Fresno City College
Spring 2010, Issue no. 21
FCC Career Center: 1101 E. University Avenue, Fresno, California 93741 (559) 442-8291
“Deciding” Students Take Control
It is estimated that a large majority of college stuWe at the Career Center understand where you
dents are unsure of an academic major or career they
are in the deciding process and want to help you with your
would like to pursue. If this sounds like you, don’t despair, career planning. So what can you do now to take control?
1. Self Exploration—It starts with you! It is important to
there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
examine your interests, skills, values and personal
If you are a “deciding” student and feel frustrated
style. The Career Center offers a guided career planor think that something is wrong with you compared to othning process to help you explore your natural
ers you know who have identified a career goal, don’t
strengths and talents, interests, skills, values and perworry. There is nothing wrong with you. You are actually
sonality style.
(continued on pg. 3)
in the middle of a normal career/life planning process. The
great news is that instead of feeling helpless, you can take
control and become the pilot of your career journey.
Career planning is a lifelong process that does not
end when you declare a major or decide on a career. In
fact, it will continue throughout your life as your needs, interests, skills and goals change. So learning good decision-making skills now will help you throughout your professional and personal life. It is important for you to choose to
become actively involved in your own career planning journey.
Page
Deciding Students Take Control
1
What Can I Do with a Major in
Communications?
2
Green Jobs of the Future
2
Book Corner
4
Dear Career Center
4
I’d Pick More Daisies
5
How to Choose a Major
Workshop
5
True Colors for Classes
6
Career Center Team
6
Editor, Layout and Graphics:
Lily Hernandez
Copy Editor: Ora Reid
The Career Center at Fresno City College
History and Purpose
The Fresno City College Career Center was established in 1973 as a specialized
resource center for the entire campus. The Career Center offers assistance with
career and educational planning, providing services to Fresno City College students. Counselors and faculty also call upon its resources to help students
achieve academic and vocational success.
The Career Center, a component of the Counseling Division, is located on the
second floor of the Student Services Building in the Counseling Office. The Career Center is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Page 2
There are a wide range of careers in communication.
Some will require additional education beyond an undergraduate degree. There are different industries where a degree in communication may be utilized. Industries and careers are listed below.

Business
Customer Service, Human Resources, Labor
Relations, Management, Sales

Education
Teaching, Research, Student Support Services

Government
Campaigning, Conflict Negotiation, Legislative
Assistance, Lobbying, Public Information, Research

Law
Attorney, Law Assistance, Lobbying,
Mediation

Media
Copywriting, Editing, Film Editing, Managing,
Directing, Media Sales, Producing, Publishing,
Research, Writing

Non-Profit
Administration, Fundraising, Grant Writing, Program
Coordination, Volunteer Coordination, Writing/
Editing

