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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1987-03-11, Page 17Outline requirements of various jobs Times -Advocate, March 1 1 1987 Page 15 Professionals offer career advice "Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor. doctor, lawyer, merchant chief..." Career options have expanded phenomenally since the days of that old nursery rhyme. Too. occupations and professions once restricted to males are now open to women as well. oday's young people, getting ready to make decisions that will affect the rest of their lives, are faced with a bewildering array of choices. and hard work a medical student's lot, and by this time fellow students were her closest friends and main social life. After her internship in Kingston' and a two-year residency in family medicine at Western, Steele joined a practice in Clinton. She moved to Ex- eter because of the good location, good facilities, and the fact the Exeter area had eight doctors and they were "I have waver* a lot harder for a tot less, but 1 like what I'm doing". Campbell said. Campbell now has contracts with governments and private companies to collect data and supply analyses for everything from defining the par- ticular climate enjoyed by the Mississauga rattlesnake to a detailed forecast to assist the ABCA in manag- ing the spring run-off in their water - FASHIONS - - Caroline Perry of Perry Originals (left) shows Precious Stephanie Cook, Jennifer Cook and Amy Relouw on example of mach The grade seven and eight students were touring the fashion store as at the school. The grade seven and eight students at Precious Blood Separate School will be better equipped to set their goals and choose the lest way to reach them) once they have digested all the information they received dur- _ ____ing_Careers-1lonth-at-the-school. Local people engaged in occupa- tions ranging, from mechanics to meteorology came to the classroom to tell how they chose their particular professions, the educational re- quiremertts for anyone wishing to follow in their footsteps. and how they feel about what they do. - Principal Margaret lledve. who organized the project, wants to prepare her students fora rapidly changing. unknown world. Besides assisting with choosing the right academic courses in high school, she hopes that listening to the speakers will instill in her students a love of learning -and a greater awareness of their own needs and capabilities. In '-telling it like it is", (he majori- ty of guest speakers stressed two im- portant ingredients of success: be flexible, and be a lifetime learner. Dr. Linda Steele was one of those exemplifying both traits. She told the students her main interest had leen science,- and she never thought of medicine as a career during her school years. She won the N1((' scholarship to Queens liniVersity. where she received her PhD in physical and polymer chemistry. all men. Steele has since been joined by Dr. Deborah 1Vaters, who entered medicine after first obtaining her RN and a BSc and MSc in nursing. Dr. Rosemary Kennaly joined the prac- tice- on a temprrrwry basis in - Decernber•. Steele said a medical career means continuing education. The exam with the college of Family Physicians is - written every five years. All medical schools run courses continually on specific topics, and the Huron Coun- ty Medical Society organizes monthly seminars. .Steele confided that medical students are now taught they are not God. and people must understand doctors are not perfect. Steele said the secret of combining motherhood and a career a man willing to help". Among the satisfactions of a career in medicine, she said. are delivering a healthy baby, and pulling someone hack from cardiac arrest. x : • Jay Campbell listed the many career possibilities available in the field of meteorology. Jobs fall into the general categories of data collection and analysis. forecasting, and conveying the infor- mation 10 users: 'Campbell's interest in the weather was first awakened while flying kites as a child. and wondering what cans • - ANATOMY LESSON - - Dr. Linrda Steele makes a point with a pop- up anatomy book he donated to Precious Blood's school library. •one of her advis ors was recent Nobel winner John Polyani►. Steele had been weighing the pros and cons of a future working with car- cinogenic chemicals. An offer from Polysar and a tour of the company's Sarnia facilities influenced her deci- sion to switch to medicine. Blessed with a photographic memory, and a record of straight As from grade one on at her convent school. Steele was accepted on her first applicaiton to medical school. Daly later did she realize what a coup this -was. She learned afterward of one male applicant who- applied seven limes before gaining entry. In 1973 Queens was accepting few women, and Steele was older than most of those applying. Her class con- sisted of 60 men and 18 women. By the time her younger sister entered med school, the ratio was 35 women to 40 men. Steele gave the students a glimpse into the life of a medical student. The first year was 90 percent academic and 10 percent hospital work. The next year 60 percent of the time was spent in class, and 40 percent on hospital and clinical work. By the third year