Career Portfolio 1

Career Portfolio

Olivia Sandy Freshman Seminar UCOL 1200 Professor Quintero September 17, 2013

Career Portfolio 2 As an eighteen year old incoming freshman coming to The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, I obviously had no idea what I wanted to do with my life at that point. Because I was not sure about what I wanted to major in, I told my advisors and Orientation Counselors that I was thinking about pursuing a career in business. Initially, I knew absolutely nothing about business, honestly I just told my counselor thats what I was thinking about doing because thats what my parents wanted me to learn more about. Since I got into school at UNCC under an undeclared major, I had to meet with a wonderful advisor named Laiko Quintero. Her job was basically to help us undecided students understand the requirements and prerequisites that we needed to follow to be able to be set on certain career paths. Every other person in my group had at least an idea, if not a definitive plan, in their mind about what they might want to do for a major. But then Mrs. Quintero turned to me to ask what I would be interested in doing; I simply replied I have no idea. She looked completely unsatisfied so I quickly tried to change my answer (that look scared me), and because I had shown some interest in business to the orientation counselor, I decided to just go with it. She recommended that I take the Freshman Seminar UCOL 1200 Business Section class with her in the fall, so of course I registered for the class. I was actually really excited to register for my first college course because Mrs. Quintero was very helpful during S.O.A.R. and I was excited that I was going to have a teacher I actually like. Beginning school in the fall of 2013, UCOL 1200 Freshman Seminar was the first college class that I ever took. In the first class, I quickly learned that the entire point of this class is to help potential business majors decide if they actually want to be a business major, and also explain and describe all the different sectors of business. By learning all the different branches of business, we students learned a lot about different jobs that we may have never heard of. We had

Career Portfolio 3 many guest speakers come in and speak about the many occupations that you can hold after graduation with a business degree from the Belk College of Business. The class was very informational for me because since I had no idea what I wanted to do with my future, and I had no previous knowledge of anything business related, I was open to every possibility. One of my favorite guest speakers were the women from the career center. They were very knowledgeable about every job that was offered in the pamphlet in the center and you can go visit anytime and they will always help you with any career questions you may have. About halfway through the semester, we had an activity in the classroom where we learned almost everything you would ever need to know in every sector of the business world. We were asked to divide into groups based on what career we want to have when we get older, and describe in detail what the job entitles, the details, the pay, and how many job openings they have per year. Listening to all my classmates talk with such enthusiasm about the careers they wanted on made me realize that I dont have that passion and love for business. It was right then and there that I decided I would never be a business major. Because I decided I didnt want to pursue a career in business, and was still undecided about what I wanted to do, I was worried about the class and how I would complete the assignments because they were all business oriented. Luckily, before I completely freaked out, our professor gave us an assignment to take the Strong Interest Inventory. The Strong Interest Inventory is a survey that asks the student a series of questions that they have to answer honestly, and the results give some insight into the persons interests and life so they will be able to decide on a career that is best for them based on their strengths. The inventory is most commonly used for educational guidance as one of the most popular career assessment tools. The results are intended to guide students toward a major then eventually a profession that they scored high on.

Career Portfolio 4 According to the survey, whatever you receive a high score on or whatever was the main focus of your theme code is, that is what you are considered good at and thats what the survey says you will have a successful career in because you have the proper skills. The results of my Strong Interest Inventory were really unexpected. Not only did I not have a theme code, I only had one occupation that I would ever even consider spending my life doing. The areas recommended for me based on my results included a financial analyst, paralegal, production worker, buyer, advertising account manager, a computer and IS manager, artist, farmer/rancher, radiologic technologist, and a community service director. Areas not recommended for me based on my results comprised of a religious/spiritual leader, English teacher, physicist, sociologist, and a physical therapist. Going into the survey, I wasnt sure what to expect, but I honestly did not expect for any of the previous occupations to be something recommended for me. Although the jobs recommended for me were surprising, the jobs not recommended for me were remarkably spot-on. Those jobs are all occupations I would never consider for my future. Truthfully, I didnt even think twice about any of the professions that were results of the survey except for the paralegal. I had never put much thought into trying to become a paralegal, but being a lawyer is something I have always thought about learning more about. When the interest inventory put the thought of being a lawyer in my head, I decided to research the occupation more and see what exactly being a lawyer is all about. The first thing I researched was what type of education and schooling would I need to have to even break into the law field. To become a lawyer, you need a four year bachelors degree, at least three years of law school, and to pass the written Bar examination that is required by every state for law school graduates to take. Although when you take the Bar examination and pass, your schooling is not over. A lawyer must be familiar at all times with new legal codes, and precedent set by local, state, and federal legislatures and courts.

