College Major Quiz

The buzz has begun! Seniors are talking about their college ideas and applications, and many have begun to compare college major choices. Are you still undecided? Don't worry, many people are, even as they enter their sophomore year of college. To help rest your mind, I entered college set on double majoring in biology and music. I exited with a major in cultural anthropology. And now I'm a counselor. I was certain that I was going to be a doctor from at least fourth grade. Even the best laid plans can change when you find something unexpected that interests you.

There are some connections between my interests that I can see now. Every goal I had - doctor, orchestral musician, and counselor - required social interaction. Not sure how your future goals are connected? Try taking this quiz at About.com. The quiz utilizes Holland based theory to help you find a general area, and then you can narrow down your interests to find a possible major. For example, my result was "Social Personality," which suggests college majors in... wait for it... counseling and anthropology, among many others. The quiz takes about 3 minutes to complete and is only a starting point.

Something else to consider - it is okay to change your mind. Start exploring your academic and extracurricular interests and see if any college major or career choice starts to sound interesting. Research your options. Ask questions of people in the field. If you find something else, repeat the process. Stop by if you'd like more information on a specific major, career, or college. I'd be happy to help.

Welcome Back!

It was my intention to post the first day of school, to reflect on returning after a year away, to discuss all of the smiling faces and the new opportunities at Perry this fall. Somehow the time escaped, and it is the third day of school.

Thank you for making the first few days successful. Working through scheduling issues, credit checks, and the anxiety that accompanies the beginning of the new school year is always a challenge, but we made it. The first Friday of the school year approaches, bringing with it an opportunity to show our spirit (wear red!), spend time celebrating our extracurricular strengths, and reflect on the week while looking forward to the coming year.

A few reminders as we enter the year:

1. We are still on an alphabet split - I work with students A-K.
2. No schedule changes to courses that you requested. We go over this many times in the spring. We mean it.
3. Visit us early and often. Show initiative and seek us out before we have to track you down.
4. We do much more than work with your schedule. Talk to us about college, careers, testing, social needs, extracurricular involvement - whatever you need. Think of us as the Help Desk - we will assist you in navigating your path through high school.

Look for announcements and other notes here. I will be updating our department web page soon, and will note changes. I look forward to a great year!

Can Your Favorite Color Determine Your Perfect Job?

By Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.com writer

Do you ever wish finding the perfect job could be as easy as one, two, three? According to new research, it might be as easy as red, yellow or blue.

That's right; by determining which primary, secondary and achromatic colors you prefer most and least, you can figure out a successful career path based on how you approach work, the types of workplaces where you work best and how you handle work tasks.

The Color Career Counselor (on CareerPath.com), powered by The Dewey Color System -- the world's only validated, non-language color-based career testing instrument -- uses color preferences to determine successful career paths. Dewey Sadka, author of "The Dewey Color System," says using colors instead of a questionnaire eliminates the chasm between self-perception and self-truth and reveals your core motivations.

"What if you misinterpret a [career assessment] question or the choices don't reflect your personality?" Sadka asks. "Color preference indicates your personality's best career fit. Preferred colors indicate passionate career pursuits; non-preferred choices establish workplace skills you least enjoy."

How it works

The Color Career Counselor is simple. First, you click your preferred primary color (red, yellow or blue). From there, you choose your preferred secondary (green, purple or orange) and achromatic (black, white or brown) colors.

"Your preferred colors determine how you attack each task. They indicate your talents -- what you prioritize first in order to be successful. They also highlight what you overdo, especially when you feel great," Sadka says.

For example, if you're partial to yellow, you're information-driven; blue preference people are idea-driven and people who prefer red are results-driven. If you favor green as your secondary color, you realistically evaluate situations; purple indicates you like fact-finding possibilities and orange signals that you scrutinize feasibility. Finally, if black is your choice from the achromatic colors, you consider value above all else; white shows that you like having options and brown confirms that you like implementation and accomplishing tasks.

On the other hand, your least preferred colors determine tasks and issues that you tend to forget.

For example, if your least favorite color is orange, sometimes you overcommit yourself by trying to do too much at once. If you dislike the color green, you try to fix everything for your colleagues rather than making them do it themselves. Or, if your least favorite is teal, you feel a deep need to prove you are competent.

