Great Workshop Website: Regulation of Unpaid Internships The Uncertain Future

So, GWU hosted this amazing workshop on Unpaid Internship back in October entitled The Regulation fo Unpaid Internships: The Uncertain Future which basically discussed how the Fair Labor Standards Act is applicable today to internships and whether or not unpaid internships, in the private, public, or nonprofit sectors, are legal. The weigh in? Probably not. Still, doesn't mean school counselors are going to be paid for their Master's internships any time soon!

To learn more about the conference, see YouTube videos of the panel discussions, and generally get all the awesome dish, visit this website: Regulation of Unpaid Internships

Wonderful Websites: TWO College Websites

Education.Com is my crush website of the week folks, and it has TWO amazing sections on colleges that any of you heading off to work in high schools MUST check out. First, their "College Hub" (http://www.education.com/special-edition/college-and-beyond/) is extremely extensive and includes everything a gal (or guy) could want-- choosing a college, college alternatives, planning for financial aid, paying for college, transitioning to college, the list goes on! They also have a nice little section on job preparation, summer jobs, resumes, career development, and more, which of course made made my heart go a-flutter with joy. After you're done perusing through there, head on over (with your students) to the "Find a College" page (http://www.education.com/colleges/) where they can search colleges by location, admissions criteria, interest, etc, as well as community colleges and career trainings. Overall great site and easy-to-use.

More assessments!

I posted a couple days ago about some great assessments to use in career planning. Well, here are some more specifically to be used with students.

Assessments, Exploration Resources, Workforce Preparation: http://www.hartdistrict.org/careervisions/Student/Assessments.html
My Student Edge. Com: http://www.studentedge.com/mystudentedge/prompt.aspx
Holland Party Game: http://www.bacareerguide.org/home/images/stories/Holland_Party_GameFINAL1.pdf
O*Net Computerized Interest Profiler: http://www.onetcenter.org/CIP.html

College and K-12 Career Counseling!

Now back to my main populations- K-12 and college age. Career counseling is so important throughout the lifespan, yet whenever I talk about doing career activities with elementary school students everyone always looks at me weirdly and says, "Whaaat??". No matter. It is important to start getting kids to think about careers early because this is when they start to form their gender assumptions and other ideas about what types of careers they might be able to work in. This is when a 6 year old boy decides he can't be a nurse because only women are nurses. We need to change this!

Check out the following resources for working with K-12 through college aged populations:

College:

Career One Stop: http://www.acinet.org/

Students and Career Advisors: http://www.careeronestop.org/studentsandcareeradvisors/studentsandcareeradvisors.aspx

The Riley Guide: http://www.rileyguide.com/

CDDQ.org http://kivunim.huji.ac.il/cddq/

Online Career Assessments

There are tons of great assessments to use when career counseling. If you're interested in this field I suggest you check out the NCDA's publication:

Whitfield, E.A., FEller, R.W., Wood, C. (2009). A counselor's guide to career assessment instruments (5th edition). Broken Arrow, OK: NCDA.

But if you don't have the time or money to order paper and pencil assessments, check out the following online options:

Assessments:

Work/Life Balance Calculator: http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/worklife/06/04/balance.calculator/

Values Card Sort: http://www.dws.state.nm.us/careersolutions/CSS-workimport.html

Kiersey Temperament Sorter: http://www.keirsey.com/sorter/instruments2.aspx?partid=0

The Big 5 Personality Test: http://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/

Jist Publishing: http://www.jist.com/shop/web

Skills Profiler: http://www.careerinfonet.org/acinet/skills/default.aspx

Skill Scan: Identify your Transferable Skills: http://www.skillscan.com/

Special Population #3: LGBTQ

LGBTQ persons also face unique challenges in the workforce, including how to come out on their resume and whether or not to do so, how to come out in the workforce, finding companies that support LGBTQ workers and provide domestic partner benefits, finding work in states that support LGBTQ rights, and more. Check out the following resources for working with this population. Also check out my resources folders for a group counseling framework for working with this population.

LGBTQ:

Human Rights Campaign State of the Workforce: http://www.hrc.org/about_us/7061.htm

HRC Employer Database: http://www.hrc.org/issues/workplace/search.asp?form=private_quick_search.aspx

HRC Corporate Equality Index: http://www.hrc.org/issues/cei.htm

•Gay Financial Network: http://www.gfn.com/

•Queer Resources Directory: http://www.qrd.org/qrd/

•Gay Yellow Pages: http://gayellowpages.com

•LGBT Career Link: http://www.lgbtcareerlink.com/

•Out Professionals: http://www.outprofessionals.org/

Some Other Special Populations

Some other special populations career counselors oftentimes work with are ex-offenders, retirees looking for new work, and persons with disabilities. Check back for updated resources regarding these populations.