the proportion had chang- ed to 60 percent clinical. In the fourth year only 10 percent of the time was spent in class. Students were now on medical teams as clinical clerks, do- ing all admissions and presenting cases. Steele considered the long hours ed the wind to blow. Ile had decided on a career in meteorology by the time he was in .high school. An honours science degree majoring in physics and math, plus summer work as a student for Environment Canada, stood him in good stead when he applied for permanent employ- ment with that ministry. Fifteen to 20 meteorologists are hired yearly across Canada. One year 600 aspirants applied for 20 positions. Those with the highest marks do not necessarily get the jobs. A demonstrated prior interest in weather forecasting weights - the scales in an applicant's favour, Campbell said. As soon as he was hired, Campbell was sent back to school by the ministry to study meteorology. The government picked up the tab for the academic year. Meteorologists can be posted to one of seven forecast centres in Gander, Halifax. Montreal, Toronto, Winipeg, Edmonton or Vancouver. They work I2 -hour shifts, three.days on, then four days off. Campbell said ,he had dif- ficulty getting up at 10:00 p.m. for the midnight to 8:00 a.m. shift. On the other hand, the golf course was usual- ly available at the limes he was free to play. In 1977 Campbell left the security and benefits of his government job, where the pay scale for men averages $43,000 depending on the grade, and set up his own business. r it Blood students Diana Verberne, ine embroidery on a spring top. part of a Careers Month prbject shed. Meteorologists are sometimes called to testify in court about weather conditions prevailing at the time of a car accident or a drowning. Campbell can find out the weather anywhere in the world through his personal home computer. He can in- terface with a communications com- puter at the state university in Penn- sylvania, which in turn is in contact by satellite with Washington D.C. and Dorval. Quebec. The latter two are in touch with Reading, England. Data from the radar station on Highway 83 goes into a computer and is sent from Toronto to Montreal to Washington to Pennsylvania to Jay's home. Campbell is best kowns as CFPL's TV weatherman. At present he is the only trained meteorologist in Canada to prepare and give his own forecasts on television. One of 80 applicants to answer a newspaper ad. he passed the obligatory screen test and was hired. Campbell arrives at the station. at 4:00 p.m. to put together the weather boards and computer graphics for that night's forecast. The program is done live. so "if 1 say something Prepare for Blyth season Once again, the presses at Doug Whitmore's print shop in Blyth are running around the clock as 90,000 copies of the Blyth Festival's 1987 brochure are printed. "I am very pleased with the look of this year's brochure" said new General Manager, Tim Chapman. "This is my first brochure here at' Blyth and so it was especially impor- tant to me that it look just right. l par- ticularly like the extra emphasis given to the plays and playwrights this year." The brochure was designed by Karen Fletcher, a graphic designer employed by the University of Waterloo Arts Centre: she also designed the 1985 and 1986 brochures and posters.The drawing on the Iront cover—is-a-detail-from-the-seasotrfull-er-nnttsuaf cotes -that -a poster, showing the Blyth Memorial Hall. (Our apologies to historians and architects for the artistic license us- ed in placing the. Hall. built in 1920. in an earlier period.) The illustration for the 1987 poster is taken from an engraving in the 1879 Historical Atlas of Huron County and shows part of the farm belonging at that time to Elizabeth Southcombe in Hullett Township. The land was pur- chased from the Soulhcombes early in the century by the Hoggart fami- ly. A grandson, Clinton resident Ivan Hogged, lived there until a few years ago. The same farm house depicted in the poster is still standing, and is currently owned by Mr. and Mrs. Neil Salverda. Of the two barns shown in the original engraving, one has been torn down and the other remodelled. The combined mailing lists at the Blyth Festival now total well over 12,000 addresses. In order to take ad- vantage of bulk mailing rates, the ad- dressing, sorting and bagging is car- ried out by Festival staff themselves, a process which usually takes two to three days. If you wish to receive a brochure and are not on the mailing list, please contact the festival's office and leave your name and address. Brochures will be sent out towards (he end of March. Vouchers for the 1987 season are on sale now through fo May 31. They represent a great saving over the regular ticket prices this summer: $7.50 compared with between $8.00 and $11.00. Members only may ex- change vouchers between March 30 and April 10. After April 13, voucher holders may exchange vouchers for tickets and group tickets go on sale. Members of the general public may purchase tickets after May 4. Until May 29, Box Office hours are Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. stupid, I can't take it back." Campbell informed the students that 50 people who aren't seen work behind the scenes to assist the six peo- ple who deliver the newscasts in front of the cameras. He outlined the educational re- quirements and professional respon- sibilities of research meteorologists. observers, data collectors and presen- tation technicians, and did the same Lor the variety of -jobs available at a TV station. Campbell then went -on to tell about the skills he has acquired. as part of his family's jewellery store business. The gemologists's course is offered at some Canadian universities as well as by correspondence from UCLA. A secondary school diploma is a necessity. Jewellery repair is taught ina two-year course at George Brown University in Toronto. A third avocation for Campbell is teaching.