CAREERS
What do you want to be when you grow up? What education is required for your career choice? What will you be doing on an average day once you begin your profession? Find out what careers match your strengths, and explore the variety of job possibilities that await you in the 21st century. Use the direct links on the Times Launchpoint Web site:
https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/
Here are the best sites for getting your schoolwork done or for just having fun.
Level 1
The Future is Yours! Do you want to be a scientist when you grow up? Meet a chemist, a geologist, and a physicist at the University of Tennessee, and find out what they do.
https://loki.ur.utk.edu/ut2kids/ scientists/girlsintro.html
Women in Nontraditional Roles. Wonder what it’s like to be a plumber? A minister? A cancer researcher? An administrative lieutenant in a fire department? Hear what women holding these jobs think about their work.
https://www.gms.ocps.k12.fl.us/ mentor/mentor.html
Sea World: Guide to Zoological Park Careers. Interested in working with animals? Maybe even working at an animal theme park or zoo? This site gives job descriptions and job qualifications for different animal-related careers.
https://www.seaworld.org/ Zoo_Careers/zoocareers.html
Level 2
Welcome to FutureScan. Get your questions answered on careers in architecture, the environment, law, and veterinary medicine. Find out how to make whatever career you are dreaming of a reality through some pointers by an experienced career planner.
https://www.futurescan.com
College Board Career Search. Don’t have a clue about your future? This site provides an extensive survey that links your goals and interests to real careers. Read about working conditions, training, earnings and other information on more than 30 occupational fields.
https://www.collegeboard.org/ career/bin/career.pl
It’s a Living! Find out what it’s like to be an entrepreneur and your own boss. Read about how a woman who used to get in trouble for talking too much in class became a successful advocate for the Environmental Protection Agency.
https://www.girlzone.com/html/downtheroad.html
Level 3
Career Counseling for Teenagers. This site helps you think about important questions, such as how much money you need to live on your own, the difference between a career and a job, and how much education you need to qualify for the highest-paying jobs.
https://www.fileshop.com/personal/ gbyron/main.html
The Princeton Review: So You Want a Career. An extensive online career center. Identify your interests and working styles through an online survey and explore different careers. Learn how to apply for internships, find jobs, write resumes, compose cover letters, and handle interviews.
https://www.review.com/careers
Women of NASA. Learn about the wide variety of careers available for people with math and science educations: technical writers, astronauts, electronics engineers, space physicists, and more. Find out what a typical day on the job is like.
https://quest.arc.nasa.gov/ women/intro.html
Launch Point is produced by the UC Irvine department of education, which reviews each site for appropriateness and quality. Even so, parents should supervise their children’s use of the Internet. This week’s column was designed by Hiep Bui, Molly Henry, Kelli Gaines, Anna Manring and Stan Woo-Sam.
EXPLORER’S QUEST
The answer to this Internet quiz can be found in the sites at right.
Why is a high school diploma critical to getting a job?
Clue: See Career Counseling for Teenagers
Tell Us What You Want To Know
Got a paper or project coming up? Just curious about something? Send us a topic, and we’ll consider it for a future Launch Point column. Write to us at The Times Orange County, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626. E-mail us at educ@latimes.com or leave a phone message at (714) 966-4550.
Answer to last week’s Quest:
Leafy vegetables are a good source of vitamin E, as are sunflower seeds, corn and nuts.