Anyone up for some career counselling Advice? I think I've posted before that I'm bored with my job, and that I want to change careers. I didn't get hired for the Canal Museum Assistant Position that I told y'all about. I'm guessing it was because I couldn't work just 20 hours a week for $8 an hour. I told them that I needed a position that paid close to what I'm making now, that I have car payments to make. LOL I also told them that just to be a part of the museum, I'd work weekends and nights, but I never did get a call back, nor has the Director (one of my best girlfriends!) returned my calls. I did get an invitation to her daughter's birthday party for next Sunday. Her daughter and my daughter are also close. I'm not sure yet if I'm going or not, my feelings are a little raw. Okay, so anyway, I've been trying to rededicate myself here and do more creative things. For example, I'm trying to start two new support groups for young mothers. One is a "Mommies to Work" that teaches job skills to mothers who are low income and have been out of the workforce. The other is a support group for parents of special needs children. I'm doing two parenting classes a month, and then of course there's my other duties as director. But, yet, I still have time to come online and post on a Sims Message Board! LOL LOL Plus, since our state has had a change in the Mental Health Services (like, they're non-existant if you live in a rural area and don't have insurance) I'm seeing more challenging cases coming into my parenting classes. Like people who are sex offenders, or drug addicts, or get frustrated and break babies legs because they won't stop crying. That's just a tad bit over my head. I'm a Parent Educator, not a licenced therapist! I keep looking in the papers and watching our Employment Agency's website. There's an opening for a Public Information Officer at our local Community College. Our College President is in a lot of trouble at the state level and has been firing people left and right, so I keep thinking I don't want to go there. Hubby says that he's going to be gone soon and that by the time I got established, I'd get to work with the new President and help to repair the Community College's image. He thinks it would be a great job for me, it's very writing-intensive, it's away from social services so it would be a new challenge, and he thinks that if I am employed with the Community College I'd get free or cheap classes to finish out my Education Degree. But, if they keep this President, I'd have to work with him, and I don't like what I read about him in the papers. And, the way he's firing teachers and cutting programs, will there even be a Community College to work for in a year? So, I need to make a decision about applying, and soon. Or, maybe I should just stay here, where it's safe, where I'm doing good in the community, when I'm not bored or dealing with issues that I don't like dealing with, nor am qualified to deal with. I think that it would be easy to recruit someone with a higher degree than me, who can take what I've started and do it right. LOL So, I don't know what to do. Mom says stay here. Hubby says apply at the Community College, Mom doesn't see me come home and read the paper and cry over the latest abused child making headlines because I know I'll have his/her parents in class. I'm torn. What do you think?
It sounds like you really want to work for the Community College, but are afraid of the working conditions. My feeling is, it can't hurt to apply. You will more than likely get to meet the President during the interview process and can decide then if he's someone you can work with. It sounds like you're getting burned out on your current job and my God who wouldn't be. I don't even read the news because of people like you described. I'm haunted for weeks when I read about some horrible thing someone has inflicted on a child. Some people should not become parents. So, apply. That's my advice. Go for it. If the president is really on his way out you'll have a new boss soon enough. And maybe working with him, even if he is a jerk, would be better than continuing to cry over your job every night.
I used to be a special ed teacher. I loved doing it and I was very good at it but I found that it takes a huge toll on one personally. I picked up the oddest behaviors after a period of time. On every psychological personality assessment, I am always classified as an idealist/idealist. I'm the textbook rebel without a cause or a rebel with 1000 causes. When they mainstreamed the mentally handicapped into the public schools, I was offered a job with physically and sexually abused preschoolers. Most people aren't aware that many communities have a preschool for these children...hidden like battered women's shelters. Part of my job was to teach parenting skills. When it got to the point that taking a gun to work started to sound like a fine idea, I decided it was time to find another career. (Anyone that can deal with sexual offenders on a daily basis and not kill them has to be made of much sterner stuff than me. It made my skin crawl. I personally believe these people should be executed. No ifs, ands, or buts. I would be willing to pull the trigger, push the button or throw the switch.) I do understand the point you have reached. You sound more than ready to move on. I'd go for the college job. You can do it to simply finish your schooling. You can always keep your eye out for another job, too. No one will make you stay there if you find something better! Every job I had introduced me to a new circle of people that opened up new opportunities. You should check your region for different museums. I lived near two living history museums in Tennessee. My children did summer apprenticeship programs. They wore historically accurate period clothing and lived the life of children of that time period for weeks. It is a program that people stand in line all day to enroll their children. They only take a handful. I was able to offer a needed skill to insure my children got a spot. I think you should find something along this line to volunteer at. I've received several job offers while volunteering. It's one of the best back doors into a desired position.
