01-03-22 Exploring Green Career Pathways Guest Audra Lavoie, Career Education Specialist, University of Rhode Island
Life is a journey, and all along our career pathways, we are constantly asking ourselves a lot of questions: “Do I enjoy my work?” “Am I using my abilities and talents?” “What new skills would I like to develop?” “What kind of tasks interest me and why?” “Where can I have a positive impact?”
The answers may seem elusive, and that is normal. A change of direction is also normal. If a young person seeks a career that will benefit the environment, they might begin by pursuing studies at the University of Rhode Island’s College of Environmental and Life Sciences. Then while exploring one particular area of interest, a student might discover a new and unexpected interest they never even knew existed, and this may instigate change. The college offers a broad choice of undergraduate programs, including Biological Science, Environmental Science and Management, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Marine Biology, Green Business, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems. These disciplines are largely interconnected.
Special guest, Audra Lavoie, MPA, is a career development practitioner with over 10 years of work in workforce, higher education and business. Today, she serves University of Rhode Island undergraduate students from a variety of majors, including those in the College of Environmental and Life Sciences. Audra has experience in recruitment, internship programming, advising and extensive resume writing. Her strength is in normalizing the challenges and changes involved in the career search process. This is a valuable episode for all students and adults who wish to explore mindful career options or career changes.
INFORMATION RESOURCES University of Rhode Island Career Center for Experiential Education – https://web.uri.edu/career/environment-sustainability-life-sciences/ Exploration activities
- Mark Savickas Career Construction Theory – http://vocopher.com/CSI/CCI.pdf [vocopher.com]
- “7 lessons about finding the work you were meant to do” – https://ideas.ted.com/7-lessons-about-finding-the-work-you-were-meant-to-do/
- “Wander Mapping” brainstorming activity video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=804tHdq7yEc
- “Wander Mapping” written summary – http://info.brooklyn.cuny.edu/confluence/download/attachments/2588825/Wandering%20Map.pdf?version=1&modificationDate=1500914251553&api=v2
- Ikigai: Japanese concept meaning reason for living. Ikigai is about finding purpose – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhuGMV2CEbI
- Personal Mission Statement reflection activity to identify what is important to you – https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NnOIwdXdX2vTOPy8FDZp404-4Fb1NNDTrONQKHWDCTw/edit
- o*net interest profile assessment: My Next Move – https://www.mynextmove.org/explore/ip
- Truity personality assessment – https://www.truity.com/test/type-finder-personality-test-new
Industry data bases
- o*net online tool for career exploration and job analysis – https://www.onetonline.org/
- Bureau of Labor and Statistics database – summary of occupation, predicted trajectory, and thoughts on how to develop the path – https://www.bls.gov/
- Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training – labor market information – https://dlt.ri.gov/labor-market-information
- Buzzfile: Who hires by major (good for exploring companies) – https://www.buzzfile.com/Major/Employers-by-Major
Teacher resources
- Skills employers are asking for (article) – https://www.naceweb.org/talent-acquisition/candidate-selection/problem-solving-skills-top-attributes-employers-seeking-on-resumes
- RI School Counselor Association – https://www.rischoolcounselor.org/
- Paws in Jobland (elementary) – https://www.xap.com/paws/
- Junior Achievment (materials): Also note, this organization does programs at schools – https://juniorachievementusa.formstack.com/forms/vol_videos_reg
People to talk to
- Career advisors and counselors at your school
- Alumni from programs you have been a part of
- Employers
- Family/Friends/Connections – tell them about the skills you want to use and areas of interest.
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