setting out to sea getting students on course for their careers
TRANSCRIPT
SETTING OUT TO SEAGetting Students On Course For Their Careers
Wednesday, March 6, 13
WHO WE ARE
Stephanie Grimes
@createdbysteph
Educator turned Designer
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WHO WE ARE
Shawn Grimes
@shawng
15 years in IT:
Web Dev, Cyber Security, Mobile App Dev
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PROBLEM
How do we help prepare students for careers and
jobs?
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PROBLEM
Not This! This!
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SOLUTION
Instill in students a sense of exploration and taking action
on one’s own behalf.
aka Make!
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ROLES
• Students
• Educator
• Mentor/Parent
• Community Members/Professionals
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WHAT STUDENTS SHOULD BE DOING
1. Inquire
2. Do
3. Promote
4. Be Responsible
5. Plan
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1. INQUIRE
• What jobs are in demand or will be in demand in the near future?
• What sort of education/experience is needed for those jobs?
• ROI - Return On Investment
• What other opportunities are available if I go down that road?
• The Inverse: If I get X degree, what jobs are available/in-demand?
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If I spend $100,000 on education, and this career only pays $30k/year, how long will it take me to pay back my student loans?Do I need to pay more to go to a more impressive school? Or can I make the same amount of pay with degree from a more affordable school?
What if I get bored and want to change paths? How easy does my education or field translate?
2. DO
• Practicing Skills
• Meet and network with people in the field / industry you are interested in
• Make peer to peer connections with other students who have similar interests to you
• Try new things, learn new things
• Don’t be afraid to fail, make mistakes, or change your mind about what you want to do
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Practicing skills•Start now, don’t wait to finish school.•Seek out or create projects that give you a chance to experience different career paths.•Create a portfolio of related projects and keep track of activities you have participated in.•There is so much information available on the Internet, I don’t want to hear, “Well I didn’t have anyone to show me”
•Example: Shawn learns to French Braid•Make peer to peer connections with other students who have similar interests to you
•Example: Elsie
3. PROMOTE
• Establish yourself as an expert.
• Website!
• Include resumé and portfolio
• Social Media
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•Establish yourself as an expert. •Pose a question, find the answer, share the answer with others.
•Website!•There’s no excuse not to have one. Wordpress.org, Tumblr, etc.•Should include your resumé and portfolio (but be safe, no address or phone numbers, just email and state)
•Social Media•Use Facebook, Twitter, Linked-in to network and share resources with professionals / peers in your interested field•Use these tools as professional tools, ways to explore your interests and promote yourself •Can be part of establishing yourself as an expert
4. BE RESPONSIBLE
• Social Media
• Think about what “Future You” would say to “Present You” if they saw you post that.
• Find a mentor you trust
• Introduce new mentors/professionals/community members to your parents
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•(This pertains especially to social media and website use.)•Think of yourself as the professional you want to be one day - ask yourself whether or not that person would post what you are about to post on your website or social media network.•Find a mentor you trust
•This can be a parent, teacher, or community member•Use them to help you navigate through new opportunities and meeting new people
•Introduce new mentors / professionals / community members to your parents.
5. PLAN
If you are not planning for success, you are planning for failure.
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EDUCATOR
• Find and Invite Guest Speakers
• Offer extra help to students who may need help finding their path
• Introduce and use tools that students are likely to use in their future
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MENTOR/PARENT• Find professionals to meet and talk
to your student about their careers.
• The more diverse the experiences, the better.
• Knowing what you DON’T want to do is almost as important as knowing what you DO want to do
• You may have to drive to the country, or the city, to find something different than what is local.
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COMMUNITY MEMBERS / PROFESSIONALS
• Reach out to educators, ask if you can visit and talk about your job.
• Volunteer with organizations who work with young people, lend yourself as a resource to them.
• Be patient but be persistent.
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Don’t be intimidated if an educator can’t use you right now. Sometimes educators are just trying to get things settled in their environment. Be persistent and be flexible. If one educator doesn’t need your help, try another school in the area.
RESOURCES
• Meetup.com
• Google/YouTube
• BmorePipeline.org
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•Twitter•Example: Matthew’s survey of Computer Science students.
BMOREPIPELINE.ORG• Open to community contribution
• Focuses on: Web, Mobile, Cyber Security and Digital Fabrication
• Provides:
• a list of mentors
• possible paths to get into those fields
• internship opportunities
• a list of local employers and companies in those fields
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GET IN TOUCH• Shawn Grimes
• @shawng - STEM Engine Technical Manager
• Stephanie Grimes
• @CreatedBySteph - STEM Engine Project Manager
• Digital Harbor Foundation
• @DHFBaltimore - www.DigitalHarborFoundation.org
• DHF STEM Engine
• www.STEMEngine.org
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