Dream It. Do It.

"What are you interested in pursuing after graduation?"

That question strikes fear in the hearts of many high school students--at least those who don't want to be crime scene investigators (Thanks, CSI).

Dream It. Do It. is a new campaign by the National Association of Manufacturers that encourages young people to look at an amazing array of job opportunities.

The Dream It. Do It. Web site has a cool online career toolkit that includes a dream career quiz, a career calculator and even a business card designer (see the graphic)!

Local organizations are working to bring Dream It. Do It. to Minnesota. In the meantime, share the Web site with the young people in your life. It just might open up some awesome career avenues for them.

Career discovery from outer space to out your backyard

Area students in 7th-9th grades will have a chance to talk to an astronaut and tour some of the many industries in the Fergus Falls area on Thursday, Oct. 16 as part of Career Discovery Day.

The daylong event kicks off at MSCTC-Fergus Falls with a keynote audio hook-up with astronaut Karen Nyberg, who flew the space shuttle this year. From there, students and parents will take field trips to some of this region’s key businesses in technology, energy and healthcare.

The $5 tuition includes bus transportation from the college campus to sites in and around Fergus Falls, plus a sack lunch featuring local food products.

And kids won’t even miss a day of school.

"We chose October 16 because kids will have that day open because of their MEA break," says Cary Bergo of Rural MN CEP, Fergus Falls WorkForce Center, one of the organizers of the event. "Kids can choose a discovery track in the areas of technology, healthcare or energy and see not only how things are made, but get to meet the people in those jobs. And we’re not taking them away from school; on the contrary, we hope parents will find this to be valuable learning time for their kids."

Parents are welcome to spend the day with their child exploring this area’s business and industry leaders. Tours and presentations will be given by StoneL, Otter Tail Power, Sara Lee, Vinylite, Otter Tail Ag, Thiele Technology and Lake Region Hospital. Students choosing to take the Healthcare discovery trail will also be introduced to the Fergus Falls - MSCTC Nursing Program’s SIM man.

Space is limited so early registration is suggested. Students in 7th, 8th and 9th grades within about 30 miles of Fergus Falls are eligible.

Register your child (and yourself!) and learn more.

This exciting event is made possible through a workforce development pilot project grant by the West Central Initiative.

Adventures in renewable energy--Ethanol

Renewable Works! is putting out a series of brochures on Minnesota careers in renewable energy industries. In addition, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system has information on education and career ladders for jobs in the renewable energy sector to make career planning a whole lot easier.

Take a look these Ethanol career pathways.

It's never too early (or too late!) for career planning

Do you know what career your child is interested in pursuing? Many parents don’t. And don’t be surprised if your child doesn’t know either. That’s a problem, because it’s good for your children to start early—as early as eighth grade—thinking about their interests and skills and how these could translate into a career.

MnCareers (www.iseek.org/mncareers) is a great place for students to start looking into careers. They can click on “Start Exploring” and take the online interest assessment. “Investigate Careers” describes many possible occupations that match their interests. There are resources available for parents, too.

Don’t think your child has to move far away from home to get a good job, either. There are many high-demand, high-pay occupations throughout west central Minnesota. The 2008 MnCareers supplement details the kinds of workers that are needed in this area, plus education requirements and potential wages. Download a PDF of the supplement, or learn more at www.iseek.org/mncareers/myplace/edr4.html or www.iseek.org/westcentral/.

Been out of school for a while? The same online tools can be applied to YOUR job search!