Home > Newsletter > Volume 3, Issue 3 (April 2004)

Volume 3, Issue 3 (April 2004)

Brave Opportunities
Career Services Center
Where Today’s Braves Look to the Future

Volume 3, Issue 2
April 2004

Inside this issue:
Crikey! How to Become a Crocodile Farmer
Career of the Month: Cartoonist
Profile: Brenda Jacobs
In Every Issue: From the Director’s Desk, Cool Jobs Listings, Career Bloopers, Job Search Tips, Ask Zelda, Little Known Facts, Upcoming Events

Career Center Info:
Location: University Center, Ste. 210, 521-6270, cs@uncp.edu, www.uncp.edu/cs
Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Appointments may be made for Career Consulting, DISCOVER, Resume Critiques, Mock Interviews, etc.
Staff:
Dr. Denisha Sanders, Director
Lori Bumgarner, M.Ed., Assistant Director
Brenda C. Jacobs, Student Services Assistant

Crikey! How to Become a Crocodile Farmer
As you know, while on my trip to Australia, I got to meet several people in very unique career fields. One of those “mates” happens to be John Lever, head of the Koorana Crocodile Farm in Queensland, Australia. You may recognize John from television shows such as MTV’s Road Rules and MSNBC’s National Geographic Ultimate Explorer.
Along with his wife, Lillian, John runs the commercial crocodile farm that is home to about 3,000 crocs! The farm has several business units including tourism (guided tours, a retail shop, and a restaurant), skin production, meat production, and manufactured crocodile leather products.
While visiting the farm and enjoying some delicious crocodile chowder, I got to ask John how he became involved in this line of work. He said that when he got bored with his previous job, he applied for a job in Papua, New Guinea doing wildlife work. It was there that he was introduced to crocodiles and the people who taught him about crocodiles. Once he was armed with some fairly unique knowledge and experience, he decided he wanted to start the first crocodile farm in Queensland.
After the chowder, I went out with John to feed the crocs, and I learned what he likes most and least about his job. In typical Australian fashion, he answered the question with a short and to-the-point answer: “I like watching baby crocodiles hatch. I hate finding large crocodiles dead.”
When sharing advice he would give to others interested in this line of work, John said that this work takes someone who is practical and animal-oriented. “Young people starting out in this field need to have an open mind and understand that crocodiles are potentially very dangerous. Anyone starting out in this field should aim at working on a farm rather than [at] a zoo simply because of the frequency of handling experiences and the honing of skills.”
If this is something you would be interested in pursuing, John says there are many opportunities available on his farm to develop those skills and handling experiences. “Both males and females work here and we have many volunteers. In fact, it is through the volunteer system that people find out whether or not they like crocodiles and crocodile farming. We have accommodations for students on the property and reserve the right to ask anyone to leave if they do not fit in, behave in a reckless manner around crocodiles, or are not prepared to listen or learn.” John also conducts specialized training courses for such activities as tour guiding, large crocodile capture and restraint, incubation and hatching, and crocodile handling (there is a fee for these courses). For more information, check out the Koorana Crocodile Farm website at www.koorana.com.au.
Lori Bumgarner

Career of the Month: Cartoonist
Cartoonists draw political, advertising, social, and sports cartoons, newspaper comic strips, gag cartoons, caricatures, and comic books. They create characters and prepare models and sketches of the characters. Some cartoonists work with others who create the idea or story and write the captions. Most cartoonists, however, have humorous, critical, or dramatic talents, in addition to their drawing skills, and write their own scripts. Others may be involved in book illustration, greeting cards, toy design, and clothing design.
Cartoonists sell their cartoons to newspapers, comic book publishers, and magazines, or to a cartoon syndicate, which in turn sells them to the nation's newspapers. All cartoonists need extensive art experience and many need to know writing techniques. They must also be aware of politics, economics, and social conditions. Those working in multimedia areas (including TV) create special effects, animation, or other visual images using, film, video, computers, or other electronic media. Cartoonists must be qualified to produce a wide range of works from flash cards to animation.
Quick Facts:
Cartoonists work for:
advertising agencies
comic book, newspaper, and magazine publishers
television and motion picture companies
manufacturing firms and department stores
corporations and institutions
federal, state, and local governments
themselves (negotiate with syndicates who then negotiate with newspapers to sell the strip)
Cartoonists indicate that what they like about their job is the recognition and respect they receive, the chance to express themselves creatively, the variety in their work, and the number of specialties available. However, they say the drawbacks of the job include the stiff competition for jobs, working irregular hours, the difficulty in becoming established, often working alone, and the intense pressure to meet deadlines
Related Majors:
Crafts, Folk Art, and Artisanry
Design and Applied Art
Fine Arts and Art Studies
Liberal Arts and Science, General Studies
Other Related Occupations:
Fashion Artist
Illustrator
Illustrator, Medical and Scientific
Police Sketch Artist
Quick Sketch Artist
Salary:
The Economic Research Institute reported the following:
Starting Salary: $34,500 ($16.50/hr)
Average Salary: $47,000 ($22.50/hr)
Salary w/experience: $57,500, ($27.75/hr).
For more information about cartoonists you may contact:
National Cartoonists Society
4101 Lake Boone Trail
Suite 201
Raleigh, NC 27607
http://www.reuben.org/
Graphic Artists Guild National
90 John Street Suite 403
New York, NY 10038-3202
http://www.gag.org/
American Association of Editorial Cartoonists
1221 Stoneferry Lane
Raleigh, NC 27607
http://pc99.detnews.com/aaec/
Source: DISCOVER Online. To learn about thousands of other occupations, you can access DISCOVER via our website.

