Welcome to the Year of the Rooster!

A new year and a new semester brings our newest mascot, Roy the Rooster. For those of you who are new to SLCC or if this is your first time checking out our blog, let me explain.  Don't you worry, we are still upholding our Bruin pride!

Every February 8th heralds the dawn of the Chinese New Year. Every year, according to a 12-year cycle, is represented by a different animal. Think of it like the Greek zodiacs we all know and love. Each animal represents general personality traits of someone born that year.  For example, this is the year of the Rooster...  Well not quite yet.  Those born under this sign are generally very outgoing. They tend to get along with other people very well and have no trouble making new friends wherever they go, just like our Mr. Roy.

If you are curious to find out what animal you were born under be sure to check out our Button Bar starting Thursday!

I hope you all enjoy your semester here at SLCC and make sure you say hello to Roy if you see him strutting around campus! 

Strut your stuff in the year of the rooster and peck out a major!

Finals Are Over! Now what do I do?

This is my oldest daughter right this minute.  She's not sure what to do now that finals are over and no projects or papers to write.  

Are you feeling withdrawals from school?  

Need something to do during the winter break?  How about doing some major and career exploration? 

You have time to browse through our social media sites (see links to the side). 

You could job shadow someone or conduct an informational interview. 

How about work on the Major and Career Discovery Series (FREE online course with NO GRADE)?  

(To sign up for the MCDS course, email with the subject line, I Want My MCDS, to  michelle.tuitupou@slcc.edu)

Do some soul searching.

Find out what you like.

Browse through Career Coach.

Take one day to be a couch potato.

Then it's time to explore!

The Close of Fall 2016 (Farewell to Chico)

As another semester comes to a close, we reflect on the Year of the Monkey and our little mascot, Chico.  It has been a great year with 155 free MBTI's given to SLCC students who needed in-depth guidance on choosing a major and career path.  It was also the year we brought Elle Luna, our inspiration for the "100 Days of Career Exploration" campaign.  Elle kicked off our spring semester and spoke about our crossroads between Should and Must.  Do we follow the societal path of finding a job/career, pay our bills, live our lives or do we follow our passion?  What if our passion does not pay the bills?  That was my favorite piece of the conversation.  If your Must doesn't pay the bills, then choose a Should that you would still enjoy but also allows time for your Must.  Great advice!

Chris Redgrave from Zions Bank started our fall semester with a great discussion on generational differences in the workforce and how we can work together.  There's diversity in the current workforce that involves four generations, the most in history, all working under one roof.  How do we combine the work ethics of the baby boomers and Gen Xers versus the need for flexibility and movement with the Millenials and Gen Z's?

Chico has traveled all over campuses and taken part in several events including Resource Fairs, Job Fairs, art displays, and helped start the Humans of SLCC series.  Now Chico must take a break while his successor, the Rooster, takes his place in 2017.  But Houston, we have a problem.  We don't have a name for the Rooster.  So... if you have some ideas on a name for the rooster, please send those to me at michelle.tuitupou@slcc.edu.  Who knows?  Maybe you'll win a really great prize!

If this is your introduction to the blog or the 100 Days of Career Exploration Campaign, the best news is you can still catch up on activities and prior posts.  And if you still need help deciding on a major and career path, take a peek at the resources we offer at the college: http://www.slcc.edu/academicadvising/career-advising/index.aspx

Careers, Coaching, and Basketball

My second daughter and I started coaching Jr. Jazz basketball this year.  My youngest is on a 5th/6th grade girls team and the Rec Center needed coaches.  The last few years I've always hesitated to volunteer for coaching for one reason or another but this year I decided to go for it.  I'm not a basketball player.  I played with neighborhood kids growing up but there were no rules and it was more like football/basketball.  My daughter that's coaching played one year with the Jr. Jazz league and learned a lot.  But neither one of us have coached basketball before.  Our six-girl team is made up of very new girls where the majority of them have never played or have very little experience.  We were able to have one practice before the first game last Saturday.  We failed miserably.  The other team, like a well oiled machine, were running us back and forth across the court and it was a sad, sad game.  But we were able to list the improvements that needed to be made and started addressing those issues at the next practice.

