. If in doubt, ask a (trusted) friend or family member which photo to use. You should also update your profile regularly, ensuring it showcases your talents and experience. List all of your skills and try to get LinkedIn references from past employers. Your social profile could be your first impression—and you won’t get the chance to make another one.

Employers advertise through social media

Advertising positions online is commonplace nowadays. As well as updating their website with job details, many employers add vacancies to their social media feeds. If you want to be amongst the first to know when new jobs come up, connect with employers you might like to work for via their primary social channels. LinkedIn is particularly useful because you can receive email updates of jobs in your sector. Some sites are even area-specific, such as S1Jobs, and following their social feeds you can plan your next career move within a particular part of the country. Perhaps you’d like to work with children and young people by becoming a learning mentor. You could use social media to showcase your experience to potential employers and hunt for jobs.

Whatever career path you want to follow, social media can help you land that dream job if you use it wisely. Make sure all the public information you display gives the best impression.

careers, parenting

Helping Your Child Choose the Right Degree

 

degree
Image by Kevin Dooley,

It’s an important time when your child is just about to finish high school and is working out where he or she would like to go next. You want to let him or her make their own decisions and follow their heart, but you also want to ensure he or she is making the best decisions for future life and career. For example, when looking at degrees to study, maybe you want her to choose the chemical engineering degree, but she wants to complete an arts degree. It’s a real minefield: deciding whether to interfere or to let her make her own decisions unaided to choose the right degree.

You Know Your Child

You’ve seen him or her grow up, you’ve watched them play with other children and develop into the young adult they are today. You know them inside out, probably better than they know themselves. Children do value their parents’ opinions, even if they won’t show it. You’re allowed to help.

 Find Resources

You can give your child the resources they need to think through their own decision making. Send them links to quizzes online which ask them about their interests and suggests routes for them based on their answers. Find websites aimed at school leavers which outline career paths and which courses are needed to get to where they want to go. And then let them soak up the information themselves.

Go With Them

Take your child to university open days, trial study days, and guided tours. You can walk around with them, let them soak up the atmosphere and imagine what attending these places might be like. There will be talks about courses so your child can learn what their chosen course will be like, along with taster sessions.

Help Them Find Opportunities

If your child still isn’t certain, take a top-down approach: find out what career areas interest them, and then work out how they can get there. There are many work experience and internship opportunities available: even a couple of weeks in a role will give them a taste for whether they would enjoy a career in a certain sector. Do you have any friends who could offer them work experience or shadowing opportunities for a couple of weeks over the summer?

Ask Them Questions

Sometimes it’s helpful just to sit down with your child and talk. Ask them what makes them tick, what gets them excited about life, and where they see themselves in ten or twenty years? Bring along a pen and paper and make notes or draw a mind map: this is a great opportunity to be supportive and help them find a direction without forcing them where you think they shouldgo.

Support Them

It might be that your child wants to study a subject, and you don’t agree that this is the best decision for them. It’s okay to tell them how you feel, but ensure you’re thinking of their best interests: it is as important for them to study a subject about which they feel passionate, as it is important for them to study a subject with excellent career prospects.

Most of all: good luck to your child on their future career. With some guidance, they will make a decision which suits them and brings them to the place they want to go, wherever that is.

 

 

college guidance, college planning, parenting

Exploring career options with your college-bound teen

Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash

Kids either know what they want to do with their lives or they don’t. Some kids might even know what they want to do with their lives at an extremely early age, which makes it a lot easier for parents. However, a lot of kids have no idea. In this case, it is up to the parents to work with their teen to start exploring career options and even gauge what some of their interests might be. It is crucial for parents to start before the child enters their first year of college, because this will determine what classes they should be taking and even what major they should declare. Here are some ways to explore career options with your college bound teen.

Assess their strong points

First off, assess what some of their strong points are. If they are good at writing and they are interested in language, there are a plethora of jobs tailored for them. If they are good at writing, this doesn’t immediately mean that they have to become a novelist or English professor, but they can also land a job in communications, advertising and any other field where having a grasp of language makes them an asset. So make sure you find out what your teen’s strengths are in order to go through the list of available job positions within a certain field – some of which they might not even know about. Moreover, if they are interested in a specific field, it is important to make sure you dispel any myths or rumors about the field.

Determine their passion

Next, what is your teenager passionate about? If they are passionate about politics you should encourage them to pursue their studies towards this particular field. If they are interested in the healthcare field, there are a number of degrees they can acquire to have a sustainable and fulfilling career in the healthcare field. After getting their undergraduate degree, they can acquire a health care management MBA to land a position in careers ranging from finance, to biopharmaceuticals, to insurance and beyond. If they are interested in current events, they might pursue a career in journalism, television or radio media.

