Coordinator aids career plans

By Michael Leathers/reporter

Focusing on the SWOT analysis, which stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, the South Campus career center coordinator presented students with tools they need to break down choosing a career path.

Monica Bettle said students must prepare in this economic climate to find their dream job.

“My goal as a career center counselor is to assist all students with career planning and job development,” she said.

The plan starts with figuring out strengths and weaknesses and comparing them to a career aspiration, Bettle said.

SWOT suggests students become aware of career fields that may face challenges, such as a company downsizing and the amount of competition from other graduates with similar degrees.

Students should also consider that the job they want may not fit their lifestyle, Bettle said.

“Personality is one of the key factors in deciding if that perfect job will actually be the one for you,” she said.

“A person’s shyness, emotional state of mind and lack of motivation are elements that need to be thought about before choosing certain fields, such as law enforcement or health care.”

TCC offers many resources to guide students through the process, Bettle said.

Career centers offer placement evaluations that ask questions about different job fields.

A student’s answers help the evaluation determine suitable career fields.

The centers also recommend several online resources such as www.WorkinTexas.org and the Occupational Outlook Handbook online at www.bls.gov. These sites provide current market evaluations by ZIP code for certain degree plans.

The South Campus career center in SSTU 1102A is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

South student Alejandra Rodriguez, who attended the event, came for extra credit for a psychology class but said she got career advice and more out of it.

“I actually found it very useful in planning my college classes,” Rodriguez said.