Category Archives: Web Resources

Animal-Assisted Therapy

The therapeutic benefits of interaction with animals have been well-documented, and students planning careers in health care, education, or mental health professions might consider if animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a method of treatment that they would like to explore.  Pet Partners (formerly Delta Society) is the most well-known organization dedicated to training and research in the area of animal-assisted therapy.  Their definition of AAT is below:

AAT is a goal-directed intervention directed and/or delivered by a health/human service professional with specialized expertise, and within the scope of practice of his/her profession. AAT is designed to promote improvement in human physical, social, emotional, and/or cognitive functioning.

Child life specialists, educators, mental health professionals, nurses, physical therapists, physicians, occupational therapists, recreation therapists, speech-language pathologists, and social workers are just some of the professionals who may choose to seek training in the area of AAT.

For more information on training programs in AAT, check out:

Center for Animal Assisted Therapy

Pet Partners

Discover Nursing

Are you one of Baylor’s many students interested in a career in health care?  You may have seen our post on registered nurses.  This post is a brief follow-up.  The Johnson & Johnson company has put together a website as part of their “Campaign for Nursing’s Future.”  It is DiscoverNursing.com.  The site allows visitors to explore specialties within the field of nursing and obtain facts about the profession.  More information on the nursing programs at Baylor can be found at the Louise Herrington School of Nursing website.

Using O*NET OnLine to Discover Career Possibilities

 O*NET OnLine is a resource of the US Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration, and it is also one of the primary tools that we use in Career Counseling to assist students in gathering occupational information.  Job duties, salary data, and much more can be obtained from this tool.  This post will review several techniques for accessing information in O*NET.  Of course, you could always just type a keyword into the search box and wait to see what comes up.  There are some more strategic ways to use this site, though.

From the home page, click “Find Occupations” in the bar across the top of the screen.

From this page, you are given several options.  If you are currently participating in career counseling through our office, or if you have in the past, you can use your results from the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® to identify Job Families that you would like to explore.  O*NET allows you to search by these same job families. 

If you click “Advanced Search” in the bar up top, you can search the site by Interests.  These interests represent the same themes discussed on the Strong Interest Inventory.

There are also ways to search for Green jobs (those that could have an emphasis on environmental protection and stewardship) and jobs where rapid growth is projected.

As always, if you have questions about identifying an occupation that is a great fit for you, contact us to schedule an appointment for Career Counseling.

Professional Science Master’s Degree

 

A former student brought to my attention an interesting option for science majors who aren’t envisioning a fit with the traditional PhD or MD routes to a career in the sciences.  The Professional Science Master’s (PSM) degree combines science and business courses, preparing students for careers in research and industry.  Though this path was new to me, a quick review of the PSM website reveals that some of the most prestigious universities and institutes in the country (and abroad) are offering this option.  Regardless of your science discipline, I encourage you to check out the different program options to determine if there is an area of study that jumps out to you.  Exploring something unfamiliar to you might just be the first step in uncovering your dream job.

Careers in Music

Music can inspire emotions, dreams, and actions.  Many students find so much meaning in music that they want involvement in music to be their life’s work.  Classical musicians usually train from childhood, then go on to major in music at a university or study at a conservatory.  What about the rest of the musicians and music fans out there?

The Berklee College of Music has put together an extensive list of various roles within the music industry.  You can learn more about the occupations of musicians and singers, as well as many related occupations, by visiting the Occupational Outlook Handbook.  The University of North Carolina-Wilmington and Northern Illinois University have compiled list of links pertinent to students with interests in careers in music.

Students are required to audition in order to major in music at Baylor.  However, an audition is not required to minor in music or church music.  Non-majors may also participate in bands, orchestras, and choirs, as well as registering for music classes as a non-major.  For more information on programs through the School of Music at Baylor, visit their website.

Career Spotlight: Investment Manager

Investment managers are often referred to as portfolio managers. O*NET states that investment managers perform the following tasks:

  • Manage investment funds to maximize return on client investments.
  • Select specific investments or investment mixes for purchase by an investment fund.
  • Analyze acquisitions to ensure conformance with strategic goals or regulatory requirements.
  • Select or direct the execution of trades.
  • Develop or implement fund investment policies or strategies.
  • Develop or direct development of offering documents or marketing materials.
  • Evaluate the potential of new product developments or market opportunities, according to factors such as business plans, technologies, or market potential.
  • Identify group or individual target investors for a specific fund.
  • Meet with investors to determine investment goals or to discuss investment strategies.
  • Monitor regulatory or tax law changes to ensure fund compliance or to capitalize on development opportunities.

Investment managers need to be knowledgeable of economic, accounting, sales, and marketing principles and practices. They also require a strong background in mathematics.

Investment managers possess strong active listening, speaking, and critical thinking skills. They also have the ability to analyze financial data.   

The median salary for investment managers in 2010 was $96,450.