Career Portfolio 5 The environment that lawyers work in is not one for everyone, as the job usually requires long hours and full time work. Another major thing that really makes some individuals rethink pursuing a career in law is the fact that you will barely have any time for anything other than your job. An ethical issue that many people have trouble with is the fact that you barely have time for yourself, let alone if you want children. The lawyer would have to have amazing time management skills to even be able to balance herself, her husband and her job. Although being a lawyer requires a lot of school, the job can be very rewarding as the yearly pay is around one hundred and fourteen thousand. The pay isnt everything though, with becoming a lawyer you also gain a high level of prestige. Lawyers gain the prestige because when they become really good at what they do, they protect the people from harm and help them get justice when they have been wronged. Protecting as many people from harm as possible is what I would hope to bring to the table if I were to ever become a lawyer. After graduating, it can be very difficult to land a job as there are many students graduating and trying to get into a competitive law firm. Last year, there were about 728,200 jobs available. Since it is so hard to become a lawyer, the level of prestige associated with being a lawyer is high, making being a lawyer a more desirable job since people respect positions with high prestige. Although a being a lawyer sounds appealing, another occupation that captured my attention was being a part of the law enforcement. Although there arent many female police officers, something about getting dangerous individuals off the street and in jail to make the community safer would give me the greatest satisfaction every day when I come home from work. Since I took an interest in this career field, I conducted my job shadowing and informational interview with Dan Knott, a lieutenant in the Greensboro Police Department. Dan is also an Executive Officer in the Management Bureau of the Resource Management Division.

Career Portfolio 6 Because Dan is a lieutenant in the Resource Management Department, he currently deals with everything from Human Resources to Logistics to budget to fleet management. His job certainly encompasses a lot. Although I knew some things about being a police officer, the information interview I conducted with Dan really opened my eyes to a lot of things. One of the many questions I asked him had to deal with education. I asked if a graduate degree was necessary to enter this field, how his education and experience relates to what he is doing now, and do I need a certain license or certification to work in this field. Dan informed that a graduate degree is not necessary to work in this field, but it is encouraged as the degree can be helpful for someone once they more into administrative roles. Something that surprised me was that in the past, education has not been important in law enforcement. When asked, Lieutenant Knott told me that over the past twenty years that he has been involved, the importance of education has changed significantly. Although to become certified you must have a high school diploma or GED, there are an increasing number of new recruits coming in with bachelor degrees and higher. As far as experience none is required, but you are required to attend a state certified Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) course and pass a state exam. The larger departments such as Raleigh, Greensboro, Charlotte, etc. run their own academies and Community Colleges throughout the state have programs as well. After learning about the education aspect of being a police officer, I asked Dan what experience would help me enter the field and what advice he would give anyone just starting out. Dans response was Well, any work or life experience is valuable for someone wanting to enter law enforcement. On a more serious note, Mr. Knott said that the more exposure you have to the public, the better. You absolutely have to be comfortable dealing with people from all aspects of life, in good times and bad. He also mentioned that at the Greensboro Police Department they have a college intern program for the beginners in the

