Career Counseling Corner
Wayne RESA's Career Counseling Fall 2023 Newsletter
Wayne RESA's Career Counselors & Postsecondary Navigator bring you up-to-date information to help assist your child on their career journey. With the support of our local schools, we aim to accelerate access for Wayne County students to career and postsecondary resources.
Fall into a Career
Fall brings opportunities for families to enjoy apple orchards, beautiful fall colors, apple cider, and celebrations around Halloween, Harvest Festivals, and Trunk or Treat Activities. If your family enjoys dressing up during this season, consider a costume that reflects a career pathway of interest. Friends, peers, and family members will enjoy guessing the profession and learning more about the field.
Other career awareness and exploration ideas for Fall include the following:
Explore careers on the Michigan Learning Channel on a cool Fall day. Find interviews where curious kids interview local professionals. Careers covered include a zookeeper, astronaut, and architect. Discuss and use the videos to explore possibilities for the future!
During family gatherings students could talk with relatives about their career journey. This helps students build communication skills and gain a better understanding of the world of work. Starting with just a couple of questions is enough to get the conversation going. “Could you tell me about your work?” or “What do you like about your work?” could really get a great discussion going.
Consider including career conversations during a family game night. Monopoly is a feast for the budding real estate professional. Consider adding career focused clues to a night of Pictionary or Charades. One could add careers to a game of Jenga. Whenever a block is removed, players name a career that is involved in the production of the game.
Exploring books at your local library could also spark new interest. Andrew Learns About Lawyers, When I’m a Surgeon, and What Can I Be? Stem Careers From A to Z could be good options.
Careers in Manufacturing
October is Manufacturing Month! This is the chance for us to celebrate and highlight modern manufacturing careers. Manufacturing jobs involve the creation of new products either from raw materials or by assembling different components through physical, chemical or mechanical means.
Associates, operators, technicians, supervisors, engineers, managers, and directors are all part of the manufacturing process. The industry seeks to fill 4.6 million high-skill, high-tech and high-paying jobs over the next decade. Manufacturers in the United States make spaceships, cars, computers, medicine and food. There are currently 800,000 open manufacturing jobs nationwide.
Click here to watch videos from SEMCA’s 2021 Manufacturing Day!
Highlights from this year's MFG Day 2022 Coming Soon!!
Apprenticeship Week Nov 14-20, 2022
National Apprenticeship Week is November 14th to November 20th. This annual event, in its eighth year, was created to expose students, parents, and the community to apprenticeship opportunities. An apprenticeship is another pathway into the workforce that includes paid, hands-on training while working under the leadership of a skilled professional(s) in the field. This is an “earn as you learn” opportunity that can start your career in a high-pay, high skill, in-demand field and get educated at the same time.
Apprenticeships can be found in most career sectors that include the professional trades, manufacturing careers, healthcare, and cosmetology. Prospective apprentices often get connected with opportunities through local employers, union halls, pre-apprenticeship programs, or community
colleges. To connect to an event during this week or to learn more about apprenticeships, the following resources may be helpful:
Apprenticeship Video: https://youtu.be/SSIOqMAgT0U
(Link to Trades Chat from last year with hyperlinks for various programs)
Building momentum through Short-Term Goals
When looking at the average tenure for a job it changes dramatically over time. Baby Boomers worked for one job on average for 10 years. Generation X has averaged five years, while Millennials have averaged three. Now Generation Z (our students and new grads today) are rapidly entering into the workforce and their average tenure thus far is only two years!
All of this makes sense. We live in a world in 2022 that is constantly evolving. Due to the integration of the internet in all we do, along with ever-expanding technological innovation, how we consume educational content has changed dramatically. As such, the workplace has continued to evolve in how we use technology to guide our work as well as how we perform our jobs. The inclusion of AI, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Machine Learning and Big Data means that automation will continue and expand.
Additionally, this “4th Industrial Revolution” means that these innovations will greatly impact what will be available in terms of viable career paths. By the year 2030, 45 million workers could be at risk of losing their jobs to automation as predicted by the McKinsey Global Institute.
So for Generation Z coming out of high school, there are important lessons that their predecessors in college and industry are sharing:
Set short-term goals: Consider what knowledge and skills you want to develop over the next 6 months to a year. Setting goals multiple years down the road requires considerable will power and effort and are harder to sustain.
Get hands-on exposure: Your career will be hands-on, therefore you’ll learn more about yourself and how a career fits for you through experience far more than through research. Seek out opportunities for volunteer experiences, job shadowing and entry-level paid positions in your areas of interest.
Break your comfort zone: Learning about yourself and careers happens fastest when you’re not in your element. You quickly can assess if something energizes you or frustrates you.
The Future of Work: 5 Key Takeaways
Proactively making time for health & wellness assists our students in achieving their career & postsecondary goals. In every newsletter, we'll offer tips & resources to help keep you & your student's wellness a priority.
