Wayne RESA's Career Counselors & Postsecondary Navigator bring you up-to-date information to help assist your child on their career journey. With the support of our local schools, we aim to provide resources leading to career and postsecondary success for all Wayne County students.

Job Jams is a YouTube series created by a Minneapolis couple who wanted to improve online content for their kids and inspire them to think about the future. From beekeeping to paleontology, each episode gives kids a glimpse into a day in the life of that job. Check it out when you have time. Each video has fun images and upbeat music to keep children engaged and help them learn more about the world of work. Feel free to check it out or share.

Here’s the collection of their entire video series:

https://www.youtube.com/@JobJams/videos.

Enjoy!

This is the third installment of this year's Career Counselor Connections for parents and other caregivers.

CC Connections

Help! My student is undecided about their next steps. How can I help?

April 5, 2023 @ 6pm - Zoom

Wayne RESA's Career Counselors share resources to help your student along their career development journey. This includes how to start a conversation at home, exploration strategies, summer opportunities and online career resources. All parents of middle & high school students are welcome!

Register below for this online opportunity.

This publication highlights Michigan’s high-demand, high-wage careers that show a favorable mix of projected long-term job growth, projected annual job openings, and median wages through 2030.

There are many occupations that don’t require a four year degree. Sit down with your student and review all of the careers to see how many careers they express an interest.

March’s career focus is Information Technology and Apprenticeships. Check out the following careers from the HOT 50 your student might be interested in:

Computer and Information Systems Analysts

Cyber Security Analyst (or Information Security Analyst)

Software Development and Quality Assurance Analyst

Carpenters

Electricians

Industrial Machinery Mechanics

Machinist

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

by Brad Minton (Postsecondary Success Navigator)

As senior year starts to wind down, like clock-work, many students will talk about and share their postsecondary plans with their friends. Inevitably, the subject of pursuing college or university will come into this discussion.

Having worked in higher education for over 10 years, I’ve encountered so many young people who understand the importance of education and enroll in college, but haven’t really stopped to think about what they truly want for their career and future. For this reason I find so many student’s who are undecided about their career lose motivation very quickly and will often struggle academically or even drop out after a semester or two.

The analogy I use is starting to run a race without knowing where the finish line is or what you get if you do finish. It takes considerable physical energy to run a race and at some point during that run, it’s natural to question the reason you’re running in the first place. For college students it’s no different. In college,students will have a combination of more work and more independence than they’ve ever had before. Without self-motivation and clarity on their direction things can quickly fall apart.

The time seniors have left in high school is the prime opportunity to do some self-exploration work with a Career Counselor and clarify their postsecondary plans. It’s essential that they examine their decision to pursue college as being truly aligned with their life and career goals.Fulfilling, high-demand and high-wage careers manifest through numerous tracks including trade schools, job training programs and apprenticeships. Pursuing higher education is an amazing investment that yields life-long rewards,however it will still require considerable motivational capital on the part of the student in order to achieve success.

Proactively making time for health & wellness assists our students in achieving their career & postsecondary goals. In every newsletter, we'll offer tips & resources to help keep you & your student's wellness a priority.

It’s that time of year again to Spring Ahead. We use the term to represent moving the time up an hour each year for Daylight Savings. We lose an hour. Researchers are discovering that “springing ahead” each March is connected with serious negative health effects, including an uptick in heart attacks and teen sleep deprivation. Why can’t we handle losing just one hour? Could it be because we are already feeling overwhelmed?

Feeling overwhelmed is a part of experiencing life in our society. Although one can be overwhelmed with feelings of joy and excitement, most of the time feeling overwhelmed is associated with stress. We are responsible for figuring out what works best for us to manage the stress. However, many of us are not taught how to calm ourselves when it happens. In the article, “Overwhelmed: Definition, Feelings & Symptoms,” Justine Saavedra provides exercises to relieve the stress of feeling overwhelmed.

Feeling overwhelmed is an intense emotional or physical reaction to thoughts, worries, events and situations. A high school senior may feel overwhelmed due to deadlines, finances, extra-curricular activities, obligations, and decision-making. Adults may feel overwhelmed by life due to finances, parenting, work, health and marriage. When faced with the negative experience of being stressed, these psychological and physical symptoms may appear:

· Lose sleep over worry

· Constantly under strain

· Unable to concentrate

· Unable to enjoy normal activities

· Unable to face up to problems

· Not capable of making decisions

Saavedra lists ways to begin to eliminate some of the stress. He suggests:

1) Figure out what specific dimensions of your life are causing you the most stress.

2) Identify the cause of overwhelm you can most easily change.

3) Make a plan to modify your behavior and stick to your plan.

Consider watching the following videos to learn about some other tools to deal with feeling overwhelmed.

· How to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed Right Now

· Overcoming Overwhelm

· Overwhelmed by Stress? Think Like a Scuba Diver

1 Malow, B. Daylight Savings Time: A Medical Nightmare? A Neurologist Weighs In. Vanderbilt University. March 2023.

Every newsletter we'll shine the light on a different career field with our Workforce Spotlight!