- Ile lectures on -management_ skills at ('CAT. and is one of the specialists on call when students are camping at Camp Sylvan. • Campbell encouraged his audience to get a solid academic background in preparation for a world filled with interesting things to do. While it is becoming increasingly difficult to beco:ne a veterinarian and job opportunities are not as plentiful as they once -were, Dr: Gaylan_ Josephson told the students this job is rewarding in many ways and he would not hesitate to recommend veterinary medicine as a career to anyone who is interested. A minimum .of Grade 13 plus one year in a Science program in a university is required for considera- tion for entrance. into the veterinary program at the University of Guelph. In addition to high marks. some ex- perience -with farm animals is an asset, either working on a farm or with a veterinarian.0quali(r Of the 600 to70ed s u.en s who apply annually. 250 to 300 are in- terviewed. and of these 100 are ac- cepted into the pre -veterinary pro- gram. Following this one year in troductory program. the student then spends four years at the Ontario Veterinary College before graduating with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree. While a love for animals is a pre re- quisite for a veterinarian. this is not the only requirement. Much of veterinary practice is dealing with the public. and to be a successful practitioner, a person has to enjoy working with people and coping with their idiosyncracies. James Iterriott's books about his life as a veterinarian. humorous as they are, deal primari- ly with people, with their pets or livestock being the bond between them and Dr. Herriott. Most new graduates spend time in clincial practice. The types of prac- tices vary tremendously. with small animals (dogs and cats), farm animals and horse practices being the most common. Many other job oppor- tunities exist. some requiring addi- tional years of study. Working in a zoo, -in a international airport. in a diagnostic pathology laboratory. or in a research or teaching institution are just some examples of other areas where veterinarians are employed. l llowing_graduation, Josephson worked in a large animal practice. dealing primarily with cattle and swine. Ile said diagnosing the disease. then treating and curing the sick animal is extremely rewarding but the particular job that gave him the most -satisfaction was helping a cow to calve or armare to foal. For the past few years, Josephson has been employed as a veterinary pathologist in a diagnostic laboratory. This type of work is much more challenging. frequently dealing with when you get older. it is most impor- tant to maintain as broad an educa- tion base as you can", he said. "If *you restrict your high school courses to subjects that interest you now. you may be unable to pursue other fields in the future if your interests change. Education is important, but equally important is getting training that does w not restrict you in any ay in the future." - Peter' Gryseels chose a career in education: The former superintendent h for • the Huron oard is now superintendent of human resources for the London Public School: Board. • In his current job. Gryseels deals with 24,000 elementary school students and 15.000 secondary school students in 63 elementary and -I5 high. schools. in addition to five schools in prisons and students in psychiatric wards and hospitals who can't cope ---with-the-normal school setting-- - Under his jurisdiction are :3,300 ernployees.._1.07t secondary school: teachers and more than 1.200 elemen- tary school teachers. Gryseels duties entail often adver- sarial negotiations with union representives, dealing with personnel conflicts. abuse in the classroom, chronic lateness. employees skipping work or not following instructions, those - having drinking dr -psychologieal_problems and theft. He working for a school board .is a steady, stable job. Benefits may be O carriedntario. any of the 143- boards in And there is no danger of _crop failure. - Recreation director Lynne Far- quhar began her career as a. playground leader in Exeter at age 15. She worked as a cashier and booth at- tendant at the swimming pool before enrolling in the Recreation Leader- ship diploma course at • Fanshawe. After graduation she held various positions related to recreation and amateur sport before returning to this area as full-time recreation coorin- dator in Stephen Township. She was hired as rec director tor the South Huron Recreation ('entre in 1982. Since then Farquhar has earned her permanent Type B Municipal Recreation