Career Portfolio 7 agency, where they rotate the new comers through investigations, patrol, and forensics so that they get a broad exposure to the department. His advice for someone considering entering this field is to do as much research as possible. Ride alongs with officers from different agencies are a good idea so you can get an idea of what an officer actually does day in and day out, and you can really see things up close which can be beneficial so you can decide if this career path is something you really want to do. Another thing that someone interviewing for this field should expect is a tough interview that would test your cognitive thinking skills, your ability to make decisions quickly under stress and really, just good old common sense questions about what you would do in certain situations. Along with learning about what exactly officers do, you need to know about opportunities for advancement. Knott informed me that, contrary to almost every other occupation, many police officers never desire to move up the chain of command and choose non-supervisory paths such as criminal investigations or traffic. Although many officers do not get promoted, Dan was one of the few who did. He worked investigations (child victims) for nearly 4 years prior to being promoted to sergeant and was an officer for 15 years prior to being promoted. Knott was one officer who has worked in several different areas of the department. Because Dan is an experienced detective and has been in the same department for many years, I asked him what trends were changing and developing and if there were any new requirements that were not in effect when he was hired. His response was: As with everything else, technology is changing law enforcement and shaping how we prepare for the future. We now aim to us computer systems to better predict crime and crime trends to aid us in crime prevention. As far as educational requirements, a modern police officer has to have computer skills that were not thought of when I started in January 1994. Most of this comes from continuing education programs. Also, another trend beginning is prescription drugs. When I

Career Portfolio 8 worked the streets, we mostly dealt with crack cocaine and marijuana. Now there has been a large proliferation of prescription drugs such as hydrocodone, Oxycotten, Xanex, etc. A large problem with these drugs is that they are prescribed legally, but highly addictive. When someone cannot get them they often turn to heroine, which creates a whole other set of issues. Along with requirements to be hired, technology has impacted other things in his department. One major problem the officers have to deal with is being in the era of social media and streaming video. Any officers actions, right or wrong, can be broadcasted to the world before said officer has a chance to explain what happened. Because of this, if anything goes wrong in any situation, it can be reflected on the department causing many other problems such as a department investigation. Other problems that his individual department has to deal with are the lack of certain resources and not getting paid enough. A lot of businesses and companies are dealing with this problem also because of the economy so there isnt much that can be done for that unfortunately. Being a police officer comes with a pretty consistent schedule, as lieutenant Knott works Monday through Friday, eight oclock in the morning to five in the evening. Our standard patrol schedule is four days on and four days off, each shift totaling eleven hours. They are on a permanent schedule and report to work at 0600, 1100, 1600, or 2000 hours. Because I asked so many questions about the professional aspect of the career, I decided to ask him a couple of personal questions. The first question I asked was: What does he find most rewarding in his job? Knotts response was that since he currently served in an administrative capacity, the most rewarding part of his job now is when he successfully completes a project that will benefit the rank and file of the department. He has been fortunate to serve in many different roles with the organization so there are several things dealing with each aspect of the job that he feels are rewarding. Starting out, he really wanted to arrest bad guys. I

Career Portfolio 9 have put people in jail for everything from minor traffic violations, to 1st degree murder. When you do the job correctly and treat people fairly, you know you have accomplished things that few people will ever get to. Dan says that this is definitely a quite rewarding feeling. The second and final question I asked Mr. Knott was something I got a very personal response to. I asked him how has his experiences at work differed extensively from what he previously imagined the job would be and how? His response was: I dont know that anyone could imagine this career. You often see the human condition at its worst. You see desperate people who have done desperate things. You deal with death, sexual assault, alcoholism, drug addiction, family crisis of all kinds, child abuse, just the worst of things. You also get to see the best in humanity at times. You see a fellow officer do something extraordinary without realizing he is doing so. I have even seen officers buy bicycles for kids at Christmas, take food to families in need, and many other things that are often never even publicized. I never even thought about how much of a toll the different things officers have to see take on them. My respect for police officers certainly grew after this interview with Lieutenant Dan Knott. If you are unsure if you can handle the hardships of being a police officer but you want to do something else related to the field, you can look into being a Crime Scene Investigator, Crime Analyst, 911 Dispatchers, or even a Game Warden. All of these fields require basically the same requirements as far as education is concerned. Although being a Police Officer seems really exciting and fun, Im not sure if I can handle all the training and would I willing to take the risks that come with working in such dangerous conditions? Its a tough question, especially since I am a female; I have such a higher chance of getting hurt than any guy would. After furthering my knowledge on both the occupations I would be one hundred percent interested in having for a career, I am definitely

