Technology medicine - Career Watch 2002 - Careers 2002

ANIEL FLAKE, 19, A MIDSHIPMAN AT THE U.S. NAVAL Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, always dreamed of becoming an astronaut and traveling to Mars. To make his career goal a reality, Flake has a coordinated plan--his very own mission to Mars, if you will. First came a high school course load heavy on math and science. Second, Flake researched colleges with strong aerospace engineering programs--the military academies, Embry-Riddle University, Texas A&M. (He chose the Naval Academy partly due to the school's strong record of turning out astronauts.) Next on his agenda after graduation will be fulfillment of his five-year service commitment to the Navy, as well as a stint in flight school. After years of hard work and flight training, Flake will hope to get noticed and hired by NASA.

"The big selling point of the academy was that I'm guaranteed a job, and I'll be following in the career footsteps of astronauts," he says.

If, like Flake, your idea of the perfect school day includes studying physics, dissecting frogs, or programming computers, then a career in technology or medicine may be for you. And developing your own mission plan now can only increase your chances for success.

TECHNOLOGY

While the heady, go-go atmosphere of startups and stock options may be history, tech industries are here to stay.

A study last spring by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) reported that as many as 425,000 high-tech jobs would go unfilled in coming years. But how have the events of September 11 and the recession affected this prediction? "Demand certainly isn't where it was," admits Marjorie Bynum, vice president of workforce development for the ITAA. "But what we're hearing is that companies are still looking for good people with IT skills." The good news is that job markets rebound, and for high school students looking to enter the workforce in two to four years, technology careers are a good bet.

The BLS reports that five of the top 10 fastest growing jobs are tech-related--computer engineers, computer support specialists, systems analysts, database administrators, and desktop publishing specialists.

"It's never too soon to begin talking to guidance counselors and doing some homework on different IT careers," says Bynum. She also suggests boning up on English, reading, and communication skills, which are important for well-rounded employees seeking promotions. While a bachelor's degree can lead to great-paying jobs, many community colleges can prepare you for tech jobs, too. For more information on tech careers, visit www.gettech.org.

HEALTH & MEDICINE

Ever since the sixth grade, Jana Mitchell knew she wanted to become a nurse. "I find the human body fascinating," she says. "Plus, I enjoy helping people." A job-shadowing project where she followed a hospital nurse convinced her of her career path. Mitchell, 19, is now studying nursing at Rivier College in Nashua, New Hampshire.

The good news for Mitchell is that the BLS projects that by 2006 health care services will jump 30 percent and account for 3.1 million new jobs. An aging population will need more services--continued care, therapy, and rehabilitation. Opportunities for nurses and physicians are expected to grow. On average advanced-practice nurses, with training beyond the two to four years of basic nursing education, earn $47,700 to $82,000 per year. Physicians earn about $102,000 per year.

But those salaries come at a price. Becoming a physician requires 12 years of expensive training. The average medical student graduates with a $100,000 debt. Physicians often work long, irregular hours. Still, most find treating patients to be rewarding. See "Allied Health" below for information on other health care careers.

Traci Mosser

RELATED ARTICLE: systems analyst.

ALEX THOMPSON

AGE: 25

LOCATION: Fort Gordon, GA

JOB: Information systems operator/analyst for the U.S. Army

EDUCATION: BA in political science from Jackson State University in Mississippi. Analysts must befamiliar with computer programs, including Unix, Windows, and Microsoft Office.

SALARY: Median annual salary is $55,973.

ON THE JOB: "The military wants to be on top of the latest technology," says Thompson, whose rank is "Specialist" (SPC). Army, Navy, and Air Force members who need technology training go to Fort Gordon, which is the headquarters of the U.S. Army Signal Center and home to the School of Information Technology. Throughout the day, Thompson receives work orders to de-bug (remove errors from), analyze, install, and maintain computer hardware and software. He may be protecting computers from viruses or updating systems with the latest versions of software. Thompson must constantly keep up with new technology. He and his colleagues often share information about solutions to computer problems. "You've got to be willing to learn from everybody," he says. His last big project was to upgrade a whole classroom. Every so often, Thompson confronts a new problem and must "be creative to find a solution."