Public Relations/Advertising
Some skills you can develop in this major are
Advertising, Audience Analysis, Creative Directing,
the ability to write clearly, present specific viewpoints,
Corporate Public Affairs, Development, Marketing,
critical thinking skills, effective speaking and persuasion
Media Analysis, Public Opinion Research, Public
skills and understanding institutional and cultural values.
Relations, Writing/Editing
Courses in Communication Studies combine
material from the humanities, fine arts and social sciences in order to explain how and why people interrelate
in the ways that they do. There are different emphases
in the area of communication.
 Interpersonal Communication emphasizes interpersonal, intrapersonal and small group communication.
 Organizational Communication focuses on large
group dynamics.
 Rhetoric is persuasive arguing using logic and emotion to persuade an audience to believe the message
being delivered.
 Performance Studies links together culture, theatre
and professional and social roles in everyday life.
 Media and Film Studies analyzes issues in media
and society as well as incorporates new technologies
and techniques of television and film.
We know where the jobs are now...but where will they be ten years
from now? Twenty? Some job descriptions will always be in need, but
many others are evolving to fit the ever-changing course of technology
and science. When the future comes, will you be ready? Read on for
some ideas of what to expect in jobs related to environmentalism.
1. Organic Food Producer
While it’s always been popular with the eco-conscious, now organic
food is more popular than ever before. Taking up nearly 10% of the
food and beverage market, a tenfold increase from a decade prior, so
many people are clamoring for the “organic” label that it’s on the verge
of going mainstream. When the scales do finally tip in organic food’s
favor (an event that no doubt will be happening some time in the next
ten years), more farmers, producers, and scientists will be needed
than ever before to improve organic farming techniques and just simply grow the food that the population is demanding.
2. Sustainability Officer
Sustainability has become a real concern among businesses, but it can
be hard for busy execs to find the time to learn all the ropes. Instead,
many companies have started hiring eco-savvy individuals as
“sustainability officers.” It’s a new title, and it entails finding, researching,
and implementing eco-friendly policies that are of the most benefit to the
company at hand.
3. Waste Management Consultant
Waste is a problem on our planet, and someone has to deal with the overflowing landfills. Consultants will be needed, with backgrounds in biology
and chemistry, to bring new ideas to the table on how to break down and
eliminate the tons of refuse currently clogging waterways and stretches of
land. In addition, scientists are needed more than ever to come up with
(Cont. on pg. 3)
Green Jobs (cont.)
Page 3
improved ways of dealing with e-waste, which is becoming a bigger problems with every passing year.
4. Food Scientist
What’s in your dinner? In the near future, that answer may get a lot more
technical. Food science is huge: in genetics, vegetables are being modified for more pest-resistant corn and frost-resistant tomatoes. In agriculture, farmers are looking for better ways to grow food more organically.
Meanwhile, in chemistry, scientists are trying to build more effective supplements to make us stronger and healthier. No matter what your scientific interest, there’s a way to incorporate our most important fuel of the
day.
5. Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Certified
Architect
These days, even constructing houses is a delicate science. For the new
up-and-coming architects, the smartest career move available is to invest
time and study into LEED certification, giving you the training to draft
buildings that are ecologically state-of-the-art.
6. Renewable Energy Technician
In the past, industry standards dictated your career to consist mostly of
repairing your standard air conditioners, radiators, and electric lines.
Soon, however, these tasks will be upgraded to installing and troubleshooting solar panels and integrated home climate control centers as
everyday consumers continue to embrace a new world of energy in all its
sources
7. Hydrologist
In recent years, both private and government sectors have been
recruiting the talents of hydrologists for water conservation. With
their reservoir of knowledge, hydrologists can help to predict drought
zones, analyze quality of newly discovered water sources, and judge
how safe construction projects are for surrounding bodies of water—
all functions that make the skills of a well-trained hydrologist as desirable as water itself.
8. Sustainable Urban Planner
Sustainable urban planners work hard to solve current spatial
problems like urban sprawl and excess pollution with innovative
ideas, or even build separate communities known as “eco-villages.”
Who will construct the best solutions since vertical farming? It could
be you.
9. Geophysicist
The work of a geophysicist is in the study of the earth. Earthquakes,
atmosphere, the shifting of the continents—these are all within a
geophysicist’s realm of study. Some geophysicist will work with
architects to predict earthquake zones. Others work for mining, oil,
and gas companies, charting magnetic forces and the probability of
natural resources from location to location, making them a powerful
asset in the corporate world.
10. Ecotourism Travel Guide
Preferred modes of vacation vary from person to person, and there is
a new trend emerging in the travel world: ecotourism. Defined by the
International Ecotourism Society as “responsible travel to natural
Deciding (cont.)
areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of
2. Career Exploration—Learn more about career fields that local people,” the main emphasis is on building awareness, fostering
might fit your interests, abilities, values and personality. cultural sensitivity, and minimizing impact on the destination visited.
