Sloan Career Cornerstone Center

In searching for links to professional organizations/societies for last week's post, I found a site that is, as the Brits would say, BRILLIANT! Sloan Career Cornerstone Center can be found at www.careercornerstone.org It is a "non-profit resource center for those exploring career paths in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine. The extensive site explores over 185 degree fields and offers detailed education requirements, salary and employment data, precollege ideas, and career planning resources."

All 185 "Degree Fields" are listed alphabetically under that heading. Articles are similar to entries in the Occupational Outlook Handbook , accessible at www.bls.gov, in that they include the following sub-headings: Overview; Preparation; Day In The Life; Earnings; Employment; Career Path Forecast and Professional Organizations. Links are provided for organizations such as the American Board of Medical Specialties, The Society of Actuaries, The American Geological Institute and many others that provide and update content to the Center.

They spotlight and discuss resources for students, counselors, teachers, parents, and graduates. Under the sub-heading "Graduates", they link to job search sites. Unlike the OOH, the site includes the sub-heading highlighted above, "Day In The Life". Contributors in different careers describe a "typical" day on the job and there are profiles of professionals in areas such as biology, engineering specialities and more. The profiles detail the professional's educational background and job description. As an example, Urszula Tajchman is featured under the Profiles of Physicists. Dr. Tajchman is a Fellow in Pediatric Cardiology at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. There's an interesting profile on her which includes, as do all the profiles, her advice to students. There are profiles for a lot of "heavyweights" like Dr. Tajchman. Under the "Healthcare" heading, job titles range from veterinary tech to surgeon. Many of the articles give lists of degree conferring colleges and universities and accredited training programs.

This is another really great site. The information it provides is invaluable and so extensive, it's almost overwhelming. Despite that, it's easy to navigate and understand - and it's FREE! BRILLIANT!

A Lifetime of Experience Is a Terrible Thing to Waste

    I used to be a big deal.  For over three decades I would enter a building and people of all ages would trail after me calling, "Miss, Miss" or later "Mrs., Mrs."  to get my attention or assistance.  Now, recently retired, I enter a crowded space and barely a head turns in my direction.  I was an educator and counselor in an urban New Jersey school district.  In a novel I'm currently reading (I favor mysteries and historical fiction.), one of the characters wonders what he might have been had he had a different guidance counselor.  It was unusual to see someone give deference to the kind of influence we counselors have.  While we all have our guidance counselor horror stories, I was one of the very good ones. (I have Wood Shop produced plaques and World's Best Teacher chachkas to prove it!) 
     I did a great deal of social counselling on both the elementary and high school levels, but I really loved the academic and career planning part of the job.  So, I'm going to endeavor to impart some guidance to parents and high school students alike as to how they can navigate the road to a satisfying career/careers.  Each Wednesday I'll post a few ideas and suggestions.  While the emphasis will be on high school, we'll need to start somewhere so next Wednesday's topic will be, "Eighth Grade - The End of Middle School Madness"