Investment managers often have undergraduate degrees in business. A Master of Business Administration (MBA) can make a candidate more marketable.

A helpful website is: http://www.mbaauthority.com/cc/inv-mgt.html

Summer School, Anyone?

Summer school can be a great way to catch up or get ahead on your degree plan.  After considering the benefits, you might decide that this investment of time might just be worth it.

Summer School at Baylor

Baylor courses are offered in the minimester, first summer session, and second summer session.  Visit pages 31-32 in the Undergraduate Catalog to determine the maximum number of credits you can earn in the summer.  You can view the Schedule of Classes online.  Not all Baylor classes are offered in the summer.  Pay attention to the start and end dates, as there is a bit of overlap between the minimester and the first summer session.  Also, it is a good idea to check with Student Financial Aid Office to determine if your scholarships and financial aid can be used for summer classes.

Summer School Elsewhere

Some students choose to take summer courses at another institution.  Baylor allows students to transfer in no more than 15 hours of credit from another institution, once they begin at Baylor.  In other words, choose your classes carefully if you plan to take summer classes elsewhere.  The most important thing you can do is verify prior to taking the class that Baylor will accept the course for credit.  The equivalent courses offered at Texas community colleges are listed here.  If you are interested in taking a course that is not listed, you will be going out of state, or you will be taking classes at another university, you will need to submit a petition for the appropriate Baylor department to approve the course.  For questions about the petition process, contact your academic advisor.

Though going through these steps might sound tedious, your diligence on the front end can prevent many future hassles.  While taking classes might not sound like the most exciting way to spend your summer, consider that it might free up time for gaining relevant work experience later on.  By the way…it’s not too early to start thinking about these things!

What will it cost me?

One thing that might be helpful when exploring career paths is also considering cities where you might want to live.  The cost of living differential can vary greatly, so it might help to see what kind of salary will fit with the lifestyle you are planning on.  Here are several resources that may help:

1.  http://www.bestplaces.net/col/

This website will enable you to compare to cities and see what the cost of living difference is.  For example, it is 111% more expensive to live in New York City than in Waco, TX.  The housing alone is 494% more in NYC than Waco.  While the salaries will adjust some as well, this resource can be a bit of an eye opener when you are considering cost of living expenses.

2.  http://www.lmci.state.tx.us/realitycheck/

If you plan to live in Texas, this website can be a really helpful tool.  It takes you step by step through many different budgetary items for you to consider and allows you to see the kind of salary that will keep pace with those expenditures.  It also shows you what career fields make salaries that will fit with your budget.

3.  Make it your own.

Explore different cities, finding particular housing, cars, utility costs, etc. and make your own customized and realistic budget.  Sometimes you might have to adjust your budget to fit with an entry level salary.

Hopefully these tips will help as you consider your future career paths!

For Students Considering Law School

I wanted to draw your attention to a couple of resources from Baylor Law School that are designed to help prospective law students decide if law school is right for them.  Aptly named Is Law School Right for You?, the first article poses some basic questions to help you make this significant decision.  Students who wish to go a bit deeper might enjoy reading the Day in the Life profiles of current students at Baylor Law.

If those articles leave you feeling inspired, visit Baylor’s Pre-law website to help you craft your path to law school.  Keep in mind that law schools do not have specific prerequisite courses, nor do they prefer specific majors.  For assistance with major selection, please contact Career Counseling.

 

Teach for America

Teach for America is a non-profit organization that provides recent college graduates the opportunity to teach for 2 years in a low-income community in urban and rural public schools.

Here is their stated mission posted at their website www.teachforamerica.org :

“ All kids – no matter where they live, how much money their parents make, or what their skin color is – deserve access to a great education. But in our country today, a significant achievement gap exists between low-income children and their wealthier peers. It’s not easy to close this gap, but hundreds of proof points show that it’s possible. It takes committed leaders in our classrooms today who will continue to fight for students tomorrow. Teach For for America’s mission is to build the movement to eliminate educational inequity by developing such leaders.”

Teach for America recruits a diverse group of leaders and provides them with intensive training and career development. All corps members attend a pre-corps training institute, receive ongoing coaching and professional development throughout their two years.  They also have access to countless online resources to help them be effective classroom leaders.

Corps members teach grades pre-K through 12, and more than 10 different subjects in 43 regions across the country.  Corps members are not required to have completed any education coursework prior to applying, but they must receive a teaching certification before they are hired by a school.

Corps members are full-time teachers, and receive a full salary and comprehensive health benefits. They also receive an education award of $10,700.

According to the Teach for America website, alumni work at every level of education, policy and other professions, to ensure that all children receive an excellent education.

Teach for America was named one of Fortune magazine’s 100 best companies to work for in 2011. If you have a desire to ensure that kids growing up in poverty get an excellent education and want to work to close the achievement gap, Teach for America may just be for you!