Category Archives: Career of the Month

Career of the Month: Another Alumni Profile

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In a new recurring feature, we share information from graduates in different careers. This month we profile an alumna who started off on one career path and transitioned to another. Benefit from her experience by reading on!

1. What is your name? Nina McCormick

2. What was your major and minor at UW-Green Bay, and in what year did you graduate? Do you have a graduate degree (MS/PhD), and, if so, in what field? Major in Psychology, Minor in Human Development, and class of 2009. I attended graduate school at UW-Stout for a MS in Mental Health Counseling but I did not complete my degree. I’m debating going back to finish when my kids are older.

3. What is your current job and how would you briefly describe what you do? I am a Special Education Aide at Genesee Lake School, which is part of the Oconomowoc Developmental Training Center. I work one-on-one with children/adolescents in their ICARE classrooms, which stands for Innovative Care for Autism and Related Disorders. The students in my particular classroom would be considered “lower functioning”, and it is my job to help individuals not only with academics, but also with social skills, personal care, etc. For example, I might take a student to a doctor appointment, then come back to school and work on how to fold towels or how to communicate what day of the week it is using an iPad. I spend my entire day with the student, helping them eat lunch, taking them for walks outside when they need a break, and trying to focus on building a relationship with them. I also work on the units occasionally as a Residential Counselor, which I really enjoy, but the hours aren’t compatible with having young kids that you need to find child care for.

4. How do you use your human development and/or psychology education in your current job? If you do not, please explain. I use both my psychology and human development education in my job to some degree. At Genesee Lake School all our students have either a developmental disability or a mental illness that is too severe to allow them to do well in a regular public school environment. I would say the majority of our students have also witnessed significant trauma and abuse before they came to us. Having a background in Psychology and Human Development has definitely given me an advantage at my job.

5. Was this your first job upon graduation? If not, what was your first job? No, my first job was with Wisconsin Early Autism Project. I also worked in child care for several years.

6. What kinds of things did you do as a student (e.g., specific classes taken, independent studies, working with your advisor or career services, volunteer work, part-time jobs) that you believe made you successful in your job search and/or competitive as a job candidate? Is there anything you didn’t do that you wish you had done? I personally chose to do an internship at the Golden House working specifically with children there. I have always wanted to work with kids, and that’s a passion of mine that has never changed. This was not only good experience, but it definitely looks good on a resume.

I had two part-time jobs while I was in college, one of which was in child care, and the other was teaching yoga classes.

The only thing I wish I would have done more of is volunteer my time in the mental health field.

7. What advice would you give to current UW-Green Bay human development and/or psychology students with regard to making the most of their education and making themselves maximally competitive for employment post-graduation? Don’t get discouraged if you are not planning to go on to graduate school. The reality is that it can be difficult to find a job in social services/mental health without at least a master’s degree, but as wonderful as those programs are, they are not for everyone. All my life I wanted to be a therapist and once I was in graduate school and actually started doing supervised counseling, I decided it wasn’t for me at this time in my life. I love what I do now, but I had to work my way up to it. The great thing about my job is there is so much room to grow. Get as involved as you can, volunteer, study hard, and enjoy what you do. This may not be the highest paying field out there, but I think it can be one of the most rewarding.

Careers of the Month: November 2012 Edition

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This month we feature another interview with an alum – this one working with her Master’s degree. Read more about her experiences as an undergraduate, though, and the things that made her competitive for grad school and her current job. In fact, given she works as a counselor, you might be surprised to hear how valuable she finds her Public Administration minor to be. So…read on, and be willing to consider some minors you might not have thought about before!

1. What is your name?

Jaimie Simon

2. What was your major and minor at UW-Green Bay, and in what year did you graduate? Do you have a graduate degree (MS/PhD), and, if so, in what field? When/where did you earn that degree?

My major was in Psychology and I have minors in Public Administration and Spanish. I graduated in 2008. I have a MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling that I obtained from Marquette University in 2011.

3. What is your current job and how would you briefly describe what you do?

I currently work for the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin as a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Counselor. My job includes providing individual counseling, group counseling, and case management for clients. Also, I am required to maintain client records to state standards.

4. How do you use your human development and/or psychology education in your current job? If you do not, please explain.

I use principles of psychology and human development daily to help me identify areas in my clients’ lives (that they may be unaware of) that are causing them difficulties. Also, I often teach my clients principles of psychology and human development that may help them make positive life changes (for example explaining cognitive development to a parent who may be struggling with his or her child’s behavior problems).

5. Was this your first job upon graduation (from college or grad school – whichever is applicable)? If not, what was your first job?

This was not my first job after I completed graduate school. I worked in a similar position as a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Counselor at Acacia Mental Health.

6. What kinds of things did you do as a student (e.g., specific classes taken, independent studies, working with your advisor or career services, volunteer work, part-time jobs) that you believe made you successful in your job/graduate school search and/or competitive as a candidate? Is there anything you didn’t do that you wish you had done?

