Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Sept. 19, 2006, edition 1 / Page 17
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% Sa% (Ear Bwl Jobs abroad deemed worthwhile BY KAYLA CARRICK ASSISTANT CITY EDITOR Everyone’s talking about it: “I would love to relive it or do it again in a different country,” sophomore Emir Sandhu said. “I would do it again in a heart beat,” senior Jason Wang said. “Yeah, I’d definitely do it again, no questions, no doubt,” junior Liz Carter said. ' These students aren’t reminiscing about a party last weekend they’re talking about working abroad. ‘ The experience Sandhu worked at a small hos pital and an orphanage in Accra, the capital of Ghana. He began his trip performing administrative tasks at the hos pital but gradually was allowed to perform clinical exams, “I did it because I’m interested in a career in medicine and wanted to see the daily life, the ins and outs.” Sandhu learned about the day to-day routine in Africa by living • with a local family. Wang also said he learned about the culture when he interned at a Chinese nongovernmental agen cy called the Beijing Aizhixing Institute of Health Education. • Wang studied in Beijing for a • semester before working for the summer. “When working with an NGO that deals with current issues, you UNC-system schools share career services tips BY SHANNAN BOWEN INVESTIGATIVE TEAM EDITOR When it comes to helping stu dents prepare for jobs after gradu ation, campus career counselors know their role is vital. Each of the 16 UNC-system universities has a career services department dedicated to helping students polish their job-applica tion skills and find careers. While each school offers some thing a little different, the leaders of the campus career departments often put their heads together to think of new ways to prepare the nation’s future employees. “We come together to share tips and how to make services better,” said Leslie Wright, career-development counselor for UNC-Wilmington’s teK- liflkjM tt 81 uH^^ES f j, mM ■ gpL- m „ s _ t :'-v ■■ 111 J! IB I w h 118 : p,; sp iRnH • l ' m*e& ■ ‘iJtt* pHHRp jnßjfry J ■ *-£-*•*, ; : v ' ; ' ' : "' ‘ ‘ ' • *• •": • / ; m ' ‘i Sophomore Emir Sandhu worked at a hospital and orphanage in the capital of Ghana. really get a glimpse of Beijing.” He said working with Chinese co-workers helped him to Under stand the culture and the people. He primarily dealt with HIV and AIDS advocacy, support and educa tion by working with at-risk popula tions, such as migrant workers. He helped redesign information pamphlets for distribution. “I helped a lot on the language side of things, but I was also able to contribute ideas,” he said. Wang said he also served as a translator for people who came into the institute. Carter also helped with trans lation at her job interning for a women’s issues nonprofit called the Maple Psychological Counseling Center in Beijing. Getting the job Carter and Wang traveled to China under the Jones Apparel Group Honors Asian Studies Fellowships. University Career Services and the Study Abroad Program can help find organizations and fel career services department She said career services counsel ors and directors from UNC schools meet at regional and state confer ences through organizations such as the Southeastern Association of Colleges and Employers Inc. “It’s an opportunity for us to share ideas and best practices.” University career departments usually offer the basics intern ship searches, resume and inter view advice and job fairs. But each university has a unique approach catered to its students. At UNC-W Wright said she tar gets student leaders and members of campus organizations. “We target those folks because they tend to be the spokespeople for the members,” she said. Career Fair B m Senior Jason Wang worked for a Chinese NGO that specializes in various health issues. lowships such as these. Robert Miles, associate dean for study abroad and international exchanges, said it’s important to work abroad with the increasingly global labor market. Miles, a native of England, said students often will find themselves in jobs where working abroad is necessary something he has experienced firsthand. “To participate in a program 'that involves an internship is excellent preparation for what might be a requirement or option in their working life.” UCS will host a career panel with an international focus January 31. In the past the forum has consist ed of people from the United Nations and from the N.C. Department of Commerce, among others. “We try to hit everything,” UCS associate director Vicki Lotz said. To assist students on the job hunt, UCS subscribes to an online service called Going Global, a directory for key international employers. Carolina Connections, a large database, lists international con tacts with UNC alumni. UNC-W offers classroom out reach and resume assistance, career and internship placement and help with job searching. E-mails, word-of-mouth trans mission and building relationships with faculty also are strategies the career department uses. “Students know we exist when they step through the door,” Wright said. UNC-Pembroke helps students focus on lifelong career goals through five job fairs, resume cri tiques, workshops and a Web site with job postings. “We do just about everything you can think about, from choos ing a major to choosing a career to finding jobs and internships,” said Denisha Sanders, director of E Junior Liz Carter worked for a women's issues nonprofit organization in Beijing, serving as a translator. Another option is the Peace Corps. To apply, students must be 18 years old and ready to commit 27 months to the program. The application process is out lined at peacecorps.org. Why it's worth it Sandhu said he felt he was mak ing a difference in Africa. “I think working makes a big difference because you’re helping develop the country and giving back.” Carter said she felt she got more out of the experience than her nonprofit. “It was gradually over the course of the summer that I began to understand