Career Portfolio 10 more drawn to being a lawyer. Something about the lifestyle that the lawyer lives appeals to me. One major factor is the family problem. Since I dont want to have kids for long time, I feel like I would be able to get going in my job and be good at what I do before I even consider having a baby. Most women arent willing to give that up. Now that I have finally decided what I want to do with my life, its time for me to meet with my advisor and figure out the requirements I need so I can declare my major. One thing I struggled with for a while was trying to figure out what I was going to major and minor in since you obviously cannot major in lawyer. Through a lot of research and advice from older friends who are on the same path to graduation as I am, I decided a major in Criminal Justice would be really interesting and beneficial for me when I eventually go to law school. The background you get from criminal justice classes really prepare you for what is to come in law school. To declare a Criminal Justice major you must have a minimum GPA of a 2.0, including a 2.0 in criminal justice coursework; the pre-requisite courses of CJUS 1100 and statistics 1222 (having a grade better than a C in both classes). Applicants must also successfully complete a writing component required which is offered several times throughout the year. Students must also have a minor or second major to apply. Advising for your major is required on admission to the major, and before senior year. Although it is not required for you to see your advisor additionally aside from those times, it is highly recommended so you will be kept on the right track. Pre-Law advising is done by Ms. Nicolaides, and she is open for contact anytime to help assist anyone with Pre-Law. Since I am required to take a minor to apply for a Criminal Justice major, I am torn between a psychology minor and a Spanish minor. A minor in psychology consists of eighteen semester hours to include PSYC 1101 and a minimum of three courses selected from three different Knowledge Base areas, and two courses selected from the

Career Portfolio 11 Application of Psychology areas. A minimum of six hours at the 3000 level and a grade of a C or above is required for PSYC 1101 (within two attempts) and you must have a GPA of 2.0 for all psychology courses taken at UNCC. A minor in Spanish would be beneficial because a lawyer may need to communication with someone who speaks a different language. A minor in Spanish consists of six courses above the 2202 level. Only courses where the student has earned a grade of a C or above may count toward the Minor in Spanish. Neither one of these majors are unbearably hard so I might even consider taking two minors. I feel like both the minors are really important. Spanish because in our country there are so many people that dont speak English, and if you can speak Spanish you are able to communicate with more people. It is so important for a lawyer to be able to connect with a victim, speaking another language would be so useful if, for example, the victim didnt speak English, or she felt more comfortable speaking her native language. Furthering my research on lawyers, I did some searching on where the best place to get a job as a lawyer would be and San Jose, California definitely takes the lead. San Jose has the highest paid lawyers in the country, with their pay somewhere around $187,110. Another thing about California are the huge companies that will always need lawyers to handle their affairs, especially if someone is caught embezzling. San Jose also has a significantly higher crime rate, therefore people will always need lawyers. Something you can do to get some of the experience that you will be required to do while youre still in school is you can join a summer associates program at a law firm. The programs run about eight to ten weeks and give law students great exposure to legal specialties. Another non-traditional way to gain law experience through an internship of some sort is to go to law school part time, then apply for part time jobs around the

Career Portfolio 12 area as a law clerk or a paralegal. This way you can go to school while also starting to gain some experience that could help you out in the future when you are applying for a job. Now that you know a little bit more about my experiences throughout the class and deciding on which career I would want to pursue, here are some of my long term and short term goals. My short term goals include doing well in classes relating to my major, graduating from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2017, and getting into law school. Doing well in law school, graduating, and eventually passing a bar exam in a big state like California. I eventually would like to get a good job with a prestigious law firm where I will be making a fairly good income. Long term goals unrelated to academics or my career include eventually having a family. Although I am unsure about children, I definitely would like to get married after I get started in my career. Although I am not one hundred percent sure of where I will end up, my personal mission in life is to be successful in whatever I decide to make my career.