|
Groundhog Day isn抰 far off. People who
are weary of winter will be hoping that Punxsutawney Phil
doesn抰 see his shadow that day, but at least one group
would like to see many shadows of a different kind.
The National Job Shadow Coalition plans to
celebrate February 2 as Groundhog Job Shadow Day to kick
off Job Shadowing 2005. This program will highlight the
value of job shadowing梩he process of observing workers
on the job for a first-hand look at careers.
The coalition, of which the U.S.
Department of Labor is a founding member, makes this type
of career exploration easier. Free materials available
from the coalition include how-to guides for students,
teachers, and employers; lesson plans that tie shadowing
to school subjects; and templates for press releases and
other promotional materials. All can be downloaded from
the coalition抯 website or ordered by telephone.
In addition to the free materials, the
website offers a "virtual job shadowing" segment
that allows students to shadow workers via the Internet.
These videos display workers in different career fields,
together with interviews and career facts. Among the
virtual mentors are an automotive parts specialist, a
fashion designer, a marine mammal trainer, and a U.S.
Senator.
For more information or to view the materials, visit
the website, www.jobshadow.org. You may also call
toll-free, 1 (800) 373-3174.
|
Millions of students rely on scholarships and other financial aid to help fund their education. But some offers of funding梠r services to locate funding梐re scams designed to take your money rather than to help you find it. Research and resources from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the U.S. Department of Education can help you spot the frauds.
According to the FTC, websites and e-mails promoting scholarship searches remain major sources of deception. For the past few years, though, consulting services梥uch as phony financial-aid seminars梙ave sparked the most complaints. To avoid the crooks, be wary of offers that request financial information or upfront payment, give guarantees, or claim that you are a finalist or selectee for a scholarship.
Where can you get legitimate help? An abundance of free materials, much of it in both Spanish and English, is available from several Federal agencies. For example, at no charge, the U.S. Department of Education provides information on financial aid and on free scholarship searches. Call the Education Publications Center toll-free, 1 (877) 4-ED-PUBS (433�27); write ED PUBS, P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794�98; or check out the student-aid page online at
www.studentaid.ed.gov/lsa. The Occupational Outlook Handbook also provides information about financial aid (online, see
www.bls.gov/oco/oco20023.htm).
Other places to look for financial-aid and scholarship sources are school guidance offices and public libraries that have scholarship directories.
The FTC also provides free scholarship resources, along with information about scholarship scams. To learn more, call toll-free, 1 (877) FTC-HELP (382�57); visit the Project Scholarscam Web page at
www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/scholarship; or write the FTC抯 Consumer Response Center, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., H-130, Washington, DC 20508.
The FTC and the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice issue an annual report on fraud and their efforts to combat it. The 2004 Annual Report to Congress on scholarship fraud is available by calling the FTC number above or by visiting its website,
www.ftc.gov/os/2004/05/2004collegescholarship
fraudrpt.pdf
 Top
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
College students, there抯 a sure-fire way to
improve your chances of having a job at graduation: get your
foot in the office door while you抮e still in school.
Often when hiring new college grads, employers
look first to their interns. In fact, according to a 2004
National Association of Colleges and Employers survey,
internship programs are the most effective recruiting method
that employers have. Cooperative assignments, or
"co-ops"條ong-term work assignments interspersed
with college attendance梤anked a close second as a means of
recruitment.
The prospect of a job offer isn抰 the only
reason to get in on these programs, however. Internships and
co-ops provide valuable experience to strengthen a resume,
bolster confidence, and help students to determine the types of
work that they might like to do.
Finding and applying for an internship or co-op
takes a little work, but the effort is rarely wasted.
Researching and communicating with potential employers,
completing applications, and creating resumes and cover letters
are excellent ways to practice for a full-fledged job search.
To learn more about internship or co-op programs
in your area of study, talk to your academic advisor. Many
departments keep listings of available opportunities. Your
school抯 career services office and library may also be good
starting points for gathering information.
For more information about the National Association of
Colleges and Employers or its 2004 Job Outlook survey, write the
association at 62 Highland Avenue, Bethlehem, PA 18017-9085;
call toll-free, 1 (800) 544-5272; or visit its website, www.naceweb.org.
Top
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Would-be mathematicians, engineers, and
accountants usually take advanced math in high school. But so do
many aspiring librarians, writers, and anyone else who wants to
earn a college degree. In part, that抯 because people who take
advanced math in high school are more likely to complete a
college degree, according to data from the National Center for
Education Statistics.
The data show that over 60 percent of students
who took a trigonometry, precalculus, or calculus class in high
school earned a bachelor抯 or higher degree. Even finishing
lower levels of high school math increased students� odds of
earning a degree, however梐nd the odds increased with each
additional math class completed. For example, students who took
high school math through Algebra 1 earned college degrees 10
percent of the time, more than twice the rate of those who didn抰
take algebra. Taking geometry in high school more than doubled
the degree-completion rate (22 percent), and students whose
highest math class was Algebra 2 nearly doubled that rate (40
percent). Taking trigonometry raised the degree-completion rate
to 62 percent.
Not surprisingly, most students who studied
calculus in high school went on to complete a bachelor抯 or
higher degree. Students who stopped at precalculus earned
college degrees 75 percent of the time; those who continued
taking math through calculus had an 83-percent completion rate.
Data are from a September 2003 report,
"Postsecondary Attainment, Attendance, Curriculum, and
Performance: Selected Results From the NELS: 88/2000
Postsecondary Education Transcript Study, 2000." The report
examines the high school and posthigh school transcripts for a
group of 1992 high school graduates who attended postsecondary
institutions between 1992 and 2000. The data were collected as
part of a National Educational Longitudinal Study.
The full report is available online at nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/2003394.pdf.
For more information, write the National Center for Education
Statistics, 1990 K St. NW., Washington, DC 20006. Or call
toll-free, 1 (877) 4-ED-PUBS (433-7827), or call (202) 502-7300.
Top
|
|