Ex-Offenders:

National Institute of Corrections: http://nicic.gov/

Persons with Disabilities:

Disability.gov: http://www.disability.gov/employment

Job Accommodation Network: http://askjan.org/

Enable America: http://www.enableamerica.org/index.html?gclid=CI7n5dDuqqMCFQwIswod3xHR4Q

AAPD Employment Resources: http://www.aapd.com/site/c.pvI1IkNWJqE/b.5612009/k.62C1/Employment_Resources.htm

Entry Point! Internships: http://ehrweb.aaas.org/entrypoint/

Getting Hired: http://gettinghired.com/

Re-Careering:

AARP Employment: http://www.aarp.org/work/

Vocation Vacations: http://www.vocationvacations.com/

Special Population #1: Veterans

Veterans face unique career challenges, including mental health issues with PTSD, the need to transfer military skills into civilian skills, and more. Check out these resources for career counseling veterans:

Veterans:

Army Career and Alumni Program: http://www.acap.army.mil/

Military Transferable Skills Identification: http://www.vetsuccess.gov/resources/milskills/

Find Civilian Credentials for your Military Skills: https://www.cool.army.mil/

Find Civilian Credentials: https://www.cool.navy.mil/

Military to Civilian Occupation Translator: http://www.acinet.org/acinet/moc/

Military Transition Planning: http://www.careeronestop.org/MilitaryTransition/

Veterans Resources: http://www.auburn.edu/academic/provost/undergrad_studies/career/resources/wrvets.html

Veterans Career Services: http://www.career.arizona.edu/Webresources/?veterans

Job Boards

There are tons of great online job sites out there now- Indeed.com; simplyhired.com; Craigslist, Monster, etc. etc. etc. Here are some more specific job boards to check out:

Job Boards:

Clearance jobs: http://www.clearancejobs.com/index.php

Careers for Transitioning Military: http://www.taonline.com/

Military.com Veteran Careers: http://www.military.com/Careers/Home/

Job Fox: http://jobfox.com/

Executive Jobs: http://www.theladders.com/

Technology Jobs: dice.com

Government: http://www.usajobs.com/

The Chronicle of Higher Education: http://chronicle.com/section/Jobs/61/

Higher Ed Jobs: http://www.higheredjobs.com/

School Spring: http://www.schoolspring.com/

Jobster: http://www.jobster.com/

After College: http://www.aftercollege.com/

Getting Hired: http://gettinghired.com/

NonProfit: http://idealist.org/

Also check out the NCDA's Top Web Tools for America's Job Seekers:

Top Web Tools for America’s Job Seekers: http://associationdatabase.com/aws/NCDA/pt/sd/news_article/28864/_PARENT/layout_details/true

Career Counseling: Employment Statistics

Whenever career counseling someone, it is important to know about the state of the economy, what jobs are on the rise, which ones are on the way out, and generally what's going on in the world. Visit the following sites to find out more about the state of employment:

BLS Local Area Unemployment Stats: http://www.bls.gov/lau/data.htm
State Labor Sites: http://www.bls.gov/oco/oco20024.htm
Occupational Outlook Handbook: http://www.bls.gov/oco/
Occupational Outlook Quarterly: http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/ooqhome.htm
State Occupational Projections: http://www.projectionscentral.com/
Center on Education and the Workforce: http://cew.georgetown.edu/
O*Net Online: http://online.onetcenter.org/

Also check out the Wall Street Journal's "Careers" Section, Money Magazine, Forbes Magazine, and any other business focused newspapers or magazines.

Career Websites Galore!

So, for the next couple of posts I'm going to be straying a bit from pure K-12 school counseling. These next posts will be focusing on career counseling web resources. While career is one of the three ASCA domains, these posts will be focusing on career counseling throughout the lifespan, from K-12 through retirees, as well as some focusing on special population. I hope they're helpful!

My Favorite State College/Career Sites

Each state these days seems to have their own "Career Zone" website which is aimed at helping students, parents, teacher, counselors, and educators alike learn about college and career options, particularly focused on those in that state. While they are run by the states, many of the resources are useful for counselors nation-wide. The following are my favorites:

1) Virginia Career View: http://www.vaview.vt.edu/
Broken down by grades K-5, 6-8, 9-12, 18+, parents, and professionals, it includes information on career and college options.

2) Learn More Indiana: http://www.learnmoreindiana.org/Pages/default.aspx
For those of you who know about the Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP), Indiana has their own system to make sure that their state's guidance programs are up to snuff. How could their site not be great?

Books I Love #1: Richard Scarry

Richard Scarry's books "What Do People Do All Day?" and "Busy Busy Town" are fantastic books for teaching children about careers. In fact, I plan to use them in my internship this fall for our "Elementary Career Day." These books are just wonderful, anyone who has read them cannot gush enough. They are full of illustrations and great storylines to help children learn about what different workers do. My only complaint? They're still a little gender biased.

Lesson Plans Galore!

So, you've just meant your internship supervisor and she's asked you to create a three week lesson plan on responsibilty for third graders. Now, you could come up with some new lessons all on your lonesome. OR, you could visit these two sites and see some lesson plans already prepared by practicing school counselors! Your choice.

1. Missouri Comprehensive Guidance Program: http://missouricareereducation.org/curr/cmd/guidanceplacementG/lessons/index.php
K-12, elementary, middle, and high school lesson plans, totaling 352 in all, PDF downloadable.

2. Florida Dept. of Education Career and Guidance Lesson Plans: http://www.fldoe.org/workforce/programs/cd_lesson.asp
Contains lesson plans for K-12, broken down by age group, focusing on careers, interpersonal communication, self management, and more. Each lesson comes in a PDF or Word Doc for your use.

Fantastic Blog #2: School Counselor Blog

Danielle is a K-12 school counselor, who, like me, has tried to pull some resources together to help school counselors. Check her out to see a video on how to use a pool noodle as a stress-relief tool, career resources, and more!