STARTING OUT: "I have always loved computers," Thompson says. His penchant for technology followed him into high school, where he took computer management classes, and college, where he worked on a minor in computer science.

REWARDS: Thompson enjoys the variety of his job, because there are "different things to do every day." Systems analysts solve technical glitches and help their organization get the most from its computer resources. Sometimes evening or weekend work may be required to solve certain problems. Attracted to the Army for the opportunity to do something he loved and pay off college loans (the Army will pay off either one-third of the debt or $1,500 for each year of service), Thompson calls it "one of the best moves I ever made."

CHALLENGES: Military security demands up to twice the amount of encryption used on civilian computers: "Right now, Internet security [needs to be] high. If we let down our security, communications can be cut off. We are running checks and tests on the network for weak entry points or possible backdoors. We keep everything as secure as possible," he says.

MORE INFO: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, www.computer.org; For info on military careers, see page 8.

Jami Dittus

PHARMACIST

NADINA POWELL

AGE: 27

LOCATION: Franklin Lakes, NJ

JOB: Pharmacist/Pharmacy Practice Resident, Merck-Medco

EDUCATION: Powell earned a bachelor's degree in environmental chemistry from the University of California, San Diego, a master's degree in chemistry from California State University in Los Angeles, and a doctorate of pharmacy from Howard University in Washington, DC. Pharmacists must get a degree from a college of pharmacy, do an internship, and pass a state licensing exam.

SALARY: Pharmacy residents earn about $30,000, according to Powell. Drug store and staff pharmacists earn about $63,400.

ON THE JOB: While many pharmacists work in drug stores, some work in hospital, clinical, or managed care settings. As a pharmacy practice resident for Merck-Medco, which provides prescription drug benefits to 65 million people, Powell does more than just dispense pills. Like a medical resident, she rotates to different sections of the benefits management division to learn all aspects of the job. A typical day might include reviewing a formulary (a list of medications covered under a pharmacy benefit), researching questions about prescriptions, and counseling patients by phone. Powell is part of a team of pharmacists that contacts patients with multiple sclerosis to counsel them on the proper use and side effects of their medications.

STARTING OUT: As a chemistry graduate student, Powell worked in a pharmacy and became intrigued by the career and its emphasis on anatomy, microbiology, and physiology.

REWARDS: Powell helps make recommendations to Merck-Medco pharmacists nationwide. "In managed care, every program I help to develop impacts millions of lives."

CHALLENGES: "[My Job] differs from a dispensing pharmacy environment because I have several projects to choose from. It's hard to pick one. I want to do it all!"

MORE INFO: The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, www.amcp.org; Merck-Medco careers, www.merckmedcopharmcareers.com

Courtnay Sander

ALLIED HEALTH

Want a job in health care, but don't want to spend years in school? Consider an allied health career. Allied health is an umbrella term covering many health services jobs that are in demand--dental hygienist, diagnostic medical sonographer, dietitian, emergency medical technician, radiographer, and respiratory therapist, to name a few. According to the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professionals (ASAHP), many, but not all, of these jobs require two-year associate degrees and offer starting salaries of $30,000 or more. For more information about schools with allied health programs, go to www.asahp.org.

MOLECULAR BIOLOGIST

TRACY CAVATO

AGE: 26

LOCATION: St. Louis, MO

JOB: Molecular biologist for Monsanto

EDUCATION: Cavato holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. A master's degree is required for some jobs in applied research.

SALARY: The median annual salary is $42,340.

ON THE JOB: Cavato does experiments on genetically enhanced crops to generate information requested by government agencies to win approval for the use of these crops. "For example, we produce corn that is genetically engineered to be resistant to herbicide," she says. "So a farmer can use the herbicide, which kills weeds, and the corn won't die because it's resistant. We also produce crops that we've protected from insects."