Director's certificate from -the ministry --of- tourism - and - recreation, and her Administration 1 certificate -from -the Ontario Recrea- tion Society. Farquhar'sduties include coordina tion of recreation programs for youth. adults and seniors: scheduling recreation facilities: hiring, training and supervising program staff. pro- moting the recreation facilities and program's. and budgelting and ad- ministrative work. Among her responsibilities are the MANY OPTIONS - Jay Campb available in the meteorology fiel ell outlined the variety o'f jobs d. gave as an example of the latter a drill press which stood seven feet high and weighed 400 pounds that vanish- - ed recently from one school. His department also oversees the London hoard's $150.000,000 annual payroll. sending out more than 4.000 cheques each month. Other positions within a hoard of education include supervisory, senior • administrative. clerical and custodial staff as well as psychologists. mechanics, carpenters and educa- tional TV specialists. Gryseels grew up on a tobacco farm. His prime interests were math and computer science. ( Ile confessed that a weakness in spelling is countered by the, possession of five dictionaries ). .0 .A teacher needsaniv.ersity_degree . and a year at a teachers' college to qualify for a teachng position. The step up to supervisor demands at least a Master's degreein education or business and an average of 15 year's 1 xperience in the classroom. Candidates are required to write the supervisory officers' exam. which Gryseels°termed "the hardest exam I ever wrote". Gryseels believes that as•the de- mand for bilingualism increases. the lack of French Will be a real detri- ment tor aspiring teachers. Teaching area hall. four ball diamonds, two soc- cer fields. two tennis courts. the agricultural building. a swimming pool and a wading pool. and the lawn bowling greens. According to Farquhar. the main. difficulties encountered by a rec director are knowing that no matter how hard you try you can't satisfy everyone: convincing the communi-. ly that recreation is an extremely im- portant and necessary service. and trying to make ends meet each year despite soaring costs and funding cut- backs. The bright side of her job is having the chance to meet and work with all kinds of people, and creating oppor- tunities for people of all ages and in- terests to enhance their leisure time. __Farquhar foresees -recreation. undergoing many changes caused by smaller families, an aging population. a shorter work week and early. retirement. • t E t CAREER CHOICE — london board superintendent Peter Gryseels talks about the requirements and responsibilities of a career in education. harder to 'solve or do not respond to conventional treatment the way they should. Summingup his attitude towards veterinary medicine, Josephson said he can't think of anything else he would rather be, or would enjoy do- ing more. Josephson had some general advice for the students. "Although you are still in public school and you may think you know what you want to do jobs have been scarce in the last five years, but the London board will win- now through 600 applicants to hire 40 to 60 French teachers this year. Gryseels said the qualities that make a good teacher - patience, understanding, enjoyment in worjcing with people - have nothing to do with education. A supervisor -needs the ability to listen, an open mind, and decisiveness. Ile pointed out that Darlene Geoffrey decided to be a nurse after reading a book about Florence Nightingale. Besides. she reasoned. nursing jobs should always be a%%i!able because people ivill always require medical service. - Geoffrey took additional Grade 13 • -subjects in Iter -Grade 12 year. She was in the first class to graduate from Lambkin College School of Nursing. The heavy workload compressed in- to two years what used to take three. She has continued her education with courses and seminars. Geoffrey said nursing is never dull. One moment you can be rushing to a city hospital with a patient experien- cing chest pains. the next you can be holding a newborn child or comforting a patient at the moment of death. Geoffrey passed on a prediction from the Registered Nurses Associa- tion of Ontario that by the year 2.000 all RNs will have their BSc in nursing. - Asked what quality would best suit a prospective nurse, Geoffrey gave a one -word answer: caring. The students left the classroom for a• tour of Perry's Originals. - Downstairs Isabel Perry showed them some of the new spring line. Isabel, a graduate of Fanshawe, iS marketing coordinator of the fashion house, and also acts as advertising manager and buyer of jewellery and other accessories stocked by the store. Perry's Originals was established by .older sister Caroline Perry, a graduate of Fanshawe's course in fashion designing. The businss expanded to its present main street location in 1985 and now employs seamstresses and retail and' administrative staff. Among the other professionals par- ticipating in Careers Month were ar- tist Steve Harrison, priest Father Gary Goyeau, engineer Soren Petersen, pharmacist Leo Krahn, Big . 0 manager Paul Charrette, am- bulance attendants Jim Hoffman and Dean Boyle, hairdresser Phyllis Kellerman and mechanic Bryan Westelaken.