Finance

The past couple of days in Career Exploration we have been working on the Finance Cluster. The two careers I chose to research are Personal Financial Adivsors and Financial Examiners. We have been asked to compare and contrast our two occupations by telling three similarities and three differences. As you can tell by their names, these occupations probably have quite a bit in common. First off, they both deal a lot with computers, including desktop computers, notebook computers, and personal computers. They need these in order to keep track of records and financial related transactions. Some of the main and most important knowledge and skills these people need include Economics and Accounting and Administration and Management. People in these occupations need this knowledge in order to deal with the money and financial state of others. They must also have knowledge in Mathematics and Law and Government. People in these occupations must have Enterprising and Conventional interests. The biggest difference between these occupations is that Personal Financial Advisors deal more personally with money of specific people, whereas Financial Examiners deal with large companies and their financial states. Personal Advisors can be self-employed, whereas Financial Examiners are more involved and controlled by the Government. One last difference is that Financial Examiners make more because they are paid by the government.

Government and Public Administration

Yesterday in Career Exploration, we researched the career cluster Government and Public Administration. The two careers that I chose to research were Coroners and Surveying Technicians. We have now been asked to compare these two careers. These two occupations dont have much in common in the knowledge area, besides the very important topics of the English Language and Law and Government. Skills and abilities that they have in common are critical thinking, speaking, active listening, coordination, judgment and decision making, monitoring, deductive reasoning, oral comprehension, oral expression, written comprehension, problem sensitivity, and near vision. Both of these careers require interests conventionally and realistically. Also, both require the same amount of job training and related experience. Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is also required. The education needed for these occupations is almost exactly the same. This information is as follows: Surveying Technicians: High School Diploma- 39% Some college- 29% Associate's degree- 21% Coroners: High School Diploma- 23% Some College- 29% Associate's Degree- 21% Both have a top industry in Government, have a projected growth of 10% to 19%, and value support and independence.

A Week in Review

This past week was filled with a lot of new information. We focused on many different things. The first thing we did was get back on track with what we are used to, Career Fact Sheets. We worked on the career cluster Education and Training. We then shared and compared the information we gathered with the class. On Thursday, we got back into true colors. We examined our personal true colors and our opposites and discussed what their positive and negative characterists are. Finally, on Friday, we got back into the clusters and researched Agriculture careers. Last week was very busy and full of information and I learned a lot about myself and different careers.

Arts, Audio/Video Technology and Communications

A couple of weeks ago in Career Exploration, we worked on the cluster Arts, Audio/Video Technology and Communications. The two careers I chose from this cluster were Photographers and Curators. Photographers are pretty self-explanitory. They photograph people, landscapes, merchandise, and other subjects using digital and film cameras and equipment. People in this occupation should have artistic and realistic interests. In addition, no education is required for this career, however, a lot of experience and training would be very helpful in your success. The annual salary for this career is approximately $29,000. Curators are a little less obvious. The administer collections, such as artwork, collectibles, historic times, or scientific specimens of museums or other institutions. They may also conduct instructional research or public service activities. People pursuing in this career should be interested in enterprising and investigative aspects. The education required for this job is a Bachelor's, Doctoral, or Master's, depending on the person. People with this occupation make about $43,000 annually.

True Colors

In Career Exploration, we have been discussing True Colors. This concept is used to describe how you are as a person and shows different characteristics about yourself. We have been chosen to chose four teachers and four students or friends, and tell what we believe their True Colors are. The first teacher I chose was Mr. Boyars himself. I think that Mr. Boyars is a Blue. This is due to the fact that he is one of the most unique and kind people I know. He is always there to greet his students at the door and he, in certain professional ways, treats each student like a friend. The next teacher would be Mrs. Rigdon. Mrs. Rigdon is definitely and Orange, becasue she is very spontaneous and outgoing. She is always peppy and tries to make everything fun. As a green, I chose Mr. Happ. Mr. Happ is a math a physics teacher, so he obviously seeks answers and is very intelligent. I chose Mrs. Wilson, my biology teacher as my final teacher. I think that she is a gold, because as a scientist, you must follow specific instructions for labs. My friend Courtney Hoffman is definitely a Blue. She has a bigger heart than anyone I know. She is always caring for others and is a great friend. My friend Kirsten Reynolds would probably be an Orange. She is my bestfriend probably due to the fact that she is so outgoing and just fun to be around. She is crazy and does anything, no matter the embarrassment, and is very creative. Tyler Collier is a friend of mine that would most likely be a Gold. Partially because I don't think he relates to any of the other three. As a green, I have chosen Robert Sanders because he is very intelligent and knows a lot of information about general and random facts.

My True Colors

Yesterday in Career Exploration, we had a guest speaker come in to help us determine what our True Colors are. I found out, after taking the short survey, that my primary color is Gold. This means that I need specific instructions on what and how someone wants me to do something. When we first got to guess what color we thought we were, I thought green, because I always need answers and I need explanations and answers. Also, in relation to green, if a topic is of no interest to me I get bored very easily and I have trouble setting priorities. However, after a couple of my friends told me I was Gold, I read it over and realized that it really was more of me, simply because I absolutely have to be told exactly what is expected of me. With school projects I cannot stand it when teachers tell me to pick my own topic and let me put in whatever I chose. I feel that if I do this, I will leave out something important that they want included, and to be honest, I'm not the most creative person, so I find it difficult to make my own decisions. However, once I am given what I neeed to include, I do a great job with my information. Therefore, even though as a greeen, I seek to succeed, as a gold, I have to know what I am expected to do.