Find out about employment outlook in fields of interest to With our country’s recent enthusiasm over going green, it’s an industry poised for mainstream popularity.
you. You may use EUREKA and DISCOVER career
11. Wind Turbine Technician
guidance and information systems, and other occupaAs natural as the sun and just as plentiful, wind power is being hailed
tional references located at the Career Center.
as one of the best new energy forms. At the moment, production is
rocky due to the economy, but once funding picks up in the near
future, wind is predicted to be one of the fastest growing industries in
3. Decision-Making—Choose an initial direction and prepare yourself. Using a decision-making strategy that will the green energy sector.
Excerpt from Top 60 Jobs That Will Rock The Future
help you weigh the facts, think about the pros and cons
www.getdegrees.com
and reach a thoughtful career choice that will satisfy both
your head and your heart. Decide what steps you will
take, both short and long term, to reach your career goal.
The key is to take charge of your career planning. Don’t wait
for a career decision to magically appear—make it happen!
Are you an independent learner?
Is the Internet your favorite tool?
Subscribe to receive a free Green Career Tip of the
Week and sign up for a free report—Six Strategies to
Contact the Career Center and ask for a free
copy of our Self-Directed Career Planning
Guide. This is a step-by-step guide to career
planning and online resources.
Find Your Green Career at
www.greencareercentral.com
Find the Green Careers Resource Guide at
www. cassio.com
Page 4
BOOK
CORNER
New books available for
check out
at the Career Center
The Introvert Advantage
By Marti Olson Laney, Psy.D.
Luck is no Accident
By John D. Krumboltz, Ph.D. &
Al S. Levin, Ph.D.
Are you energized by spending time alone? Do you tend Unplanned events—chance occurrences—more often deto notice details that other people miss? The good news termine life and career choices than all the careful planning
is, you’re an introvert. This book shows introverts, and the we do. This book actively encourages you to prepare for
the unexpected, to take advantage of chance events, to
extroverts who love them, how to work with instead of
against their temperament to enjoy a well-lived life. It has make the most of random “happenstances.”
hundreds of valuable tips for thriving in an extrovert world.
Best Jobs for Ex-Offenders
Peaceful Colors
By Ron Krannich, Ph.D.
By Gail Shapiro, MA
The book gives renewed hope and direction to ex-offenders
Peaceful Colors is for anyone who wants to learn the skills who are uncertain what they want to do, can do, and will do
in the future. It profiles 13 categories of jobs and occupaof appropriate conflict resolution. Fun and inspirational,
this book shows us all how to lighten up, build character tions.
and grow stronger from our experiences.
Answering Your Career Questions
Dear Career Center:
I am afraid that I will not find a job directly related to my
major. I am afraid that my education will be a waste of
time and money. What can I do to ensure I get a job directly related to my major?
Fraidy Cat
Dear Fraidy Cat:
Within five years of college graduation, six out of ten grads
are working in positions that relate only indirectly to their
undergraduate major. What this tells us is that asking the
question, “What can I do with my major?” is useful for exploring options, but will not necessarily help identify future
career fields. Most undergraduate majors are basic
preparation for many different career paths.
Dear Career Center:
I would like some more information on what kinds of careers I can do with my major. Do you have any resources
for me?
Searching
Dear Searching:
We have many resources for you to use at the Career
Center. For example, EUREKA, the California Computerized Career Information System, includes information
about 1,000s of occupations. DISCOVER offers computer-based research that is national in scope and includes information on occupations, programs of study and
colleges. We also have references and career books that
can give you information about different careers.
Hold fast to dreams, for when dreams go, life
is a barren field, frozen with snow.
-Langston Hughes
Page 5
I’d Pick More Daisies
By Nadine Stair, Age 85
If I had my life to live over, I’d try to make more mistakes next time.
I would relax. I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have on this trip.
I would be crazier. I would be less hygienic. I would take more chances,
I would take more trips. I would climb more mountains, swim more rivers,
and watch more sunsets...I would eat more ice cream and less beans.
I would have more actual troubles and fewer imaginary ones.
You see, I am one of those people who lives prophylactically
and sensibly and sanely, hour after hour, day after day.
Oh, I have had my moments and if I had it to do over again, I’d have more of them.
In fact, I’d try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after another.
Instead of living so many years ahead each day. I have been one of those
people who never go anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle,
a gargle, a raincoat, and a parachute.
If I had to do it over again, I would go places and do things.
I’d travel lighter than I have. If I had my life to live over, I would start
Barefooted earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall…
I would ride on merry-go-rounds.
I’d pick more daisies!
Attention! Open Minded Students
If you are undecided about a major or a career,
and would like a strategy to help you choose,
sign up to attend a
How to Choose a Major Workshop
For more information,
call the Career Center at 442-8291
Career Center team members offer True Colors
presentations for classes.
Instructors:
Would you like your students to:
Understand themselves better,
Understand others better,
Discover their natural talents,
Learn about careers that are
suited to their personality type?
If so…
Please call the Career Center at 442-8291
to reserve your time.
Time slots are limited,
first come, first served,
so please call well in advance!
Presenters are certified True Colors Facilitators
Ora Reid
Career Center
Specialist
Lily Hernandez
Career
Counselor