In managing these areas head-on, Sadka says you won't miss the incidentals that could impede your success.

Put to the test

To see for myself if this "scientific" test was for real, I took the test three different times and got the same results each time, affirming that I am, in fact, in the right career.

I'm a "creator," says the Color Career Counselor. I'm "nonconforming, impulsive, expressive, romantic, intuitive, sensitive and emotional." It says I enjoy working independently, being creative, using my imagination and constantly learning something new.

For my suggested "creator occupations," I was given an extensive list of careers that included jobs I've considered (architect, interior decorator, English teacher), jobs people told me I should pursue (author, creative director, public relations) and jobs that I currently hold or aspire to in the future (reporter and editor).

What about you?

So are you a researcher, creator, social manager, persuader, doer or organizer? To find out what career path you should be following based on your preferred colors, here are a few examples of what certain choices say about you, and the careers and skills that complement them.

If you prefer yellow, purple and white: You're the communicator

You create profitable perspectives -- how to break into new accounts or be heard by other employees. By simply identifying a client's point of view, you develop strategies that open doors, even if they had already been shut. Your excellent communication skills can create problem-solving forums. Careers in corporate communications, marketing or religious occupations work best.

If you prefer red, green and black: You're the investor

You know the value of money and resources, as well as the intrinsic worth of each co-worker's contributions. Your supportive, yet analytical personality works best in finance, accounting, banking, manufacturing, property management, production analysis, investment, money management, consulting, product sales or teaching.

If you prefer blue, orange and brown: You're the activist

Your strong community beliefs and no-nonsense approach improve services for those around you. Occupations where you can improve existing specifications or impact social values work best for you. Consider careers in engineering, building, or developing new programs, companies or products. Also consider law enforcement, firefighting, social or government work.

These are only a few of hundreds of different color profiles. For your own free career evaluation, please visit: http://www.careerpath.com/

Rachel Zupek is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.

Copyright 2008 CareerBuilder.com. All rights reserved.
The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without prior written authority.

Story Filed Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 9:57 AM

College students: Don't limit dreams with debt

Huge school loans can hinder future growth. Think about potential income before signing the dotted line.

By Kathleen Connell

from the September 15, 2008 edition

A college education has long been viewed as a ticket to a better quality of life. It is probably the most important decision a student will make and it may have the highest rate of return in achieving life goals. Unfortunately, some students do not think clearly about this decision, buying the "hot" college brand and assuming large amounts of debt. By overinvesting, they destroy their chances for a brighter future.

"Excessive student debt, often made without an explicit decision on its impact on future life choices, not only restricts traditional career choices but the basic ability of young people to take risks – requiring them to defer their dreams," says Robert Shireman, executive director for the nonprofit Project on Student Debt.

Carmen Berkeley, a 23-year-old who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh last year, assumed a huge financial burden to attend a public university as an out-of-state student.

"My life is definitely impacted by my $80,000 college debt from the University of Pittsburgh," she says. "I really want to go to law school, but can't unless I get a scholarship. Though I believe my college education was a good investment, I doubt I will ever own a car or a house."

The nonprofit US Student Association, where she serves as president, contributes a $200 monthly stipend to assist in retiring her loans. Once she completes 10 years of public service, Ms. Berkeley will also qualify for loan forgiveness under the 2007 Higher Education Act for a portion of her outstanding federal loans. Even with the stipend and loan forgiveness, it will take her more than 20 years to repay her debt.

Berkeley did not consider future income before assuming her loans, although she anticipated always working in the nonprofit or public sector. Her choices confirm a recent survey by student-loan provider Sallie Mae that post-graduate income was not a factor for 70 percent of students and parents in determining how much to borrow to finance a college degree.

So after the glossy college brochures arrive in the mail and the visits to leafy college campuses are over, students need to ask themselves: Can I afford this school without excessive borrowing? How long will it take to pay off that wonderful four-year experience at the campus of my dreams?

Students, remember: You will be deferring other dreams for a cool car, well-furnished pad, weekend ski trips, summer beach vacations, and the latest tech toys.

According to the Project on Student Debt, the average 2006 graduate carried $21,100 in loans. But student debt has a disproportionate effect on middle-class families. Families with incomes between $50,000 and $100,000 will borrow nearly $5,000 a year to pay for college. Those that make less than $50,000 will borrow on average $3,900, and families that earn over $100,000 will borrow $3,710.

