Teens and Jobs, Career, and Community
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April 2012
My daughter who will graduate from UC Berkeley next month has been offered
a position with Teach for America in New Mexico. Has anyone had any
experience with this organizaton?
Thank you
Congratulations on your daughter being selected for TFA. My daughter
did TFA directly out of college, and the first year was the toughest
experience she has ever had. It can be overwhelming and a trial by
fire, BUT once she made it through the first year and made a conscious
effort to get some balance back into her life, the second year was
great and she opted to stay on working at the school for a third year
as a curriculum consultant. This is her last year and she's now going
on to graduate school. TFA opens so many doors for future jobs and
educational opportunities. There is am amazing network of TFA alums,
and many graduate schools seek them out.
Monika
Jan 2012
Can you recommend a good first job that my daughter could get a good
experience in? Times are really tough, jobs scarce, but as she looks to
college next year working this spring and especially this summer would
be really helpful. She has no experiece but would especially love an
entry level job in an electronics store, supermarket, self serve cafe,
etc. Also want her to experience how hard this work is, for little
money, to impress on her the value of her education. Thanks much.
Looking for a Job
Kids get jobs just like we do, by networking. My daughter went to
at least 10-15 local businesses such as yogurt shops, pet shops,
clothing stores before school let out for summer last year . All
of them took her application and never called back. Halfway
through the summer, two friends asked if she was still looking for
a job. She interviewed and was offered both. In fact, she is
still working at both: tutoring one day a week and working at a
golf course, cleaning golf carts and picking up balls from the
range. Both job openings were because a Senior was going away to
college. So my suggestion is to have your daughter ask her working
friends or have you ask your friends if they know of any local
businesses that need someone. Also ask local businesses if they
employ any Seniors who might be leaving in the fall. Her
persistence really paid off, she just bought her first car (with
our help, we match whatever she could save up. She saved $2K in 5
months). It has been great, she has really matured and now we
don't have to drive her everywhere!
Candace
Oct 2011
How can I help my daughter get information about careers in medical
technology, good colleges and training for these jobs. She wants to
attend a 4-year college but most seem just to have either nursing or
general science degrees. She's interested in medical jobs related to
technology, radiology, scanning, etc. Thanks...
info on technology jobs
Kaiser has a wonderful school in Richmond for many different careers
in this field. They are accredited and highly respected. Make sure
that any program you pick is properly accredited or your daughter
will never get a job. Merritt College in Oakland has a radiology
tech program and DVC/Ohlone have a respiratory tech program. Beware
that all of these tend to be difficult to get into due to high
demand. They usually have prereqs that can be taken at a community
college.
I'm a career counselor so I'm going to get on my little soap box
now. Before investing time and money in any career, see if she can
job shadow someone in an area that interests her. If not, at least
set up a couple informational interviews with people that work in
the field and ask what they do all day long, pros and cons, etc. She
might also volunteer in a hospital to see if she likes the
environment. Here's a link to some useful information:
http://www.johnmuirhealth.com/get-involved/careers/career-education/career-education-medical-imaging.html
Lis
Aug 2011
My daughter, who is 19, has been trying to find a job. She is
presently a student at Berkeley City College and living at home.
She tells me she has been looking online for jobs but they always
want someone with some sort of experience. Being as this will be
her first job, she has none. I have suggested to her to do ''cold
calls'' to local businesses, but she is on the shy side and has a
difficult time doing that. Any suggestions on how to navigate this
issue will be appreciated. Also, any leads on any websites for her
to search will be welcomed.
job searching tactics welcomed
Has she looked at Craigslist? Has she registered with any temp agencies?
Most people get jobs through someone they know.
Meantime, she should start volunteering somewhere RIGHT AWAY. If she wants
to do retail, try the Goodwill or Salvation Army. She will work with the
public, learn inventory, learn to use a cash register, learn if she likes
it, and possibly get a recommendation in hand.
If she wants to work with animals, try a vet's or the animal shelter.
If she wants to work at an office, see if she can follow someone you know
around at work.
Maybe she can volunteer at the local library or at a local school.
There are restaurants and stores with Help Wanted signs in the window in
Berkeley and Albany.
What about the babysitting jobs etc. in this newsletter? Some work is
better than nothing. Working has a way of making you organize your time
better, too.
Good luck!
June 2010
My son just graduated from college and is certainly feeling a bit
lost. He could use a bit of focus and direction and I would love to
have him see a career counselor or life coach. Has anyone had any
experience with a life coach who works with college grads?
Thanks.
As my son was finishing college, he, too was uncertain about his
direction. We sent him to see Toni Littlestone, a career
counselor/coach in Albany, near Solano Avenue. My son found her to be
warm, supportive, and extremely helpful. She helped him understand
himself, what he might be good at, and the world of work. He now has a
career direction that he loves. Toni has a college-age son herself and
seems very comfortable and at ease with this age and stage of life. I
also have a friend whose daughter was floundering after college and
met with Toni for a few months. Toni helped her define a direction,
and also helped her a lot with her resume and interview practice.
She's now in a good job and has a career path. My friend told me that
her daughter felt very happy with the help she received, and that she
herself was relieved to have another person who could advise and guide
her daughter rather than trying to do it herself. Toni's website is
tonilittlestone.com, and her phone is 510.528.2221.
Albany Mom
Nov 2008
Any suggestions of the going rate for a new college grad
to tutor high school students in their home? How about
babysitting?
anon. mom
I think what you pay for tutoring depends a lot on the
subject matter being tutored and the applicability of the
degree to that subject matter. To give you an idea of the
payscale, my daughter who is a math major at CAL in her last
year of study charges $30 per hour to tutor math or
sciences. She is definitely on the less expensive end of the
math tutoring payscale but this allows her to find tutoring
that she wants to do. She has tutored high school and
college students in many levels of math, but mostly calculus
and pre-calculus.
Mary
I can't help you on the tutoring rates, but as for
babysitting, I pay college students $16 per hour, plus $10
per day for gas (taking care of my son involves picking
him up after school and doing some errands). So for
working 4:30-6:30 the sitter earns $42. If it is an
nighttime job, no driving, just $16 per hour. I would pay
a recent grad the same. Hope that helps!
Fran
this page was last updated: Aug 11, 2012
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