Q TIPS:
Quick and Quintessential Tips to Guide Your Job Search and Work Life
Job-hunting tips from the August 17, 2009, issue of
QuintZine.
According to recent data from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, today only 71 percent of students earn a
high-school diploma; fewer than six in 10 minority students graduate with their peers; and many graduates are
unprepared for college. The Foundation says that "success in the 21st century demands skills, attitudes, and abilities
that require more than a high-school diploma. Yet today only about half of all Americans have a college degree or
certificate, a number that drops to about 20 percent for Hispanics and
African Americans." It is no longer enough to say more young people are accessing college. The Foundation has set a goal
to double the number of young people who earn a postsecondary
degree or certificate by the time they reach age 26. The "Postsecondary Success" plan points out that while the
rate of high-school graduates going to college continues to rank among the highest in the world, most students
will never complete college. Only about half of U.S. college students graduate within six years. The rate for
low-income students is closer to 25 percent, and only about 20 percent of African-Americans and Hispanics
aged 25-34 have earned some kind of postsecondary degree. Among community-college students, the
graduation rate is estimated to be 38 percent. Source: Sloan Career Cornerstone Center
As part of President Obama's "New Energy for America" plan, the Administration will provide the
opportunity for thousands of American students to pursue careers in science, engineering, and entrepreneurship
related to clean energy. These young men and women will invent and help commercialize advanced energy
technologies such as efficient and cost-effective methods for converting sunlight to electricity and fuel, carbon
capture and sequestration, stationary and portable advanced batteries for plug-in electric cars, advanced
energy storage concepts that will enable sustained energy supply from solar, wind, and other renewable energy
sources, high-efficiency deployment of power across the so-called "smart grid" and carbon-neutral commercial
and residential buildings.
Among the efforts recommended include individual fellowships to graduate students involved in
clean-energy research, integrative graduate training programs involving
clean energy, research experiences for undergrads in energy, and education to improve education for young
Americans who will become technicians in clean-energy fields, focusing on two- and four-year college programs.
Find out more about careers in science and engineering.
Did you know that 59 percent of new nurses and many other new health-care workers are educated at community
colleges? The healthcare industry will generate 3 million new wage and salary jobs by 2016, more than any other industry
-- and most workers have jobs that require less than four years of college
education. Healthcare includes a wide range of professions such as allied health, medical technology, medicine, and nursing.
Within these broad categories are dozens of interesting career paths. While some fields in heathcare, such as pharmacists,
physicians, and surgeons require advanced degrees, other career paths in healthcare require associate degrees that can be completed
in two years and are often offered at community colleges.
For example, a physical-therapist assistant helps physical therapists to provide treatment that improves patient mobility, relieves pain, and
prevents or lessens physical disabilities of patients. They generally prepare by earning an associate degree from an accredited physical therapist
assistant program, many of which are offered at community colleges.
According to recent data from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, today only 71 percent of students earn a
high-school diploma; fewer than six in 10 minority students graduate with their peers; and many graduates are
unprepared for college. The Foundation says that "success in the 21st century demands skills, attitudes, and abilities
that require more than a high-school diploma. Yet today only about half of all Americans have a college degree or
certificate, a number that drops to about 20 percent for Hispanics and
African Americans." It is no longer enough to say more young people are accessing college. The Foundation has set a goal
to double the number of young people who earn a postsecondary
degree or certificate by the time they reach age 26. The "Postsecondary Success" plan points out that while the
rate of high-school graduates going to college continues to rank among the highest in the world, most students
will never complete college. Only about half of U.S. college students graduate within six years. The rate for
low-income students is closer to 25 percent, and only about 20 percent of African-Americans and Hispanics
aged 25-34 have earned some kind of postsecondary degree. Among community-college students, the
graduation rate is estimated to be 38 percent. Source: Sloan Career Cornerstone Center
