Tag Archives: careers

Work Voices 11: Elizabeth Sarmiento, Environmental Coordinator

May 3, 2013, 7:43 am • Posted by Maxine Einhorn
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Elizabeth Sarmiento

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Transcript (English)

Transcript (Spanish)

Elizabeth Sarmiento is from Honduras and works as a project manager with Valley Verde, a non profit company based in San Jose. The company provides gardens and supplies to low income families, and Elizabeth and her colleagues teach the families about nutrition and growing their own food in a way that yields healthy food while having minimal impact on the environment.

Elizabeth describes her journey working odd jobs and attending evening classes to learn English. She transferred to Foothill College and joined the ESL program, eventually moving to De Anza College to study in the Environmental Studies Department.

She describes all the different employment options in the environmental studies field. For example, she talks about opportunities in water conservation and water resource management and in landscaping which is a huge field in itself. There is also the option to become an educator in any of these fields.

Elizabeth emphasizes that almost any job can promote sustainability and awareness of environmental impact.

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Filed under: Post-Secondary ESL, Work Voices
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Restarting Your Career with Upwardly Global – Monica’s Story

April 12, 2013, 7:26 am • Posted by ESL Insights
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Immigrant professionals

Immigrant professionals

By Mary Voelbel

Monica came to the US in 2006 from Columbia with a Masters degree in Child Abuse Prevention and years of experience in public health. Originally an ESL student, she spent 5 years working minimum wage jobs until she learned about Upwardly Global and how to rebuild her career.

“El que persevera alcanza”

My father told me this when I was a child: “el que persevera alcanza.”  In Colombia, my home, this phrase means that if one has the courage to do something and believes they can do it, they will. From when I was young, I always wanted to help people especially children. I studied dentistry because I wanted to work with children and, in Bogota dentists have the advantage of seeing patients more often than physicians. So, I spent seven years studying at Pontifical Javeriana University to earn my Doctor of Dentistry and Masters in Child Abuse Prevention. 

“Helping families was always the goal. I wanted to help people and it didn’t matter the angle. With my education, I designed a program to teach dentists how to diagnose and prevent child abuse.”

I came to the US with years of experience in public health, health education, and clinical practice.  I moved here to study English, then met my future husband and decided to stay in the US to be with him. I had no idea getting back into my field would be so hard.  When I settled here, back in 2006, my first thought was to go to dental school. But, then you start finding out about all the obstacles – the cost, the years of study, the fact that you have go to University all over again.

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Work Voices 10: Marjan Javanmard, Building Auditor in Energy Conservation

April 3, 2013, 2:20 pm • Posted by Maxine Einhorn
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Marjan Javonmard

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Transcript (English)

Transcript (Spanish)

Marjan Javanmard came to the US from Iran 12 years ago and now works in energy conservation for Solar City as a building auditor. She attended San Mateo Adult School for ESL classes and trained at Skyline College on the HERO Program (Home Energy Retrofit Occupations) – a training program in building systems for residential energy efficiency. Check out programs in the Energy Systems Technology Management (ESTM) Department at Skyline College.

Marjan describes the training course at Skyline College which offers “an overview of residential building science. Foundational principles in general residential construction and energy aspects of building envelopes, mechanical systems, appliances, water heating, lighting and more.” She recommends it for anyone with a basic knowledge of construction and a real interest in sustainability and conserving energy.

Marjan talks of the growing number of jobs in this area of green industry which, with government support, offers retrofit solutions to promote energy conservation. She stresses the importance of sustainable applications for future of the built environment.

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Do Now #70: Equal Playing Field for Women

March 22, 2013, 7:42 pm • Posted by Maxine Einhorn
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Jupiterimages for photo.com

Jupiterimages for photo.com

To respond to the Do Now, you can comment below or tweet your response. Be sure to begin your tweet with @KQEDEdspace and end it with #KQEDDoNow

For more info on how to use Twitter, click here.

Do Now

Does our culture foster an equal playing field for women? If not, how can the circumstances improve for women? Explain your thoughts.

Introduction

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer, has a lot to say on this. Her new book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, is all about female ambition, personal and professional ambition, and she tells it like it is. There are barriers to achievement for women, and her view is that women need to “lean in” and go for it, talk about the obstacles to achievement and aim high.