To begin paying off those loans, graduates of the class of 2008 will receive an average salary of $36,400 according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Sounds great, until those graduates have to pay taxes, bringing net income to $27,500 or approximately, $2,300 a month. According to federal tables, they can expect to spend $1,800 to $2,000 a month for rent, utilities, out-of-pocket healthcare, car payments, gasoline, insurance and, entertainment. The remaining $300 to $500 a month may seem comfortable enough for the $230 a month needed to repay a $20,000 student loan at 6.8 percent over a 10-year period.

But repaying college tuition is only one part of the debt equation.

"Social debt is another concern as students face the pressure of keeping up with other students, hanging with the right crowd," says Sharon Fries-Britt, an English professor at the University of Maryland. "Credit cards are being overextended, and students are indebting their future, limiting their life choices."

For students who don't want to have daunting repayment obligations, consider these ideas:

•Know the average amount of debt that students carry at each of your potential colleges. Check economicdiversity.org for more information.

•Use the 2009 US News college ranking table that values schools based on debt load (usnews.com/sections/rankings/index.html).

•Remember, you may not qualify for a grant based on need if your family's income exceeds $100,000, so don't assume a grant unless you are certain you qualify.

•If short on funds, choose a cheaper route. Live at home for two years, attend a community college, and transfer to a state university.

•Check out your likely starting salary at naceweb.org – don't plan to borrow more than your first year's income.

• Dr. Kathleen Connell is a professor at Haas Graduate Business School, University of California, Berkeley.

Find this article at:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0915/p14s01-wmgn.html

Tip of the Day - College/Career Prep

Peterson's MyStudentEdge is coming!

This FREE resource will be rolled out to all Perry High School students this fall. It includes:

• FREE ACT and SAT practice tests and test preparation classes
• College searches
• Career searches
• College application help
• Resume building
  
• And much more!

A flyer will be mailed home soon. Watch for it!

One in five bosses screens applicants' Web lives

Top concern: Candidates posting information about drinking or using drugs

Reuters

updated 11:34 a.m. ET, Thurs., Sept. 11, 2008

NEW YORK - Written references could become old hat for hiring managers with one in five saying they use social networking sites to research job candidates — and a third of them dismissing the candidate after what they discover.

A survey by online job site CareerBuilder.com of 3,169 hiring managers found 22 percent of them screened potential staff via social networking profiles, up from 11 percent in 2006.

An additional nine percent said they don't currently use social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace to screen potential employees but they do plan to start.

The survey found that 34 percent of the managers who do screen candidates on the Internet found content that made them drop the candidate from any short list.

The top area for concern among the hiring managers with 41 percent citing this as a downfall were candidates posting information about drinking or using drugs.

The second area with 40 percent of concern were candidates posting provocative or inappropriate photographs or information.

Other areas of concern to arise from social network sites were poor communication skills, lying about qualifications, candidates using discriminatory remarks related to race, gender or religion, and an unprofessional screen name.

But the survey found hiring managers scouring social network pages was not all bad with 24 percent of these managers saying they found content to help them solidify their decision to hire that candidate.

Top factors that influenced their hiring decision included candidate's backgrounds supporting their qualifications for the job, proving they had good communications skills, and having a site that conveyed a professional image with a wide range of interests.

"Hiring managers are using the Internet to get a more well-rounded view of job candidates in terms of their skills, accomplishments and overall fit within the company," said CareerBuilder.com spokeswoman Rosemary Haefner in a statement.

"As a result, more job seekers are taking action to make their social networking profiles employer-friendly. Sixteen percent of workers who have social networking pages said they modified the content on their profile to convey a more professional image to potential employers."

Copyright 2008 Reuters. Click for restrictions.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26658850/

Tip of the Day - College/Career Prep

Do you need some help figuring out a career or college path? See your counselor to learn more about the Ohio Career Information System (OCIS). OCIS is FREE and is open to all students. You can search for careers, college majors, colleges, scholarships, and more!

Log on to: ocis.ode.state.oh.us

User name: PerryL
Password: ohiocis03

After you log in, set up your own account so that you can save and build on your information. Need help? See your counselor or Mrs. Meinen from LEAF.