Explore STEM Careers in Agricultural & Natural Resources for Pacific Northwest Agriculture

WHAT DO I WANT TO DO WITH MY LIFE . . . . Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) Careers in Agricultural & Natural Resources Regional Approaches to Climate Change for Pacific Northwest Agriculture is funded through award #2011-68002-30191 from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Where do you want to go? Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?' 'That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said the Cat. 'I don't much care where -' said Alice. 'Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat. '- so long as I get SOMEWHERE,' Alice added as an explanation. 'Oh, you're sure to do that,' said the Cat, 'if you only walk long enough. Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Goals Provide direction What do you want vs. What do you want right now Require planning Long-term, mid-range, short-term Sequential Will never just happen Require sacrifice There are no free rides, you must work and at times give up something to get what you want Require passion What do you really want, not just what would be nice if it happened Are you willing to dedicate a significant amount of time to your goals?

James Allen The world steps aside for the man who knows where he is going

Ask yourself: What do I need to do to feel successful? What am I truly passionate about? What can I do that wouldn t seem like work? What jobs are out there? Are there employment opportunities where I want to live? What abilities do I need to BE successful?

Top 10 Job Skills Employers Look For In New Hires Teamwork 1. Solve Problems 2. Communication 3. Plan & Prioritize 4. Obtain & Process Information 5. Analyze Data 6. Technical Knowledge 7. Computer Proficiency 8. Create & Edit Reports 9. 10. Ability to influence others

Why Ag? Why STEM? Today s agricultur e is so much more than farms and tractors. Agricultur e is where the action

What do they do? Scientists cover a broad range of subjects Not all work in a laboratory What they do may actually surprise you! Everyone has a story to tell: How did you end up where you are? Did you always know what you wanted to do? What else did you do before this? What education do I need to have your job? How much money can I make?

Interview an Agricultural Scientist Using the interview handout, interview an agricultural scientist Take photos of what they do If they allow, record the interview with your phone or other device. Share what you found: Create a 1-page graphic story of the persons career OPTIONAL: Share the story: http://www.npr.org/sections/thisisnpr/2015/03/18/393659894/story-corps-founder-reveals-his- wish-at-ted2015 https://storycorps.me/

Make a Plan Outline how you will get to where you want to go: Specific Educational needs Specific experiences needed (internships) Create Specific Goals Short term Goals (1-5 yrs.) Intermediate (6-10 yrs.) Long-Term (over 10 yrs.) START NOW!!

Activities: Double Click Icons to open MS Word DOC Name: ___________________ STEM Careers in Agricultural and Natural Resources This worksheet is meant to be a guide and extra questions should be developed by you to personalize your interview. Recording the interview is recommended to enable you to create a detailed and accurate representation of your interview. Name of Scientist: ________________________________ ________________________ Date: ___________ Period: ________ My Educational Plan Grading Rubric and Content Expectations Criteria Proficient 3-4 Detailed description of career, position responsibilities, and educational requirements for the career Strong 5-6 Basic 1-2 Points Description of Career: Education Req. Responsibilities, Salary, Duties & Responsibilities Personal Connection: What interest you in this career? Description includes all required components, but is lacking detail Description is missing one or more required components and/or descriptions Email/Contact Information: ________________________________ _________________ Career Profile (Job Title): ________________________________ __________________ Detailed description of why you are personally interested in this career, specifics of the career are clearly connected to your interests. Complete step by step description that starts with high school courses and progresses through completion of degree or professional certificate Minimum of 3 specific and measurable goals in each of the three classification including completion timelines. Description of career or interests is limited. Clear reasoning is not used to link yourself to the specific responsibilities Links are missing and/or incongruent with student interests Careers that they worked at leading up to their current career: ______________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________ Educational Plan: College or Technical Training Required and plan through completion Goals: Short Term, Intermediate, & Long Term Incomplete description or plan to achieve completion of degree or certificate, 1 or 2 missing requirements or steps Incomplete description or plan, more than 2 missing steps or complete plan Similar or Related Careers: ________________________________ _________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________ Education Requirements/Recommendations: ________________________________ ___ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________ Minimum of 2 specific and measurable goals in each of the three classification including completion timelines One or fewer goals in each classifications and/or missing a timeline for completion. Pay (starting and pay range): ________________________________ ________________ Geography (where career is available): ________________________________ ________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________ Personal Inventory: Self-rated readiness for career specific skills Minimum of 6 specific skills needed for the chosen career are identified and a narrative of current job readiness related to those skills is reasonable and justified Plan is neat, organized, sequential and has an introductory and a concluding paragraph Minimum of 4 specific skills needed for the chosen career are identified and a narrative of current job readiness related to those skills is reasonable and justified Plan is neat, organized, but may not be sequential and has an introductory and a concluding paragraph Minimum of 2 specific skills needed for the chosen career are identified and a narrative of current job readiness related to those skills is reasonable and justified Plan is not neat, organized, or sequential and is missing an introductory or concluding paragraph Description (duties, challenges, perks, what does a typical day/week look like): ________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________ Introduction, Conclusion, Overall Appearance ________________________________ ________________________________ ________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________ Total Points