Wow, Zy, yep, you do know exactly how I feel! I look at these people that I'm supposed to be helping get their kids back, and I feel guilty. Because, even when they seem to understand and "get it", I don't know for a fact that they truly are. For all I know, they are just pretending to learn, pretending to try, long enough to get their kids back. And, by me signing their certificate, I have, in a way, helped them abuse the child again. Of course, you don't think that going in. You think that you are helping, you see yourself as some sort of miricle worker. But after a year of doing parenting classes and seeing how little things actually change when and if they ever get their kids back, then you become a little jaded. My Smart Start supervisor says she thinks that the CPS workers are just throwing their responsibilities on to me. I don't know. :( Anyway, I did it, y'all. I corresponded with the Personnel Director via e-mail, and today I mailed out my application, resume, transcripts, and several brochures, handouts, filers, and newspaper articles I've written for my job. Meanwhile, this was in this afternoon's "Daily Herald." Three HCC trustees to examine 'evidence' Jennifer Heaslip /Herald News Editor WELDON - Halifax Community College Trustees are headed to Raleigh. [FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica][SIZE=-1][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]Three board members will meet with the president of the North Carolina Community Colleges System and review "a tremendous amount of complaints" about HCC and its president, Ted Gasper Jr. Members Helen Brown, Vice Chair Stanley Edwards and Rachel Hux were appointed to a committee by chair Lillie Solomon during a special meeting Tuesday morning. The committee will travel to Raleigh to investigate the complaints, although a date has not yet been set. Although the special meeting was not legal, state community college officials said the committee itself has legal standing and applauded the move. The meeting was not legal because only five of the 12 trustees attended and so there was no quorum, or a majority of board members present. Brown, Edwards, Solomon, Bernella DeLaMora and Robert Knight attended the meeting. Several trustees who were not able to attend said the meeting was also illegal because they did not receive written notice 48 hours in advance. Solomon responded that she was told by the state to hold a meeting and so she did. Solomon recently received a letter from state board chairwoman Hilda Pinnix-Ragland telling her to hold a meeting and develop a plan of action detailing how the trustees would investigate complaints about the college. The letter also said Solomon must tell the state its plan by Thursday. Solomon said everyone had 48-hours notice of the meeting, and also said she will probably hold another meeting soon and will have to have a quorum. Regardless of whether it was a legal meeting, Solomon as chairwoman has the authority to appoint members to a committee, and so North Carolina Community Colleges System President H. Martin Lancaster and state officials will honor the decision, said Audrey Bailey, assistant to the president for public information. "I am pleased to know that Ms. Solomon has responded to the request from the state board. I look forward to sitting down with the appointed trustees and sharing the tremendous amount of material we have gathered here at the system office," Lancaster said in a prepared statement issued from Raleigh after the meeting. The trustees and Gasper went into closed session after the meeting was called to order. Reconvening in open session about 40 minutes later, Edwards said they discussed confidential issues about complaints made against the college. They couldn't develop a complete plan of action because they did not have a quorum present, but they did need to proceed, he added. Solomon said she spoke to Lancaster, who asked her to appoint a committee to go to the state system's office and investigate the complaints and view the materials state officials had gathered. Solomon appointed the committee and asked those trustees to decide on a time and day to make the trip. She also said she didn't know what exactly was there to see. DeLaMora asked if they should also investigate local complaints that weren't made to the state. Solomon said that was a good idea, and the trustees agreed to get the names of all complainants and ask them to speak before the board about their problems. Edwards asked how they would structure having the complainants come before the board, and Solomon said she didn't know at that time. "We're not going to rush this. We are going to handle this as responsibly and ethically as we can," she said. There is a bad stigma about the college and the trustees out there, they agreed, and Brown said the situation also made the county and state look bad, as other governments and boards were following what happened at HCC. "We're gonna sort it all out and everyone will know," Solomon said. As far as the state board, "I think we need to let them know we're taking this serious," she said. More here: http://www.rrdailyherald.com/[/FONT]
So..what are the complaints against the director? It just says they are numerous. (This person isn't the president of one college? He's in charge of all the community colleges in the state?)
No, he's just the president of HCC. He: 1) Fired or didn't renew contracts on several popular professors. One of them just happened to be the president of the County's Republican Party. Another one was within one month of retirement. Many others left under questionable circumstances. He won't give a straight answer about why. He 1st was quoted in the paper saying that the budget was being cut, but the Sunday after they were let go he took out several classified ads for their positions. He now says that they received poor performance evaluations and is dragging their names in the mud. 2) Installed very expensive vending machines in the student center (A $1.00 bottle of soda is $1.50 there). No one really questioned it until it came out that he was using the profits to fund his retirement package. 3) Was allowing a politician to use space on campus for his campaign without the consent of the college board or the state board. 4) Built a multi-million dollar "Centre" Auditorium with state of the art seating, lighting, and is now trying to get an $10,000 orchestra pit, all the while cutting programs and complaining about the lack of funding. 5) Questionable donations to another local politician who was prosecuted for Embezzlement. 6) 25 year old AC Unit went out in August. It had needed replaced for awhile, no money because he was building the Centre. Petitioned the county for several thousand dollars more to replace it, and school did not start on time because the conditions were unsuitable. There's more, but I can't remember what all it was. Those are the ones that stand out.