If any of you have been to these Rec league games, you'll notice the parents.  More specifically, the parents who think they know all there is to know about sports and think their child is the next Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant.  In actuality, their child needs just as much work as the brand new person on the team.  These parents are barking orders and side coaching during the game.  And you see the stress it has on the child.  We had one such person at our game last week and in the fourth quarter, that one girl with the wanna-be coach parent was pouting on the bench.  She had had enough and she had given up.  Not something a coach wants to see.

The first practice we held after that sad game, I gathered the girls around for their pep talk.  And this is what I said:  "This is the only time I will EVER tell you to do something like this.  When we are playing our game on Saturdays, you are NOT to listen to your parents or whoever is there supporting you.  You are to sit with the team at all times and ignore all voices except the coaches.  Is that understood?"  The girls smiled and nodded affirmation.  This same training was shown in the movie, Race, about track and field star Jesse Owens.  The football team at the college strolls into the locker room and while they are yelling for the coach and track stars to leave, the coach is yelling over their voices to teach Jesse that no matter what the crowd says or how loud they get, he should only listen for his coaches voice.  Nothing and no one else should get through his concentration.  Let's see if the girls follow these instructions in our next game on Saturday.

How many of us are like those parents in the stands trying to coach from the sidelines?  Let me tell you, it's not easy being in the coach's seat.  Anyone can coach from the stands.  Heck, I've done that in the past.  I do that now when I watch football.  But how many of us can see what other people should be doing in their lives yet we can't see what our own future should be like?  How many of us shy away from being in that hot seat when it comes to major and career exploration yet we can call out from the sidelines all kinds of advice and suggestions to everyone else?  What would it take to get you from being the "sideline coach" to the actual coach and start taking control of the game (ie. your life)?  What tools do you need to become a better coach in your own life so you can tune out the other voices around you and focus on what would make the best YOU? 

Salt Lake Community College is a great team.  It's an awesome team.  And we work together to teach you how to play, how to learn, how to grow.  We also teach you skills that will help you throughout your life.  One of those skills is taking the initiative to start researching your major and career path.  We have our #100daysSLCC campaign that uses social media and guides you through the major and career exploration process.  We have career assessments that can help you discover your personality and your interests so you can narrow down your scope of career paths.  We have a free online course that can help you work through the exploration process because it takes time.

The time to sit in that coach's seat is NOW.  Tune out the people in the stands.  Listen to your fellow coaches (ie. advisors).  Take advantage of the tools that will guide you to the winners circle.  It's not too late.

Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/100daysSLCC/?ref=bookmarks
Twitter  https://twitter.com/slccadvising
Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/100daysslcc/
SLCC Career Advising  http://www.slcc.edu/academicadvising/career-advising/index.aspx

Sociology and Beyond (Stop Asking Me My Major)

During my daughter's freshmen year in college, she decided she wanted to be a Sociology major. All from taking the Sociology 1010 class from an amazing professor. Before registering for her next semester, she met with the Sociology advisor, planned out classes, and declared her major.  Loud and clear.  She was extremely proud of Sociology, the idea of social justice, and obtaining a few certificates along the way such as Criminology and a Writing certificate. Guess what people ask her when she tells them she's a Sociology major?  Guess what reactions (facial, body language, or otherwise) she receives when she says she's a Sociology major?  Can you see where I'm going with this?  The big question that eventually comes out:

What can you do with a major in Sociology?

As I see the smoke coming out of her head and her fists balled up at her sides, I can feel her pain. Her father, who has a Biology degree with a minor in Chemistry, tells her Sociology is not a real science. My stepmom treats her differently from my niece who is an Elementary Education major.  One of her high school science teachers looked disappointed as she proudly declared she was studying Sociology. The question always comes up, "What kind of job can you get with Sociology?  What are you doing with your life? Have you really thought about this?"  The following article is a wonderful look at parents and the ideas they put into their students' heads by asking a simple (yet loaded) question:

What can you do with a major in ......

http://www.chronicle.com/article/Stop-Asking-Me-My-Major/63453/

I keep telling my daughter, "As long as you love the subject area and you are successful with your coursework and grades, you'll find your path." This has already been proven with scholarships. During her second semester, she applied and was awarded a large scholarship through the Sociology department for her second year.  And, she's been talking a lot about Social Justice.  Her younger sister told her, "Why don't you go to Law School already?  Since you want to make a change?"  Guess what is on my oldest daughter's mind now?  Yup.  And her uncle, who was a state prosecutor for many years and is now a circuit court judge, is very excited about the prospect.  She's happy.  She's content. She's thriving.  And did I mention she's happy?  Read the article.  Find what you love.  Take some career assessments.  Speak with a career advisor.  In the end, with research and dedication, you'll find your path in life.  And you'll be successful.

