BridgeYear's Career Test Drive® Fair Booklet (Fall 2024)

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THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

BridgeYear would like to thank the following companies for sponsoring a variety of high-growth, in-demand careers for BridgeYear’s Career Test Drive® Fair.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD JOB, GOOD?

LivingWage

Alivingwageisthesalaryneededtoaffordabasicliving standard.Asingleadultwithoutchildrenneedsabout $15/hourinHouston.Livingwageonlyconsidersbasicneeds suchashousing,food,transport,andhealthcare.

CareerLadders

Youremployershouldofferopportunitiestotakeonmore responsibilityandmoveup.Thiscanbeintheformofsalary raisesand/orpromotionstohigherpositions.Agreatcareer ladderclearlyoutlinesthepathsyoucantake.

Development

Someemployersmayoffertopayforcollegeoradditional trainingsasaninvestmentinYOU!Typicallyacompanywill requestacertainnumberofyearsofemploymentwiththe companyinexchange.

HealthInsurance

Youremployershouldoffertocoversome,orall,ofyour insurancecosts.Ifemployer-sponsoredhealthinsuranceis notoffered,thereareotheroptionstopurchasecoverage directlyfrominsurancecompanies.

RetirementPlans

Retirementplanslikea401kallowyoutosavemoneyfor expensesyou’llhaveafteryoustopworking.You’llbeableto accessthesefundsattheageof59orolder.Greatemployers matchyourcontributionuptoapercentage.

THINGS TO KEEP AFTER HIGH SCHOOL

ProfessionalEmail

Create an email and check it at least once a day. Make sure your email is professional: “firstnamelastname@gmail.com” versus“catgurl2@gmail.com”.

HighSchoolTranscript

Keepyourtranscriptinanunopened,sealedenvelope.Most academicinstitutionswillaskforproofofhighschool completionoritsequivalency.Yourfinaltranscriptwillbe availablefromyourschoolregistrar.

ImportantDocuments/Numbers

Makesureyouhavecopiesofthefollowing:yoursocial securitycardorworkauthorizationnumber,FSAIDlog-in (whenapplyingforFAFSA),state-issuedidentification,anda recentphotoIDfromyourhighschooloravalidpassport.

ShotRecord

Collegesandcertainindustries(likehealthcare)requirea copyofyourimmunizationrecord.Itisbesttogetyour necessaryshotsbeforeyouturn18astheyareoftenfreeor lowcostforminors.

TaxForms

Keepallyear-endW2'sandcompletedtaxdocumentsfor yourselfandyourparentsorguardians.Youmayneedthese documentstoapplyforfinancialaid.

QUESTIONS TO ASK SCHOOLS PRIOR TO ENROLLMENT

Howmucharetuition&feesformyprogram?

Thisinformationmaybelistedonaschool'swebsite.Make sureyouknowifbooksandothersuppliesareincludedinthe fees.Evenifthetuitionandfeesarelisted,confirmthe informationisfortheacademicyearyouplantoenroll.

Howmuchdebtdoestheaveragestudentgraduatewith?

Lookforprogramswherethisnumberislow.Ideally,you wanttograduatewithlittletonodebt;aimtohavelessdebt thanwhatyouanticipatetomakewithinyourfirstyearof work.

Whatpercentageofstudentsgraduate?

Lookforahighpercentageofstudentsgraduatingwithinthe timelinetheschooladvertises.Thismeansstudentsaren’t wastingmoneyandtime,haveaccesstotheclassesthey need,andarebeingsupportedbytheschool’sstaff.

Whatisthejobplacementrate?

Askhowthisnumberiscalculated;itisusuallythenumberof graduateswhoareplacedinanindustry-relatedjobwithin sixmonthsofgraduating.Thisnumbershouldbehigh-over 75percent.

Whataccreditations/endorsementsdoestheschoolhold?

Yourschoolshouldbeaccreditedbyareputableagency approvedbytheDepartmentofEducation.Sometrade industryassociationsalsoendorseschoolsasideal institutionsforthatfieldofstudy.

WHAT ARE THE POTENTIAL CAREER PATHWAYS AFTER

HIGH SCHOOL?

AON-THE-JOBTRAINING(APPRENTICESHIP)

<1YEAR

•Ajobthatpaysyoutolearn“onthejob”isknownasanapprenticeship.

•Youearnalicenseafter1-2yearsofemploymentthrough“learnwhileyouearn”

•Asanapprentice,you’llworkundertheguidanceofacertifiedorlicensedexpertinthefield.

•Youmustbewillingtoworkyourwayup!

B1YEAR CERTIFICATE

•Aprogramthattakesoneyearorlessleadstoearningacertificate.

•Certificateprogramsprepareyouforaspecificskilland/orcareer.

•Typically,youdon’ttakegeneraleducationclasses(history,socialsciences,etc.).

•YoucanuseyourcertificatecoursestowardanAssociateofAppliedScience.

•Greatchoiceifyouwanttofocusononecareerpath

DCASSOCIATEOFAPPLIEDSCIENCE

2YEARS

•The“hands-on,”ready-for-work2-yeardegreethatpreparesyouforemployment.

•UsuallyrequiresprerequisitegeneraleducationclasseslikemathandEnglish.

•Oftentaughtinsimulatedworkplaceenvironmentsrightoncampus.