STARTING OUT: "What excited me in high school was when I saw all the work going on with DNA fingerprinting. That's what turned me onto science. In college, I had a professor who was a plant biologist, and I did a lot of work with him."

REWARDS: "We're working with biotechnology that's at the forefront of a lot of debate. It's basic science, but it does sound incredible."

CHALLENGES: "To learn more about plants and biotechnology. We've made these bioengineered organisms. Now how can we make them better?"

MORE INFO: The American Institute of Biological Sciences, www.aibs.org

Gary Drevitch

PHYSICAL THERAPIST

NORA LIU

AGE: 27

LOCATION: Pasadena, CA

JOB: Pediatric physical therapist for California Children's Services, Los Angeles

EDUCATION: BS in biology from University of California at Los Angeles and a doctor of physical therapy (DPT) from the University of Southern California. Most physical therapists have master's degrees in physical therapy.

SALARY: About $44,000 to $75,000

ON THE JOB: Liu works with children who have musculoskeletal or neuromuscular impairments. A typical day consists of designing stretching and strengthening programs, teaching children how to walk or climb stairs, training them to properly use an electric wheelchair, and ordering braces and equipment "When working with children, you need to be creative about Incorporating therapeutic activities In the context of fun games," she says. "I also teach parents how to be good therapists at home."

STARTING OUT: "I always knew I wanted to go into health care. Through hospital volunteer work, I found that physical therapy would let me spend time with patients and families."

REWARDS: "Helping patients capitalize on their abilities rather than having them feel defeated by their disabilities and helping parents appreciate their special-needs kids as beautiful human beings regardless of their disabilities."

CHALLENGES: "Every parent wants their child to walk, but some may never be able to. It can be a struggle to direct the parent's energy towards other goals their child could achieve."

MORE INFO: American Physical Therapy Association, www.apta.org

Heather Lindsey

DENTAL HYGIENIST

TADD GREENFIELD

AGE: 37

LOCATION: Kansas City, MO

EDUCATION: BS in dental hygiene from the University of Missouri. Hygienists need at least an associate's degree in dental hygiene and are licensed by the state.

SALARY: Median annual salary for dental hygienists is $47,195.

ON THE JOB: Hygienists educate patients on proper tooth and gum care, clean and examine teeth, take X-rays, and screen for oral cancer. Manual dexterity and an unsqueamish attitude are musts. Greenfield sees about eight patients a day. He typically works Monday through Thursday in two different dentist offices. (It's common for dentists to hire hygienists for two or three days a week, so many hygienists work in more than one office.)

STARTING OUT: Greenfield worked in retail management before making a career change. He notes that both occupations have a customer service aspect to them.

REWARDS: "I know that I can move anywhere and find a job pretty quickly."

CHALLENGES: "People will say, 'I hate to be here.' You've got to brush that off."

MORE INFO: The American Dental Hygienists' Association, www.adha.org; the American Dental Association, www.ada.org

Jami Dittus

AIRLINE PILOT

RHONDA HEALY

AGE: 34

LOCATION: Atlanta, GA

JOB: Captain for Delta Connections

EDUCATION: A commercial pilot's license, which includes at least 250 hours of flight experience, is required. Healy attended a flight school in Florida. Many pilots come from the military or from an aeronautical engineering background.

SALARY: Regional jet pilots earn around $54,000; large commercial aircraft pilots earn about $92,000.

ON THE JOB: Pilots check their instruments and engines for proper functioning, and communicate with air traffic controllers and aviation weather forecasters to plan the safest, fastest flight. "Your workload varies, but it always entails mental preparation," says Healy. "We fly with an automated flight management system, but we have to know what's going on. It's good to have computer skills."

STARTING OUT: "I found that airlines were aggressively looking for pilots-- especially women and minorities. So I saved some money and went to flight school."

REWARDS: "I feel I've done something good when I reunite people who haven't seen each other in a while."