She writes, “The percentage of women at the top of corporate America has barely budged over the past decade.” And the data on women in the workplace supports her arguments. Women hold about 14 percent of executive officer positions, 17 percent of board seats, up from 16 percent in 2007 and 12 percent in 2002 (Spencer Stuart 2012 report). Women account for 18 percent of Congress. For women of color, the situation is worse since they hold only 4 percent of top corporate jobs and 5 percent of the congressional seats. As for pay, The Lowdown looks at earnings equality between men and women:

“……in 2010, female full-time workers made only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men, according to US Census data (and that number drops significantly for black women, and even more for Latinas). Women, on average, earn less than men in almost every occupation for which there is sufficient wage data, according to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.”

When looking at female aspiration Samberg describes the “leadership ambition gap,” where fewer women than men aspire to senior jobs. “Young women internalize society’s cues about what defines ‘appropriate’ behavior, and, in turn, silence themselves,” writes Sandberg.

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Do Now Round Up: High School Drop Out

February 19, 2013, 12:37 pm • Posted by Matthew Williams
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Drop Out Round Up

Last week's Do Now looks that the high school drop out crisis in America. Students from all over the country presents reasons they felt their peers are dropping out.

The conversation began with some grim statistics:

More than 20 percent of California high school students drop out of school before graduation, according to 2009 state education data. To get a sense of just how many, imagine sitting in your math class and counting out every fifth student sitting in class with you. In a class of 30, that would be six students.

Of course, 20 percent is just the average dropout rate in California. Some schools have a much lower rate, but for others, it's much, much higher. And in many cases, it's low-income areas with large minority student populations that have some of the highest dropout rates.

For instance, in 2009 more than one third of California's African American public high school students didn't graduate. That's far above the rate for any other ethnic group. Hispanics had the second highest rate, at 27 percent, according to the state's data.

Below is the conversation along with narrated slideshows from teachers from the Bay Area.

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Do Now #62: A Love of Science

February 6, 2013, 11:12 pm • Posted by Andrea Swensrud
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Credit: NASA JPL

Credit: NASA JPL

To respond to the Do Now, you can comment below or tweet your response. Be sure to begin your tweet with @KQEDEdspace and end it with #DoNow62

For more info on how to use Twitter, click here.

Do Now

What do you love about science? Why is it interesting to you?

Introduction

There are numerous fields of science--everything from astronomy to biology to physics to climate science. And there are new fields of science, like nanotechnology, that didn't exist 50 years ago. Scientists can study tiny particles or huge ecosystems. They may use telescopes, microscopes, SCUBA gear or rock climbing gear. They may work in a laboratory, in a submersible, on a spaceship or in the jungle. They may study something down the street or on the other side of the world.

How do scientists get interested in doing science? Why do they do what they do? There is excitement in making discoveries and solving problems, in looking at data and finding patterns that answer questions. Some scientists want to make the world a better place for humans by finding cures to diseases, creating technological solutions or making our lives safer and more efficient. Some are interested in exploring the unknown and figuring out how things work. Other scientists seek answers to how humans are impacting the earth. Most all scientists are interested in sharing their knowledge with others.

What about science most interests you? What do you love about science?

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Filed under: 6 -12 Science, Do Now, Science
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Six Resources for Teaching About Careers in Science

January 2, 2013, 8:00 am • Posted by Almetria Vaba
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What better time to discuss careers and goal setting with your students than on the cusp of a new year? In December, PBS LearningMedia featured a collection of resources focused on STEM careers that was both motivating and insightful.

Designing a Rollercoaster Video (:53): Grades 5-12
Meet mechanical engineer and roller coaster designer Chris Gray, in this video adapted from DESIGN SQUAD. Mechanical engineers use their knowledge of science to design and build all kinds of machines, including roller coasters. Chris explains how gravity and the changes in energy-between its potential and kinetic forms-create the excitement of a roller coaster ride.

I Want to Be a Scientist! Multiple Videos: Pre-K- 1
This is part of a group of videos that allow students to learn about the many different career possibilities as a scientist including: a marine biologist, robotics engineer, and an astronaut who does engineering in space.