Analyze Job Market Trends

In addition to exploring personal interests and strengths, it’s vital to consider the demand in your teen’s chosen career field. A practical approach is to look at trends in job availability and growth projections in various industries. For example, unfilled residency positions 2024 is quite common, indicating a potentially high demand in certain healthcare specialties. This insight can guide your teen toward professions with greater long-term stability and opportunity. By analysing these market trends, you and your teen can make more informed decisions about selecting a major and planning their educational path, ensuring that they not only pursue a career aligned with their passions but also one with promising future prospects.

Take a career test

Another way to explore career options with your teen is to find out what they are good at by having them take a standardized test. There are a number of tests your teen can take that will determine what they have a natural inclination for. This option is usually best for those teens that are really struggling with what they want to do with their lives. For instance, a test in math will determine whether or not they are good with numbers and another test might be able to determine that they are more inclined towards abstract modes of thinking. Either way, this is a great way to get quantitative proof of your child’s strengths and weaknesses, which can motivate your teen to really start thinking about their career aspirations.

At the end of the day, it is important to not get frustrated with your child and let them come to their own conclusions, especially if they are going off to college. They might need a few years to think about it and in the meantime they might even go undeclared. However, after a few years of college, your teenager will eventually realize what they want to do with their lives, which can be an incredibly relieving moment for most parents and well worth the wait.

college guidance, college planning

Hottest Careers for College Graduates

The College Board has posted a list of the occupations with the most job openings between 2008-2018. They get these figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: new jobs being created and openings created by retiring workers or those leaving the fields.

I’m skeptical when it comes to any job statistics these days, but it’s worth your time to glance over the list and have your college-bound teen do the same. If they are interested in teaching, it looks like they are headed in the right direction. Also notable are the jobs predicted to be available in computer related fields. At the top of the list, however, are jobs in the field of nursing–now that’s job security!

There is a book coming out this month, Closing America’s Job Gap, that might interest you as well. You can check out an article I wrote related to the findings in this book about the Top 10 Job Sectors for future careers. It’s always helpful to consider the job market when spending thousands of dollars on an education!

college guidance, college majors, college planning, parenting, Uncategorized

Career planning tips for parents of teens

options-susan-pOur guest blog post today is by Susan Posluszny, the founder of OPTIONS for Career & Life Planning, specializing in unique programs and services to support students with college major and career planning. Susan is a Master Career Counselor with over 25 years of career counseling experience including 18 years as a college career center director. She is the author of In Search of a College Major & Career Direction, an interactive program designed to support teens and young adults with choosing a college major and career path.Her career counseling and coaching practice is located in New Boston, NH. Subscribe to Susan’s e-newsletter, Career Options, at www.collegesandmajors.com

Think Big Picture

It’s common to overly focus on the details:  Which ‘one’ major should I pick?  Which ‘one’ career should I pursue?  Yet, research studies show that it’s common for students (and adults) to shift direction over time as they explore, grow, and change.  What to do?  Get your student to identify their top 2 – 3 academic and career interests and then explore ways to simultaneously prepare for and reality test more than one interest.  Sound impossible?  Not at all.  Careful selection of academic courses and career exploration strategies (job shadowing, internships, career related employment or volunteer experience) will do it.  Be sure to spread these efforts out over time so as not to overload.

Discard Outdated Notions of ‘Job Security’

Job security in the form of long term employment with one employer in exchange for dedication and hard work is long gone.  Instead, shifts in the work world have been moving towards project based work and ways to match individual interests and skills to marketplace needs.  Don’t expect selection of the ‘right school’, the ‘right degree’, or the ‘right career’ to provide guarantees of post graduation employment or career success.  Today’s students will need to take charge of their own career development in order to ensure a sense of ’employment security’ for themselves.

Consider Career Interests Relative to College Loan Debt

According to the College Board, the average debt for a Bachelor’s degree was $23,200 in 2007-2008.  an individual student’s loan debt can vary significantly from this figure but the bottom line is that many students are feeling pressured to pursue academic and career choices that will allow them to pay off their loans…even if these choices don’t particularly interest or excite them.  So, how about your student?  Will college loan debt drive your student’s college major and career decisions?  If so, it’s as if your student is working for the financial institution.  Help your student to identify their top career interests and to explore creative options for pursuing career preferences while owning one’s financial reality.  Do all that you can to help your student avoid limiting future options by taking on too much debt.