CHALLENGES: "A lot of folks tried to discourage me [as a woman] from going into aviation. But if you have a goal, a passion in life, you can do it if you set your mind to it."

MORE INFO: The Airline Pilots Association, (202) 797-4033

Gary Drevitch

NURSE

WAYNE GILLIS

AGE: 35

LOCATION: Leesburg Regional Medical Center, FL

JOB: Registered nurse (RN) and administrative director of critical care services

EDUCATION: About 65 percent of nurses graduate from two-year associate nursing programs. Others hold four-year degrees. Nurses must pass a licensing exam. Licenses must be renewed periodically, usually every two years.

SALARY: Median annual salary for RNs is $34,430 to $49,070. Hospitals may also pay overtime and offer seasonal or contract bonuses for working extra hours.

ON THE JOB: Gillis worked as a hospital nurse for 10 years, providing care for patients by dispensing medications, assessing and recording symptoms, and instructing families on proper patient care. He is now administrative director, responsible for 150 nurses. In addition to monitoring and mentoring nurses, he screens and hires staff, purchases all equipment and supplies, and helps with other nursing related functions.

STARTING OUT: "When I met my wife, she was in a nursing program and I was learning to be a veterinarian," he says. "But the more she told me about nursing, the more interested I became."

REWARDS: "We save lives and improve quality of life," he says. "I remember becoming very attached to one of our cancer patients who had had a lung removed. I had to work really hard to get him to do his breathing exercises and his recovery became my personal mission. He passed away several years later, but his wife, a hospital volunteer, reminds me of our rapport every time I see her."

CHALLENGES: "It's a huge responsibility to have a patient's life in your hands. Anything can happen, including the loss of life."

MORE INFO: American Nurses Association, www.nursingworld.org

Melanie Gold

VETERINARIAN

STANLEY HUNTER, JR.

AGE: 30

LOCATION: Ann Arbor, MI

JOB: Veterinarian, Animal Emergency Clinic

EDUCATION: Veterinarians must complete a four-year veterinary science program after college. Hunter attended Tuskegee University in Alabama for his undergraduate and veterinary education.

SALARY: Median annual salary is $58,306, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

ON THE JOB: Hunter treats animals that require immediate attention and medication. Unlike veterinarians who do routine check-ups and vaccinations and treat minor ailments, Hunter deals with animals who have been in accidents, fights, or who have ingested poisonous substances or suffered sudden serious illnesses. He sets broken bones, performs emergency surgeries, and administers and prescribes medications. Mostly he works on dogs and cats, but he also occasionally treats rabbits.

STARTING OUT: "I've been an animal lover all my life. I probably started wanting to be a veterinarian in kindergarten when I took care of a stray dog."

REWARDS: Hunter says the biggest reward is seeing the gratitude and relief of pet owners after he is able to help their pets. He remembers seeing a small dog who suffered serious injuries after a fight with another dog. "We had to do extensive surgery, but we were able to pull him through. It's great to see the looks on owners' faces in situations like that--sometimes they're so grateful they give us baked goods!"

CHALLENGES: "Especially at an emergency clinic, you're dealing with stressful and traumatic situations. Having to put an animal down is terrible, especially after working hard to try to save it. It's something you have to come to grips with."

MORE INFO: American Veterinary Medical Association, www.avma.org

David Schaffer

SPECIAL EFFECTS EXPERT

JOHN HANSEN

AGE: 28

LOCATION: Marin County, CA

JOB: Assistant technical director for Industrial Light and Magic, the special effects studio run by Star Wars director George Lucas. Hansen provides tech support to help integrate digital special effects into live action photography.

EDUCATION: Colleges with film programs offer courses in special effects. Hansen has a bachelor's and a master's degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland in College Park. "If there isn't already an organized graphics group [at your school], start one," he says.

SALARY: Earnings vary, but top special effects experts earn more than $100,000 annually.