A Cyber Security Analyst (or Information Security Analyst) monitors security measures, assesses system vulnerabilities for security risks, and responds to computer security breaches and viruses.

What is a Flowcode? A Flowcode is a branded QR code, scannable by cell phone cameras. Once scanned, it will take the user to our Wayne RESA Department of Workforce Development's linktree. Our linktree page, houses all of our links to a variety of important resources and events.

Check out our Wayne RESA flowcode & linktree today!

Every April we celebrate National Volunteer Month. Volunteering is a great way to build a first resume, build skills, contribute to the community, and make connections. To get started, consider helping a neighbor with their landscaping, sign up to read to an elementary class, or start a toy drive at your school for those in need.

Indeed.com highlights some other things to consider before you volunteer.

Check out the article here.

Wayne Region's MiSTEM Network has programs & opportunities for students in all grades. Click on the Career Pathway Poster below for details & descriptions.

In partnership with the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, we are expanding our financial aid programs to include the Wayne State Guarantee, which provides tuition assistance for eligible students, so they incur zero out-of-pocket expenses.

The Wayne State Guarantee is open to all Pell Grant-eligible Michigan residents, as well as most families who earn $70,000 or less and have $50,000 or less in assets.

Financial aid award letters can often times be difficult to understand. That is why MI Student Aid has developed the Understanding Your Award Letter web page!

High school students and their families/caregivers interested in learning more about this helpful resource are encouraged to register for an informational webinar provided by Michigan Department of Treasury’s MI Student Aid team.

Participants will be able to:

• Gain a better understanding of how to approach comparing multiple college financial aid award letters
• Utilize online tools to help you make the best financial decision
• Better understand the individual awards offered and applicable requirements of scholarships, grants, and Federal loan options
• Identify additional scholarship search resources and easy to use budgeting tools
• Submit general aid related questions via Q&A and receive real-time answers from Michigan Department of Treasury’s MI Student Aid team

All sessions are free of charge and open to the public. Please register for one session only, as space is limited.

Detroit Carpenter and Millwright's Training Center invites you to visit their "campus," a state-of-the-art skilled trades training center where apprentices learn lifelong skills and earn credentials that are recognized in all 50 states and Canada. Students earn while they learn and incur no student debt.

You will hear from their staff, an apprentice, and a contractor partner about all the different career opportunities a skilled trades education provides.

Register Here

No experience is necessary. Whether you are graduating high school, looking to change careers, or already employed in the skilled trades, contractors are looking to hire. This career hiring combine will give you the opportunity to go through a skills course designed to highlight your knowledge and hustle. You will receive an assessment upon completing the course and then have the chance to speak with and be interviewed by our contractors looking to hire for this construction season.

Register Here

DAPCEP Saturday courses are foundational STEM courses that prepare pre-K to 12th grade students to pursue advanced STEM educational pathways. Taking place in both the Fall and Spring, terms range from 6 to 8 weeks (our youngest learners in the Explorers program participate for 8 weeks). Courses take place both virtually, and in-person. Topics include: artificial intelligence, robotics, aerodynamics, computer programming, coding, chemical and engineering, artificial intelligence, and many more.

CCS is offering virtual career events to learn more about their majors & a future career in:

• * Entertainment Arts - Animation
• * Entertainment Arts - Game Design
• * Art Education
• * Illustration
• * Interior Design
• * Film
• * Communication Design
• * Photography
• * Product Design

.... and more

Remember to check out local recreation departments, libraries, and other community resources for additional summer camps and events.

Join us for another year of Spark! Camps at the Michigan Science Center. Campers will explore Mi-Sci’s 220+ interactive exhibits, engage in immersive theater experiences, and investigate science phenomena through hands-on activities and experiments.

Whether it’s preparing for human exploration on Mars or experimenting with different states of matter, kids will be inspired to discover new concepts in a safe and engaging environment.

Questions? Contact: Camps@mi-sci.org

The Teen Arts Council is a group of 12 high school students who design and implement meaningful, empowering, and entertaining programs for metro Detroit teens. Focused on community building, social justice, and culture, this group of creative and energized teens seeks to create a space within the Detroit Institute of Arts that gives voice and a creative outlet to youth.

As employees of the Detroit Institute of Arts, the council builds relationships with museum staff across departments, as well as museum partners, allowing them to expand their network of artists, local college faculty, and museum professionals.

Program & Contact Information Here

Join the more than 1,300 seasonal park workers hired each summer/fall to work in Michigan's state parks and state harbors.

Take the next step and contact us!

To express interest in a position, all you have to do is complete the form below. Your information will then be shared with specific location(s) in which you are interested. You may be contacted directly if those location(s) have a current opening.

Seasonal park workers:

• • Flexible scheduling (up to 1,040 hours between April and October 2023).
  • Starting wage $15/ hour
  • 18 years of age or have a high school diploma or equivalent preferred.
  • Are required to pass a pre-employment drug test and background check.
  • Position may qualify for academic or internship credit (applicants should contact their academic advisor for eligibility requirements).

To help find the right location for you (if you don't already have one in mind), visit this map of park and harbor work locations.

Scan the QR code or click on the image.