For more information about career assessments, go to http://www.slcc.edu/academicadvising/career-advising/assessments.aspx

Humans of SLCC #3

I haven’t really had that easy of a life. My mom only had her high school diploma but she encouraged us to do good at school. She had a hard time holding down a job due to being a single mom of 3 children who weren’t always in the best of health. When I was about 9 my mom had me and my two younger siblings move in with my aunt. I lost faith in my religion and had a hard time coping with the loss of my mother, but I knew I had to be strong for my brother (age 4) and sister (age 6).

My aunt never had children of her own so she was thrilled and terrified at the same time. Like my mom she encouraged us to excel in school. She even put me into an advanced class called ELP at my elementary school. I was a really bright kid and was getting more excited about growing up. I breezed through the rest of elementary and did pretty well in 7^th and 8^th grade. It wasn’t until 9^th grade that I lost my motivation. I struggled through high school and after a traumatic experience I went through at the age of 16 I decided to move back in with my mom in Washington.

My motivation came back ever so slightly and I started to plan for college. I was planning on enrolling into Seattle Community College when some unexpected events happened and my mom, sister, and I moved back to Utah. I dropped my plans for college and focused on work and providing for my family.

After I lost my job I had a choice…. Work another crap job for some crap money and get nowhere in life or just take a huge leap and enroll in college. The choice was pretty obvious to me, but unfortunately some people didn’t agree. I admit it’s been a struggle to get back into the swing of things, but I’ve created a plan thanks to some of our lovely Academic Advisors, shout out to Michelle and LuAnn!!!!

I’m excited for life again and can’t wait to see what is in store for me!

Introducing our new work study student, Anastasia!  She will be helping with our #100daysSLCC campaign so when you see her with the Button Bar, stop by and say hello.  Anastasia was originally planning on becoming an elementary school teacher but has changed her mind.  She's taken the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and Strong Interest Inventory (SII) along with completing the interpretations and is working through her own major and career exploration process.  She is also training in our career resources so she can answer your questions.  Welcome, Anastasia, to SLCC!

Trust

I'm reading a book right now called The Speed of Trust by Stephen M R Covey.  (His dad wrote the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.)  In the very first chapter, Covey writes about working on the merger that created FranklinCovey and the most important element of that merger:  Trust.  He applies this concept to the business world.  If trust is high, speed is up and cost is low.  But if trust is low, speed is slow and cost is high.  How does this apply to major and career exploration?  What tools have you used, and trusted, to assist with making your decision on a major?  What resources were untrustworthy?  Possibly the personality test on which celebrity you are most like?  Or which animal do you take after?  Of course those are fun but not necessarily something you would use to make a significant decision towards a career path.  So what tools and resources does SLCC provide to steer you on the right path towards completing a program and finding a fulfilling career?

Myers Briggs Type Indicator:  Created over 60 years ago and continually tested for validity.  Used not only in major and career decision making but also used for team building in companies and couples relationship building.  Low, low cost of $25 which comes with a one-hour advisor session, a couple of informative packets, and follow up tasks to help with researching careers.
http://bit.ly/careerassess-slcc

Strong Interest Inventory:  Created almost 90 years ago to assist exiting military personnel find suitable jobs.  Colleges and universities still use this tool for current students to discover strengths and how that applies to career fields.
http://bit.ly/careerassess-slcc

Bureau of Labor Statistics:  Real time information regarding jobs, up and coming fields, future outlook on job trends, basically everything you want to know about the workforce.
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/

Career Coach:  Take an interests assessment and look for job information including salary ranges, job outlook in the next 10 years, list of tasks, education required, and current job openings.  This is real time information and covers the Salt Lake valley.
https://slcc.emsicareercoach.com/

Onet:  This gives the same information as Career Coach but on a national level.  If you plan on moving out of the Salt Lake valley for your career, Onet can help.
www.onetonline.org