ON THE JOB: Hansen helps provide special effects for movies like The Perfect Storm and Space Cowboys. The technical staff designs motion, lighting, and the look of computer-generated objects and scenes. Hansen's computer science background, programming skills, and computer troubleshooting ability prepared him for the job.

STARTING OUT: Hansen's interest in special effects, at first a hobby as he began his master's degree studies, "became so exciting to me that I decided it was going to be my new career," he says. He completed the degree and a "demo

reel," a digital example of the special effects he could produce.

REWARDS: Going to the movies is a special treat for Hansen, who can point to specific scenes in films that he helped work on.

CHALLENGES: "People call me up when something breaks or when an effect isn't working," he says. "I may be able to fix it by rewriting a few lines of code."

MORE INFO: Siggraph (Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics), www.siggraph.org

Christine Willard

PHYSICIAN

SUZANNE STRANDHOY

AGE: 29

LOCATION: Seattle, WA

JOB: Pediatric resident at Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center

EDUCATION: Becoming a doctor requires four years of undergraduate study, four years of medical school, and three to eight years of internship or residency. Strandhoy has her medical degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

SALARY: The average salary range for medical residents is $34,100 to $42,100. The average salary for physicians is $102,000.

ON THE JOB: Many doctors spend three years after completing medical school as a "resident" in a hospital, rotating through different wards, such as the emergency room and the intensive care unit. Strandhoy's next position will be in the pediatric intensive care unit. "Residency is a really wonderful and rewarding experience, but it's really long hours."

Strandhoy spends about 80 hours a week at the hospital, sometimes sleeping over.

As a pediatric resident, Strandhoy treats patients under 20 years old for their illnesses. Her goal is to help prevent well children from becoming ill adults.

STARTING OUT: "I really liked science. My dad is a laboratory researcher, but I knew that I was much more extroverted. I really preferred taking science classes, but having a very practical, personal approach to it. I think medicine requires a calling. Most of us have sat down and thought, 'What else could I do?' and we really feel drawn to this profession as the best way to make a difference with the skills we have."

REWARDS: "In a lot of other professions, you don't get to delve into another person's life as completely and help them change something they don't like, be it illness or the way that a child is developing."

CHALLENGES: "Not all families are good families, and sending a child back to a family when you know that they're not going back into the optimal home situatio--that's the most frustrating time."

MORE INFO: The Association of American Medical Colleges, www.aamc.org

Gary Drevitch

MARINE BIOLOGIST

MEGAN GETZ

AGE: 31

LOCATION: San Antonio, TX

JOB: Senior animal care specialist, SeaWorld

EDUCATION: A degree in a life science is required. Getz holds a bachelor of science in biology from the University of Texas, San Antonio.

SALARY: 1999 average beginning salary for bachelor's degree recipients in biological science: $29,000 (National Association of Colleges and Employers). The median annual salary for biological scientists is $46,140.

ON THE JOB: Getz feeds the animals (1,200 pounds of fish that must be prepared and carried), helps with exhibit maintenance (such as cleaning pools or landscaping habitats), and assists vets with medical treatment of the mammals (such as injections, drawing blood, tube-feeding babies, and surgeries). Getz also writes down daily observations of 75 animals, looking for bite marks, scratches, and behavioral changes. "If Missy the sea lion is normally an active animal who loves to play, and today she's slumped in the corner, not eating, we'd report that to the vet," she says.

STARTING OUT: In high school, Getz got a job at SeaWorld sweeping trash and cleaning stadiums. During college, she served as an assistant in the animal care department, and then started as a full-time biologist in 1994.

REWARDS: "I get to work with animals, and I get paid for it!" Getz says. She has saved and rehabilitated "beachies," or animals stranded along the Texas coast. She has helped in the rehab of several dolphins, one of which is now a "mother" living at SeaWorld, and in 1996, she worked to save a malnourished, underweight, and dehydrated female manatee who was found in Houston after a bad storm in the Gulf of Mexico.