Suggestion Kristal: Post up your resumé here and let us have a look. Just omit your private info . Just post up your skills, qualifications, etc We can help you better from there
Holy cow. The nerve of some people. Kristal, I didn't see your resume. Did it not go through or am I just stoopid? I can't believe your paper uses the word "gonna." I suppose that was a direct quote, but ... sigh.
Hummm. It didn't post. Let's try it again another way. Work Experience 2001-Present Halifax/Northampton PRIDE, Inc. Roanoke Rapids, NC Executive Director n Responsibilities: Grant Writing, Community Relations, screening referrals, Conducting Parenting Education Workshops and Support Groups, Payroll and Budgeting, Supervising a staff of 4 Parent Educators, Author of the Parents Are Teachers, Too Newsletter, Preparing financial and activity reports. 2003-2004 The Littleton Observer Littleton, NC Part-Time Feature Writer Responsibilities: Wrote several Feature Stories for that appeared in The Littleton Observer as a special feature writer. Took pictures using a digital camera and submitted stories and photos via e-mail. Highlights: Interviewing Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Patrick Ballantine, local politicians David King and Jon Baker, and doing an investigative report on the phenomena of A Purpose Driven Life. 2000-2003 Historic Halifax State Historic Site Halifax, NC Weekend Tour Guide n Responsibilities: Working with the public, learning and interpreting local history. Greeting visitors, conducting knowledgeable tours and answering visitors questions. 19981999 TEAM For West Virginia Children Huntington, WV Family Support Worker n Responsibilities: Presented parenting education to young families at risk for child abuse or neglect. Made weekly home visits. Maintained extensive reports. Stayed on-call in case a family had an emergency. 1996-19961998 Lawrence County Domestic Violence Task Force Ironton, OH Legal Advocate/Case Manager n Responsibilities: Worked with Domestic Violence Survivors in both a Shelter setting and in the Courts. As Case Manager, I was on call via pager for the crisis hotline. I gave support and education to victims both in-shelter and out. As a Legal Advocate, I worked with the County Prosecutors Victims Advocate Office and the County Law Enforcement Office. I attended Criminal and Civil Court proceedings that were dealing with Domestic Violence cases. I assisted in the preparation of Civil and Temporary Protection Orders. I also supervised a total of 5 volunteer Legal Advocates who would attend court proceedings with victims upon request. Education 2002-2003 Halifax Community College Weldon, NC Pursued a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education 1994-1996 Ohio University Ironton, OH Obtained an Associate Degree in Social Sciences. 1983-1987 Fairland High School Proctorville, OH Obtained a College Preparatory Diploma Special Abilities Skilled in using Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Power Point, Print Shop Deluxe Experienced in public speaking and doing public presentations Writing newspaper advertisements and stories Appearing on local media Planning and coordinating workshops and activities Interests Reading, Writing, History, Psychology, Politics, Childrens Issues, and Computers.
The only piece of advice I have, Kristal, is to tailor your resume for a job at a college. Your experience doesn't seem to be pointing in that direction, so maybe you could think of responsibilities you had at some of your other jobs that are similar to what will be expected of you there. For example, there's a lot about kids, but this job will be at a college for adults. What can you translate to that job? I've got several resumes, one for each position I'm trying for.
Mabye somthing involving newspapers? Or TV News? I think you might need a degree in Communications or Journalisim.
I've found that if you can communicate well it doesn't matter what you studied in college. What matters is being able to learn and articulate what you have learned.
Well, they just called and asked me to come in and interview with them next week, so it's at least they're considering me.
Hey, great! And I'm glad you're online. The hurricane must not be in your neck of the woods, hmmm? Good luck with the interview!!
Well, I didn't get the job. Got the letter yesterday. I'll keep looking for another one, though. Hubby took me to the Outer Banks last weekend, and I kept hinting (subtly, like hitting him in the face with a brick haha) that I would love for us to move to the coast. He says maybe one day when we win the lottery. I kept pointing out that most people who live there live on the mainland or in Manteo on Roanoke Island. There's a new hosptial there that is hiring Respiratory Therapists, and I thought he could get on there pretty easilly. Well, he's not biting yet. So I guess I'll keep looking for jobs here.
I didn't get the job I interviewed for, either. I'm trying to tell myself that means that the right job is still out there. Good luck!