more of the language. At the end, I began to understand everything. It’s that realization.” Sandhu said the orphans he worked with left a lasting impres sion on him. “They had so little but were so happy and thankful that you came,” he said. “That was pretty indicative of the society. That’s what I’ll take with me.” career services at UNC-P. UNC-P also partners with a group called Roadtrip Nation, which offers grants for students to explore careers during summer road trips. All UNC-system schools have career information posted that’s accessible from their home pages. N.C. State University’s career Web site offers a calendar for on-campus job interviews and a question-and-answer function that allows students to submit questions electronically to career counselors. UNC-Charlotte’s career services Web site includes a career-plan ning guide that features frequently asked questions about applying for jobs, preparing for interviews and adjusting to the workplace. SNm’rm looking for CaroKncs®® students like you I Do you er\|oy solving original, wide-ranging business problems^ Discovering and implementing new insights> Making your mark on a growing company? Developing skills for a rewarding earner? If this sounds tike you, you could be one of the next Strategy Analysts contributing to the future of Car Max. Ai Strategy Analyst has the opportunity to . lead advances and decisions in one or more Join mwwm Smorouna wuml ksy business areas in Richmond, Va., B ... J and Atlanta. Manager hieing - ~. . , ~ , i Mathematical Sciences, Clawot 'OO • Credit strategy • Marketing and • Expansion planning consumer insights Sarah lane • Industry and • Production planning Manager MatUimg Analysis competitiye research • Sales process and Journalism and Music, Class of 01 • Inventory and pricing workforce management | 0 optimisation Modeling Analyst ; • ttsonomies and lusmess. Clow of 05 Car Max is a unique retail concept that has revolutionized the auto industry. With sales of over $6 billion, we’ve grown to be the No. 1 used car retailer in the country in less than 13 years. And we're still growing. Our store base expanding nationwide by 15 to 20 percent a year. Over the next 10 years, we plan * * H J to have 250 to 300 stores, achieving 525 billion-plus in annual sales. B3SQS3B I \ itut wj .SM-to.jvAfHfcwwoAplacc I'Ot Businas Services, LLC TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2006 High schoolers up career preparation BY RACHEL ULLRICH ASSISTANT CITY EDITOR Apparently reading, writing and arithmetic just don’t cut it anymore. Anew necessity in secondary education is career- and techni cal-education courses that guide students in principles of business, marketing or craftsmanship. And students are joining the curriculum in droves. “I have seen an increase in class sizes in terms of students,” said Antoinette Joyner, an educational internship teacher at East Chapel Hill High. East career development coordi nator Winslow Carter said enroll ment increased from 400 to 700 students since last year. Enrollment has been up steadily since 2001, according to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction Web site. During the 2000-01 school year, 416,660 high-school students were enrolled in CTE courses. That number grew to 513,011 students during the 2004-05 year. Administrators at East Chapel Hill High said they also have embraced the trend toward more prevalent career education. The school added four new CTE courses for the 2006-07 school year. The city school system even has an item concerning technical edu cation in its graduation require ments. The district requires one credit of either career and technical edu cation or the cultural arts. Orange County Schools also has an active CTE department, fea turing a 35-member staff and 49 courses on the middle- and high school level. “Orange County has always been very supportive of the career and technical education area,” said Geraline Graham-Young, coor dinator of a CTE program in the system. “Our students have a need for this and (officials) know they need to make this connection.” Carter, as a career-development teacher, said his work focuses more on skills students can use to get work writing resumes, career [ development skills and tips on •y tht Number* . 511,011 N.C, students were •nroHd in earner- and techni cal-education courses during the 2004-05 school year. 4 CTE courses were added to Fast Chapel Hill High's curriculum for the 2006-07 year. IB percent of CTE alumni surveyed by the N.C. DPI were employed. impressing an employer. He said that as a mediator between students and the real world, he can help students find internships that match their career interests. He cited a past student who wanted to become a museum cura tor. She found a job at the N.C. Museum of Art. Many students take advantage of these cooperative opportunities, allowing them to maintain after school jobs and still get credit for graduation. Joyner said this allows students a greater level of success. “I had a student come up to me and say, ‘The busier I am, the better I do.’” County schools offers a program known as School-to-Career that helps students make the adjust ment from school to work, coordi nator Graham-Young said. “It’s anything that gets them out of the classrooms to get them to connect with their career path,” she said, citing opportunities such as job shadowing for middle-school students and internships for high school students. A survey conducted by the N.C. DPI also showed better success rates for students who had gradu ated from a CTE program. In 2006 only 4 percent of the CTE alumni surveyed were unem ployed and looking for work. The N.C. Youth Unemployment rate is 21.4 percent. Carter maintains that training in a specialized field is an invaluable resource for students regardless of their ultimate career paths. “Every scholar needs a said. “And so many of these are skills anyone can use, no matter what.” 3
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Sept. 19, 2006, edition 1
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