Business Management and Administration

Yesterday in Career Exploration we worked on the cluster Business Management and Administration. The two careers I chose were Vocational Education Teachers and Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Persormers, and Athletes. Some of the information I collected for these occupations were their job description, skill needed, and the education required. An Agent and Business Manager of Artists, Performers, and Athletes represents and promotes artists, performers, and athletes in dealings with current or prospective employers. The also may handle contract negotiation and other business matters for clients. Some skills a person in this occupation would need include persuasion, speaking, active listening, negotiation, social perceptiveness, critical thinking, reading comprehension, time management, coordination, and writing. Most people in this career need a Bachelor's degree. A Vocational Education Teacher teaches or instructs vocational or occupational subjects to students who have graduated or left high school. The also prepare persons to operate industrial machinery, equipment, transportation, and communications equipment. The skills needed for this job may include instructing, speaking, active listening, monitoring, critical thinking, active learning, reading comprehension, writing, and coordination. A person seeking to pursue in this career should have some college or a Bachelor's degree.

My Learning Style

Yesterday in Career Exploration, we used a website to determine what our learning style was, or how we learn. The outcome could either be auditory, visual, or tactile. After taking a short survey, I got my results. Although I already had sort of an idea of how I learn best, I found out that I am primarily a Tactile Learner with Secondary Auditory Learning. What this means is that I learn the best and understand more clearly when I am able to touch and manipulate information. I have noticed on my own that I remember things better when I make models or create diagrams. Now that I know this for sure, I can make sure that when I study my information I find ways to involve some sort of physical activity. Because I know this information, I should be able to improve the way I study and learn throughout my highschool and college career, and even beyond then. This will help me to collect and understand more of the information I am given and improve the grades and jobs that I get.

Human Services

Last week in Career Exploration we researched the career cluster Human Services. The two careers I chose in this cluster were Food Service Managers and Animal Trainers. Both of these occupations are fairly self-explanatory, however, I am going to explain them a little more in depth and provide you with some additional informtion. A food service manager is someone who plans, directs, or coordinates activities of an organization or department that serves food and beverages. Simply put, they plan meals for restaurants or different activites. People in this occupation surprisingly don't need much education; some may even reach success without a high school diploma. The availability of this occupation, however, is decreasing drastically, byt -3% to -9%. People employed in this job in the US make an average yearly salary of $47,960. An animal trainer is exactly what it is called: a person that trains animals. Further into this, they care for different animals by feeding them and providing them with water and other vitamins and minerals they may need. Animal trainers may also train animals for competitions or just simply train them for easier communication between the animal and its owner. Animal trainers speak to animals in order to get them more familiar with the human voice. The education required for this occupation is approximately the same as a food service manager; not much is needed. However, you may want to get schooling in the area of veterinary services to better familiarize yourself with animals. The average annual salary of someone in this occupation is about $25,000. The information that I found from these occupations doesn't help too much in my future career choice, but it does help some. This is because I absolutely love food, as do most people, and therefore love to cook. Also, I really love animals. However, as a career, I am looking more toward the medical field.

Connecting STEM Careers

This week in Career Exploration, the cluster we researched was STEM, which stands for Science, Technology, Enigneering, and Mathematics. The assigment we were given this week was to make a connection between the two careers we chose to reasearch. The two careers that I chose were Marine Architects and Postsecondary Chemistry Teachers. These two careers do not have much in common in what they do, but they do have similar knowledge, skills, and abilities, which include the following: Mathematics, English Language, Physics, Computers and Technology, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Active Learning, Complex Problem Solving, Oral Expression and Comprehension, Inductive and Deductive Reasoning, Written Comprehension, Problem Sensitivity, Near Vision. In addition, they have similar work values, including achievement and independence, and interests, which include realistic and investigative. Even though these occupations seem completely unrelated, someone with these abilities or interests could take consideration into either of these careers.

Academy of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

Out of the four Academies at PCHS, only one Academy has a name that exactly matches a career cluster related to the Academies. That Academy is known as STEM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. We have been asked why this is. After a small discussion, I believe I know the answer. The Academy of STEM has a section that relates, or will relate to everything sometime in the future: technology. The world is evolving and everything is becoming technical. Having an Academy with this name will probably attract many students to it, because the four different parts involved in it, especially technology, can relate to any and every occupation.

Making Connections

In Career Explorations, we do a different cluster every week and research two jobs related to each cluster. We have begun to notice that some careers are very closely related to others. For example, this week, we worked on Law and Public Safety, and I realized that my career, Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary, is nearly the same as a career one of my classmates did, Law Teachers, Postsecondary. They are both teachers that teach about law related issues, however, one is more focused on the "punishment" side, rather than catching the criminal. A few weeks ago, we worked on the cluster Hospitality and Tourism. My career, Tour Guides and Escorts, could have also been related to another done my another student, Travel Guides. Making a connection in two different careers is really quite simple. You are just finding similarities in the two and showing how they are related. In my examples, you can see that even though they are different careers, they may participate or focus on the same types of activities or interests.

Introduction to My Blog

In the new class at PCHS, Career Exploration, we are learning about different academies and pathways, and the careers that relate to them. I will be using this blog to inform others about the different careers that we research and my opinions, or how I feel about each one. Hopefully this class will help me to realize what my dream job is and what pathways I should follow to reach my goal!