Explore Career Preferences Prior to Choosing a College Major

Many students choose a college major first and then determine their career choice based on their chosen major.  This is a no brainer when a major is directly linked to a career field (nursing, education, engineering, etc.) but this approach has its limits.  First, it doesn’t work so well with majors that cover broad interest areas like English or Business Administration.  Second, many students end up pursuing career interests totally unrelated to their majors.  While it can be helpful for students to consider academic subjects that interest them when choosing a college major/career, it’s also valuable to explore your career interests  Once key career interest themes are identified, research to see if these interests have specific college major requirements.  Chances are that there’s quite a bit of flexibility with academic choices relative to career pursuits.

Copyright, Susan B. Posluszny, OPTIONS for Career & Life Planning LLC

If you would like to contact Susan or find out more information about the services she provides, you can contact her at:

Her websites: www.careeroptions4me.com and www.collegesandmajors.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/susanposluszny

Email:  susan@careeroptions4me.com

college guidance, college majors, college planning, parenting

When a parent disapproves of a child's career choice

options-susan-pOur guest blog post today is by Susan Posluszny, the founder of OPTIONS for Career & Life Planning, specializing in unique programs and services to support students with college major and career planning. Susan is a Master Career Counselor with over 25 years of career counseling experience including 18 years as a college career center director. She is the author of In Search of a College Major & Career Direction, an interactive program designed to support teens and young adults with choosing a college major and career path.Her career counseling and coaching practice is located in New Boston, NH. Subscribe to Susan’s e-newsletter, Career Options, at www.collegesandmajors.com

While watching the Food Network channel one day, I happened upon a series called ‘Chefography’.  This episode of Chefography featured a biographical account of Wolfgang Puck’s journey to success.  I knew little about this renowned chef but I was intrigued since I’d recently been to Disney World and had a great experience at his restaurant, Wolfgang Puck Café, in Downtown Disney.  While annual revenue from his cluster of businesses now averages millions of dollars, his father did not approve of his career interest and his early career experiences were quite shaky.

wolfgang-puckAt the tender age of 14, Puck left his home to work as an apprentice in a hotel kitchen.  Evidently, young Puck was a bit of a klutz and the chef threw him out and sent him back home to his parents.  He was ashamed to face his father with the news of his job loss since his father was against this career choice.  Dreading going home, he spent hours on a bridge contemplating suicide while looking over a river that ran through town. Eventually, Puck went back and hid in the hotel’s basement, peeling potatoes for the kitchen workers, until the chef discovered him two weeks later.  The chef appreciated Puck’s tenacity and made arrangements for him to apprentice in another hotel’s kitchen.  Puck’s career took numerous twists and turns over time as he honed his culinary skills and began his ventures as a restaurant owner.

As I watched this show, I couldn’t help but imagine the emotions that surged through Puck as he contemplated facing his father or committing suicide.  It’s natural for children to want to please their parents and fear of parental scorn can weigh heavily on a child.  If young Puck had committed suicide, would his father have realized the role his influence played in the choice to end his life?  As I reflected further on Puck’s life and career, I couldn’t help but wonder what his father must think of his son’s career decision now that he’s a successful businessman and one of America’s most famous and influential chefs.  I expect that he no longer considers his son’s decision to have been a poor one.

Research that I conducted while working as a college career center director revealed that parents are the number one influence in the career and college major choices made by their children.  That influence may be subtle, and beyond the conscious awareness of the child, or not so subtle as was the case with young Puck and his father.  Now I suppose you could argue that his father’s influence actually helped to lead young Puck to success.  You might say that what helped Puck to hang in there, when the going got tough, was wanting to avoid hearing his father say, ‘I told you so’.  I don’t know about you, but I can’t help think that there are better ways to influence a child.

As parents, it can be most challenging to support a child’s career decision when it goes against the grain of our own personal values and the future we envision for that child.  Yet, we can never know what the future holds and where a chosen path may lead.  As children grow, they need to cultivate a sense of self in order to one day make their own way in this world.  Along with a growing sense of self, they also need to develop confidence in their ability to take positive action towards their career goals.  This includes learning how to identify their career and lifestyle preferences, how to explore career options that match those preferences, and where to go to gain the skills and life experiences that will move them in a direction of their own choosing.  Parents can help their children to build self confidence by telling them they believe in their ability to take positive action on their own behalf.  Parents can also facilitate a growing sense of self by encouraging their children to engage in activities and experiences that let them explore and reality test their career interests, so that they are making informed choices.  Yes, as parents, we are the number one influence in the lives of our children.  It’s up to us to decide the form that our influence will take.

If you would like to contact Susan or find out more information about the services she provides, you can contact her at:

Her websites: www.careeroptions4me.com and www.collegesandmajors.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/susanposluszny

Email:  susan@careeroptions4me.com