CHALLENGES: "I'm on call around the clock," says Getz, adding that there is often a real level of physical danger: "Sometimes you're trying to restrain a 700-pound sea lion." To do this, Getz and a team of workers lower the pool's water level and then operate a 22-ton crane equipped with a stretcher that has a hole for the animal's pectoral flippers. "This job is not about just playing with dolphins," she notes. "You have to clean up after these animals, and it can be smelly." She hoses down exhibit areas where seals, sea lions, and otters have slept. She also must scuba dive to scrub off the algae that forms on the sides of the dolphin tanks.

MORE INFO: American Zoo an Aquatic Association, www.aza.org; Marine Advanced Technology Education Center, www.marinetech.org

Courtnay Sander

FOCUS ON MINORITIES

To meet the competition for talented workers, corporate America is looking beyond the white males who have dominated the high-tech arena. Many programs actively encourage women and minorities to get training for technical jobs.

Minority technical organizations can help locate scholarship money and internships. They can also provide savvy advice on how to find your way in the majority culture. Check out local chapters of groups like the National Society of Black Engineers (www.nsbe.org), the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (www.shpe.org), the Society of Women Engineers (www.swe.org), and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (www.nacme.org).

Find out whether your school participates in Inroads, a national program to support students entering technology careers.

Christine Willard

ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER

ALICIA KABIR

AGE: 26

LOCATION: Boston, MA

JOB: Environmental engineer for Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation

EDUCATION: A bachelor's degree in engineering is usually the minimum requirement. Kabir holds a bachelor's in civil engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, and a master's degree in environmental engineering from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.

SALARY: The median annual salary is $53,450.

ON THE JOB: Kabir plans and directs the clean-up of polluted environments. She often deals with raw materials, such as petroleum, natural gas, soil, and water. "We are now cleaning up a wetlands site contaminated with mercury. We're scooping out the contaminated sediments and hauling them away." Contaminated water is stored in 20,000-gallon holding tanks until it can be treated, tested, and returned to the wetlands site. Kabir makes daily reports and coordinates meetings to keep track of the projects and inform the Army Corps of Engineers, which is supervising the present project.

STARTING OUT: As the daughter of an engineer, who grew up building electric cars and model rockets, Kabir found a career in science to be a natural fit.

REWARDS: "On one project, we removed mercury from a wetlands environment, and we were able to decrease the amount of contamination."

CHALLENGES: "It's very important to recognize that what we do today is going to come back 30 years from now and have some impact on how people live."

MORE INFO: The Junior Engineering Technical Society, www.jets.org

Christine Willard

LEARN & LEARN

Here are some examples of jobs available at various levels of education
and the salaries they pay, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Note: Salaries are either given as hourly wage for part-time positions
or the average annual wage.


HEALTH AND MEDCINE

High school diploma
* Home Health
  care aide                          $8 per hour
* Nursing aid                        $8 per hour
* Occupational
  therapy aide                           $28,680

Certificate or associate's
degree
* Emergency medical
  technician                             $20,290
* Medical assistant                      $20,680
* Licensed practical
  nurse                                  $26,940
* Occupational therapy
  assistant                              $28,690

Bachelor's degree
* Respiratory therapist                  $34,830
* Registered nurse                       $40,690
* Physician assistant                    $47,090

SCIENCE

Jobs in science typically require
some training beyond a high school
diploma.

Associate's degree or certificate
* Drafter                           $15 per hour
* Engineering
  technician                             $35,970

Bachelor's degree
* Researcher
  (animal science)                       $27,600
* Researcher
  (food sciences)                        $42,340
* Mechanical engineer                    $53,290

Advanced degree
* Biological scientist                   $48,600
* Veterinarian                           $50,950

COMPUTER
TECHNOLOGY

Bachelor's degree
* Hardware test technician               $28,500
* Entry level programmer                 $37,400
* Computer systems
  analyst                                $55,973
* Design or application
  engineer                               $59,500

COPYRIGHT 2002 EM Guild, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group