•Greatchoiceifyouwanttoworkinhighlytechnicalhands-onprofessions

•Uponcompletionyouwillbepreparedforanentry-levelpositionorhigher.

ASSOCIATE/BACHELOR'S

2-4YEARS

•A2-yeardegreethatdoesn’ttrainyouforaspecificjobisknownasanAssociateofArtsor AssociateofScience.CreditsfromeitherdegreecanbeusedtopursueaBachelor’sdegree.

•A4-yeardegreeisknownasaBachelorofArtsorBachelorofScience.

•Bothdegreesofferflexibilityinfuturecareerpathsandcanbebroadlyappliedtomanyfields.

•Bothdegreesareoftenrequiredtoadvanceintohighermanagementandexecutivepositions.

WHICH PATHWAY IS FOR ME?

Iknowwhatcareer Iwanttopursue

Ienjoylearningina traditionalclassroom environment

OnlywhenIlike thetopic

I'minterestedin stayinginschoolfor twoormoreyears

Ienjoyhandson projects

Iwanttolearn onthejob

IfIabsolutelyHADto taketraditionalclasses likemathandreading...

I'dratherfind somethingelse I'dratherlearn theskills beforeworking

Iwanttokeepmy careeroptionsopen.

I'dmakeit happen

Havingacollege degreeisimportant tome

MorePathways is a website where you can search low-cost, short-term career training programs and explore careers requiring less than a 4 year degree.

ComprehensiveFilters

Filter training programs based on criteria such as cost, duration, eligibility, location, and more.

DetailedProgramInformation

Learn about a training program’s eligibility requirements, benefits, outcomes, and contact information.

TrainingProgramComparison

Select 'compare' to explore program details, including training costs, duration, credentials earned, and other features.

SaveandAccessTrainings

Save careers and programs for later and access training applications.

ChatwithanAdvisor

Schedule meetings with a BridgeYear Advisor for personalized help.

$14-26/HR ENTRY WAGE

Automotivetechniciansinspect,maintain,andrepairvehicles.Theymust accuratelydiagnoseavehicle’sproblemandeffectivelyfixtheissue.They

DesiredSkillSet

Automotive Technician

PATHWAYS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL

Biological Technician

$17-30/HR

ENTRY WAGE

Biologicaltechniciansassistinpreparingandoperatinglaboratory equipmentusedtoconductbiologicalresearchandbiomanufacturing processes.Theyadheretostrictlaboratoryprotocolsandmaintainaclean environmenttoensureaccurateresultsandqualityproducts.

Analytical Skills

DesiredSkillSet

PATHWAYS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL

Certificateinelectrical

**Notrequired;thisis forstudentswhowant tolearnthebasicsina classroomsetting beforebeginningan apprenticeship

Manufacturing Technician

$11-26/HR

ENTRY WAGE

Manufacturingtechniciansareinchargeofoperating,maintaining,and quality-checkingmachineryusedintheproductionofgoods,ensuringthat manufacturingequipmentrunsefficientlyandmeetsqualitystandards throughoutthewholeprocess.

$16-29/HR ENTRY WAGE

Anetworktechnician'sjobistoinstall,test,andmaintaininternetsystemsin homes,businessoffices,schools,andresearchlabs.Theyinstallcomputer networks,connections,andcablingandperformqualityassurancetestsaccording tospecifications.Thiscareerisextremelyvaluablesinceinternetisfoundational tothefunctioningofbusinessesandorganizationsinourcurrentdigitalage.

Apharmacytechnician'sroleistoaccuratelyandefficientlyfillmedications, utilizeprescriptiondataentrysystemsandtroubleshootinsuranceclaims. The workofapharmacytechnicianisveryimportantsincepatientsneedtheir medicineforanymultitudeofpersonalhealthreasons.

DesiredSkillSet

$11-21/HR ENTRY WAGE

Phlebotomistsaretrainedtocollectbloodsamplesforresearch,testing, donations,ortransfusions.Theyverifythebloodtestsrequestedbya physicianorapatient,drawbloodsamples,preparethesamples,andbring themtothelab.

DesiredSkillSet

$15-27/HR

ENTRY WAGE

Plumbersinstall,maintain,diagnose,andrepairpipingsystemsforwater, drainage,sanitation,andothernecessitiesinhomesandbusinesses. Experiencedplumberscanbeinvolvedindevelopingblueprintsindicating placementofallpipesandfixtures.

RefineryOperator

$17-31/HR

ENTRY WAGE

RefineryOperatorsmove&turnlevers,knobs,andswitchestoadjust& monitorvariablessuchastemperature,pressure,flow,level,andtime; keepingmeticulousrecords.Thishelpsensuresafeandreliabledistillation ofcrudeoilornaturalgastoproduceavarietyofrefinedproductswith manyuses.

DesiredSkillSet

SurgicalTechnologist

$19-30/HR

SurgicalTechnologistarepartofasurgicaloperatingteam.Theirresponsibilities include:ensuringtheoperatingfieldissterilebefore,during,andaftersurgeries, assistingthesurgeonbypassingsterileinstruments,andmaintainingcounts. SurgicalTechnologistspreparetheinstrumenttablesandmaterialspriortothe arrivalofthesurgeon.

DesiredSkillSet

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BridgeYear&#39;s Career Test Drive® Fair Booklet (Fall 2024) by BridgeYear - Issuu