Two things I did at UWGB really stand out as having impacted me positively in my current job. First was being a Student Ambassador. That job required me to make quick relationships with people and that has been something I do daily at my current job. The second thing that was very helpful was getting a minor in Public Administration. Having a background in more of the “business” side of things has given me an advantage over many of my peers and made me feel more comfortable regarding things like budgets, grants, and billing. I believe in time that it will also possibly help me secure a supervisory role. One thing I wished I had done that I did not was to participate in study abroad, I’m not sure this would have direct bearing on my current work life but I do believe it would have exposed me to more diversity. Regarding being competitive in terms of being accepted to graduate school, I would have to say that participating as a research assistant and then later conducting my own study were likely helpful.

7. What advice would you give to current UW-Green Bay human development and/or psychology students with regard to making the most of their education and making themselves maximally competitive for grad school and/or employment?

I would suggest that students try to make themselves unique in some way, some way that they are passionate about. For example, when I was in school and would talk about the combination of Public Administration and Psychology, I would often get strange looks, but it has been immensely helpful since I have graduated. On a related note, I would recommend engaging in a wide breadth of experiences. College is a great time to try new things and combine different areas of study in interesting and creative ways.

Career of the Month: New Alumni Profile Feature

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With this issue, we start something new with our Career of the Month feature. Instead of profiling one or two potential jobs for our students, we will profile an alum of one or both of our programs so you can learn about the actual career path of a graduate! The first former student we feature is employed right here on campus – a big PF thanks goes to Elaina Koltz.

 1.      What is your name?  Elaina Koltz

 2.      What was your major and minor at UW-Green Bay, and in what year did you graduate? Do you have a graduate degree (MS/PhD), and, if so, in what field? My degree is in Human Development and Psychology.  I do not have a graduate degree yet.

 3.      What is your current job and how would you briefly describe what you do? I am currently a financial aid adviser (30%) and veteran services adviser (70%).

There are 425 students at UW-Green Bay that use veteran education benefits.  As Veteran Certifying Official for UW-Green Bay, I guide veterans through the maze of veteran’s benefits and financial aid.  This involves interviewing the student when they first arrive and determining their veteran benefits and financial aid.  Each student veteran who walks through the door has benefits unique to their experiences in the military.

 4.      How do you use your human development and/or psychology education in your current job? If you do not, please explain. I chose Human Development and Psychology because I knew I would be working with a group of students who were not traditional students and who have lived some unique, live-changing experiences. 

Many of the veterans I work with have service-related disabilities and transitioning issues.  As a result, I work closely with our disability office, our counseling and health office and the dean of student office.  I also work closely with veteran offices in the community like the Green Bay Vet Clinic, the Veteran Center and surrounding county veteran offices.  When a service member does not get paid and it turns into a hardship case, I advocate for him/her with the local congressman’s office.  In this position I have had to deal with homelessness, the aftermath of suicide and destructive behavior.  There have been times when I have a student in tears in my office.  Although it is not my job to counsel students, I have to know when it is necessary to walk them to the counseling and health office to meet with a counselor. 

The courses I took in psychology and human development that dealt with stress-related problems became very important.   Many of these veterans/students have come back to school after being in an extremely high state of stress for over a year.  Also, PTSD, TBI and suicidal behavior became familiar topics I dealt with each semester.  I learned how important it is to have a strong support group; both for myself and the students.     

 Also, a large number of veterans are adult students who went from high school right into the military.  They may not have taken college prep courses in high school or even the SAT/ACT and they are very anxious about jumping into the role of student.  Sometimes they need to be encouraged to seek out tutoring or additional help.  These are people who do not usually ask for help.

 5.      Was this your first job upon graduation? If not, what was your first job? I was already in the position of Veteran Certifying Official at UW-Green Bay when I graduated in 2006.  My graduation was well timed because of the rise in number of veterans returning to school from the recent wars.  My position was re-evaluated in 2009 and it went from a classified position to an academic staff position.  I even had to reapply and interview for this upgraded position.  Having a degree in human development and psychology helped me to secure this position.

 6.      What kinds of things did you do as a student (e.g., specific classes taken, independent studies, working with your advisor or career services, volunteer work, part-time jobs) that you believe made you successful in your job search and/or competitive as a job candidate? Is there anything you didn’t do, that you wish you had done? Courses in human development theory, counseling across the lifespan, personality theory and abnormal psych were courses I found helpful.  Although I did not take an internship, I felt I was consistently in an internship in my current position as veteran certifying official.  I was constantly absorbing new information helpful to my job.  I also took on additional responsibility as the veteran student club advisor.

7.      What advice would you give to current UW-Green Bay human development and/or psychology students with regard to making the most of their education and making themselves maximally competitive for employment post-graduation? Take your courses seriously.  There is always a chance you will use what you learned in your future, especially from the psychology and human development area.  Unless you live in a glass case, you will be dealing with people. 

Take advantage of any internship opportunities and volunteer in the community.  Use volunteer opportunities to determine if a certain job position is right for you.