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
It’s seems unreasonable for us to think that our college-bound teens should know what they want to study in college. They haven’t had many career-related experiences other than part-time jobs while in high school or during summers and breaks. Knowing this, should we assume that our college-bound teens should be able to choose a major when they enter college?
Let’s consider some key points about college majors:
Continue reading Does Your College Student Need to Declare a Major When They Start College?
The new school year is beginning and high school seniors will be making that difficult choice: choosing a college. It’s certainly a process of eliminating the unaffordable ones, the ones that are either too far away or too close to home, and the ones that simply don’t interest your student. But before applying to college, there is a #1 question you should ask your student.
What is the first question you ask your student before he applies to college? Here are a few standard inquiries:
and the ever popular, What do you want to be?
But are these the best questions to ask when applying to college? Should your student be thinking beyond the obvious and delve deeper into what they expect to get from their education?
So many students enter college without a goal or purpose. This can end up costing parents money and added years of college attendance. You can’t, of course, expect every 18-year old to know what they want to do after graduation, but you can guide them on the right path.
POCSMom and Long Island College Prep Examiner Wendy David-Gaines sheds some insight into the question you SHOULD be asking your college bound student. Once you read it, you will say DUH! It makes perfect sense!
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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.
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.
Obamacare 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.
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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.
Parents raise children, and often help pay for college educations, so they feel they have a right in lending their advice regarding selecting a major.
However, it’s the child’s future at stake, so they should have a say regarding their interests and passions. Yet, the wise know that not every diploma earns a good salary, so in order to steer children in the right direction, parents and students need to consider the following.
A young high school student may have a great science teacher that inspires the child to study chemistry in college. Yet, the charisma of a teacher does not guarantee a student’s future success in an industry.
It’s important for aspiring workers to gain experience in a field, whether that means working a part-time job through high school or doing volunteer work while earning college credits. Students often switch majors, and it’s a person’s prerogative to change interests as they mature, yet college credits cost. Students need to do all they can to complement theory with actual experience in a given field.
Who better to ask about a profession than those with current jobs? Students benefit from keeping contact with a professional within a field of interest and inquiring about college workloads, job opportunities, and daily tasks regarding the profession.
Some have grand illusions about making a lot of money doing a job they never actually performed. Speaking with a professional helps align insinuation with reality and can either help fuel or diffuse a student’s interest.
Some tell students not to worry about how much money they will make in the future, but it’s practical to think about the eventual value of your time and money spent. Those who choose majors due to love and not money benefit from selecting a more practical minor area of study.
That way, if the philosophy degree doesn’t materialize into much on the job market, a minor in business helps get an entry level position to begin a career. In an ideal world, students would make great money doing what they love, but in the real world, it’s important to prepare for the actual job market.
The dialogue about choosing a major should involve other parties aside from the parents and student. An objective third party can steer students toward goals while maintaining the latter’s happiness.
Professional services provide resources like these templates and give advice about college majors and chosen industries. In addition to high school and college career planning services and counselors, professionals are available who have the insight that helps students and parents make the right decisions.
It’s difficult to understand that the choices you make now will influence your lifestyle and happiness in the future. But, it’s important for students to focus on the decision of choosing a major (and minor!) Speak with those already working, gain experience in a field, and seek services that help high school graduates make present decisions that help benefit the future.
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Jim Hearne is a high school counselor and busy dad of four. When he has the time, he enjoys helping others by sharing what he has learned over the years. Look for his helpful posts mainly on career, education and job blog sites.
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!