Geneticist Pardis Sabeti Video (5:04): Grades 6-12
This video can provide  proof that it is possible to be a rockstar and a scientist. Use this video that profiles geneticist Pardis Sabeti to enrich lessons on genetics or spark conversation about careers in science.

Scientist Profile: Robotic Life Scientist Video (2:39): Grades 4-6
This video clip shows students the fun of science. As a kid, this groundbreaking robot designer was inspired by the movie Star Wars. The first sociable robot she built at MIT, where she's now a professor, was called Kismet. While Cynthia's work is with robots, her goals are much larger; "Technology is something you create to improve the human condition, to contribute to a better quality of life for everyone." (Spanish version also available)

Scientist Profile: Game Designer Video (2:53): Grades 4-6
For students who love video games and sports this video shows how computer science, design, and math influence work as a video game designer. Xbox game designer David Ortiz wanted to be a professional football player or a doctor when he was a boy. Once he got to college, he became interested in computer science and design. Now he takes a sports idea like football and makes it into a hot new video game. David works with coaches and players in the NFL to turn game day plays into life-like computer animation.

Luis von Ahn: Computer Scientist Video (5:09): Grades 6-12
In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, meet Luis von Ahn, a computer scientist and a professor at Carnegie Mellon who is already at the top of his field at age thirty. Learn about one of his most successful ideas—CAPTCHA—a test that humans can pass but computers cannot, which has been used to improve the security of Internet sites. Explore how he comes up with his innovative ideas, and how CAPTCHAs have been reinvented to help digitize old books.

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Strategies for finding a job in the sustainability sector - how did Elena Olmedo work it out?

December 4, 2012, 7:43 am • Posted by Maxine Einhorn
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Michael Pollan has written “The word “sustainability” has gotten such a workout lately that the whole concept is in danger of floating away on a sea of inoffensiveness. Everybody, it seems, is for it whatever it means.”

So what does sustainability mean to you - do you think of solar panels or wind power? Buying food locally? The term is used in relation to environmental management, science, law, consumerism etc. and in so many different contexts, it can be confusing. But essentially sustainability is about sustaining the environment for future generations through forward thinking strategies to solve environmental challenges.  It involves energy conservation, clean and green energy, technology that protects the environment, green building, and socially responsible organizations and employers.

But if you would like to work in some aspect of sustainability, how do you navigate your way through this confusing field and find your own path. Where would you start?

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Work Voices 9: Siripat Nengchamnong, Restaurant Owner

November 1, 2012, 12:17 pm • Posted by Maxine Einhorn
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Transcript (English)

Transcript (Spanish)

Siripat Nengchamnong is from Thailand and came to the US in 2005. She studied English at San Jose State University and took a Hospitality Management course at Mission College to prepare her for opening her own restaurant, the White Elephant in Santa Clara. Siripat describes how she enjoys the work because she loves to cook and to eat and to please other people with her cooking. She also loves to meet people from all over the world and compare experiences. But Siripat makes it clear that running a restaurant is very hard work indeed.

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Work Voices 7: Henri Gonnet, Solar Engineer

September 5, 2012, 10:21 am • Posted by Maxine Einhorn
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This is the seventh interview in our Work Voices series for ESL educators.

Henri Gonnet is from France and came to this country 25 years ago. He now works in the green tech field at Solar City, having been fascinated by the world of electricity, and in particular the growing world of solar energy. He describes how he went to Diablo Valley College, which offered one of the first solar education programs in the country. This program gave him a really comprehensive grounding in alternative energy.

Henri explains that to work in this field, it is important to be able to communicate clearly in English and understand math at a basic level. He also suggests taking the NABCEP certificate in order to be well placed for getting a job in the industry. He sees solar installation as the most accessible job in the industry, especially in the residential sector, where the market is strong. There is also employment in the commercial world which is very different. Henri describes how with this background experience, it is possible to move on to design, auditing, permitting or sales jobs, and he is optimist about opportunities for advancement after two or three years.

Henri Gonnet is clear that working in the energy field can be hard work and it is not for everyone. Because of the way the energy market is changing, he recommends this work “as the way of the future”, with the proviso that you should be really interested in electricity and renewable energy for it to be a suitable career option.   

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