Coping with Anxiety while Postsecondary Planning & Applying to College
When students are applying to colleges and planning their postsecondary pathways, pressure and stress can build up. Many questions arise... Will I get accepted? What happens if don't get into my first choice? What if I really don't want to go to college? What are my other options? Stress can be eased by accomplishing tasks (submitting applications and the FAFSA), exercising or talking with someone.
If that stress isn't managed, anxiety could result. Anxiety occurs in most people when there is a sense of helplessness or a loss of control. The American Psychological Association defines anxiety as an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes. People with anxiety disorders usually have recurring intrusive thoughts or concerns. They may avoid certain situations out of worry. They may also have physical symptoms such as high blood pressure, sweating, trembling, dizziness or a rapid heartbeat.
Parents should be aware of the signs of anxiety and explore ways to help themselves and their children. Researchers and clinicians theorize that anxiety among today’s children and adolescents may be intensifying for a variety of reasons, including increased pressure to succeed in school, growing up in the age of social media and living in a world where mass shootings frequently dominate the headlines. In addition to the suggestions below, a referral or recommendations from your pediatrician can help.
ln “When in Doubt, Shout it Out! 8 Drug-free ways to Battle Anxiety" Valencia Higuera provides many ways to cope with anxiety that include the following:
- Talking it out with a counselor, friend, or family member
- Exercising
- Reducing caffeine intake
- Getting more sleep
- Saying NO and learning to set boundaries
- Eating a healthy diet
Here are more resources to help:
Every newsletter we'll shine the light on a different career field with our Workforce Spotlight!
Fiber Optic Cable Splicers, also known as Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, are high-paid, high-skilled careers that do not require a college degree.
No matter what step your student is at in their career journey, this guide has important links & resources to help. There are career questions to start conversations, exploration tools like 'My Next Move' to find information about any career field, and career preparation tools like Google's resume builder training.
Skilled trades are everywhere and directly impact our quality of life. Learn more about the trades, postsecondary pathways, and what your student can do now to prepare themselves.
ACE Mentor Program
Work with Professionals in Architecture, Construction or Engineering!
Win Scholarships!
https://www.acementor.org/affiliates/detroit-mi/
High school students in the Detroit area can now benefit from a nationwide program designed to introduce them to the wide range of career opportunities open to young people in architecture, construction, engineering, and related areas of the building design and construction industry. At weekly meetings, student teams work directly with professionals from leading area firms, who volunteer their time to mentor the teams as they design hypothetical projects, tour local construction sites, and visit architectural, engineering and construction offices.
For students, it’s a unique chance to discover and develop new skills, solidify future goals and get on track to exciting, rewarding careers. In addition, many students form positive relationships with industry professionals who can provide important references for obtaining college admissions, scholarships, internships and full-time employment.
💲 FAFSA = Free Application for Federal Student Aid 💲
Virtual career events brought to you by Wayne RESA 💻
Career Counselor Connect - Parent Information Series #1
Wayne RESA's Career Counselors bring you up-to-date information to help you assist your students on their career development journey. You will leave with Career Exploration Resources, a better understanding of stackable credentials and how to help your student get started on their career path with a short-term training program. All parents of middle & high school students are welcome!
https://resa-net.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMrdeuvpjgjEtAn3Nzfpr33EMJpqd9QakWC
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Wed, Oct 26, 2022, 06:00 PM
Virtual (Zoom)
Construction & Professional Trades Virtual Career Chat
Students are invited to join Wayne RESA Career Counselors and hear from professionals in the Construction & Trades industry to learn more about a variety of career options in this pathway. Hear how these professionals began their career, about a typical day in their life, and ask questions.
https://resa-net.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAuf-qppjwtEtS_Rkf2wjREMCcxI4_2dRiS
Wed, Nov 16, 2022, 04:00 PM
Virtual (Zoom)
Careers in Healthcare Virtual Career Chat
Students are invited to join Wayne RESA Career Counselors and hear from professionals in the Healthcare industry to learn more about a variety of career options in this pathway. Hear how these professionals began their career, about a typical day in their life, and ask questions.
https://resa-net.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYoceitqz8oHNTGfeTswr7B-IcFHoxoOqLg
Wed, Dec 14, 2022, 04:00 PM
Virtual (Zoom)
Other Local Career Events
DAPCEP (Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program) Fall 2022 Courses
Taking science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) classes at an early age provides the first step to a future in STEM careers. DAPCEP courses provide the foundation for STEM success!
CCS - Center for Creative Studies
CCS is offering virtual career events to learn more about their majors & a future career in:
- * Entertainment Arts - Animation
- * Entertainment Arts - Game Design
- * Art Education
- * Illustration
- * Interior Design
- * Film
- * Communication Design
- * Photography
- * Product Design
.... and more
Find more events & resources below, and follow us on social media!
Scan the QR code or click on the image.