From the Director’s Desk
Last month I discussed the importance of making yourself marketable to employers by developing the skills they typically seek in prospective employees. This month, I want to tell you about ways to prepare yourself for a successful job search, the first step in developing those skills.
Throughout April the Career Center will sponsor a number of workshops and events related to the job search. The information you will gain through these programs is designed to assist you in any type of job search situation whether you are seeking an internship, a summer job, a volunteer position, or full-time, professional employment after graduation.
April’s workshops include:
“Show Your Enthusiasm” and “What Not to Wear,” our interviewing workshops, which give you all of the information you need to prepare for a variety of interviewing situations.
“Style & Grace” Business Etiquette Dinner, an opportunity to learn the “ins and outs” of professional etiquette from a Certified Business Etiquette Professional over a wonderful dinner (tickets are $5.00 and are on sale now in the Career Center).
“Six Months Behind” for those who have waited until the last minute to plan for a job search.
“Trading Spaces,” a workshop developed to help you make a successful transition from the classroom to the office.
Details about each event are listed on Page 4. I hope you will take advantage of these opportunities to ensure your success in the job search and beyond. See you there! Denisha Sanders

Profile: Brenda Jacobs
Please welcome to the Career Center our new Student Services Assistant, Ms. Brenda C. Jacobs. Ms. Jacobs has been a part of the UNCP community since 2000 and comes to us from the Office of Alumni Relations in Lumbee Hall.
Ms. Jacobs is the mother of two, Megan (age 17) and Adam (age 13). In her spare time, she enjoys reading, horseback riding, and attending Union Chapel Community Church. She also spends weekends doing wedding videography.
We are very excited to have Ms. Jacobs join the Career Services team. Please come by and say hello.

This Month’s Cool Jobs Listing
On-Camera Talent. Reality-based TV show. Requires female teleprompter with experience, professional corporate look, prefer medical/legal experience. Kendall Park, NJ
Writer/Line Producer. For “Practice Profiles”, a new reality-based TV show. Requires medical and legal experience. Kendall Park, NJ
Sports Photographer. Shoot, edit, interview, write, field production for sports coverage, operate live trucks, nonlinear edit in-house, shoot from helicopter. St. Petersburg, FL
Creative Services Writer. Requires 2 years experience with network-affiliated station, 2 years writing/production experience, nonlinear edit experience, knowledge of popular culture, marketing trends, branding, prefer BA/BS. Charlotte, NC
Helicopter Reporter. Cover spot news events from helicopter. Las Vegas, NV
Designer/Animator. Create on-air animation and graphics for news, promos, and print design. Arlington, VA
Graphic Artist. Design magazine covers and layouts. Philadelphia, PA
Certified Dive Technician. Part-time/full-time, maintain dive equipment and logs. Universal Studios, Orlando, FL
Underwater Explorers Program Leader. Deliver programs to the public on the outside deck and in the Great Tide Pool, teach children ages 8-13 about the natural history of the tide pools and ocean, assist with husbandry duties and with minor repairs of the equipment. Monterey, CA
Landscape Curator. Manage/maintain the historical property, provide public tours, conduct volunteer training, administer the landscape budget, assist with fundraising efforts. Rochester, NY
Zoomobile Programmer. Part-time. Present live animal outreach programs, including interactive environmental education activities. Rochester, NY
High Peaks Summit Steward. Educate the hiking public about rare and fragile alpine communities of the High Peaks Region in NY state, camp in remote backcountry sites, ability to work outdoors in extreme weather conditions. Lake Placid, NY
Big Bugs Summer Internship. Assist with an insect sculptural exhibit, including leading interpretive tours, and conducting programs. Framingham, MA
Elephant Sanctuary Internship. Unpaid position. Housing included. For students studying veterinary science/zoology/related field. Hohenwald, TN
Sports Intern. Part-time, 13-week position. Log games, scan wires, identify material for shows, assist with field interviews. Chicago, IL
Women’s Field Hockey Head Coach. Houghton College, Houghton, NY
Full job descriptions and application procedures are listed exclusively in the Career Services Center Library.

Brave Ideas

“I can’t believe you did that!” and Other Career Mishaps
One candidate tried to bribe the recruiter with basketball tickets.

CSC Career Unscripted Workshop Guide
Spring 2004 (every Wednesday @ 3:30 pm in the Career Services Library, UC Ste. 210 unless otherwise noted.)
4/7 What Not to Wear &
Show Your Enthusiasm
4/13 Style & Grace Etiquette Dinner,
5 pm, Chancellor’s Dining Room
4/14 Fear is Not a Factor
(Grad School Planning)
4/21 Six Months Behind
(Last Minute Job Search)
4/28 Trading Spaces
(From Classroom to Office)

Dear Zelda,
What am I supposed to say when I’m asked about salary during a job interview? Clueless
Dear Clueless,
This is a common question. It’s important to remember to never bring up salary until the employer does. But sometimes, employers want to broach this issue a little too early in the interview process. The best way to handle this situation is to be prepared by doing some research to find out what the typical salary is for this type of job and what the cost of living is in the location of the job. Also, consider the overall benefits/compensation package when preparing a response to the salary question. But start with a response such as “From what I know about this position, it seems like a perfect fit for me. As long as the salary you have in mind is in keeping with the industry norms, I’m confident we can reach a mutually acceptable agreement.” If the employer is looking for an amount from you, always provide a salary range instead of just one figure. See this month’s job search tip to figure out your range.
Zelda
Got a career or job search question?
Ask Zelda at cs@uncp.edu

This Month’s Job Search Tip:
When stating your salary requirements, always give a range. To determine what range to give, think about what would be the least amount you can afford to accept, and what amount would make you the happiest (but within industry standard of course). Then, take the midpoint of those two amounts and let that be the first amount of your range. It is recommended to do it this way since you can always negotiate down, but you can’t negotiate up.

Little Known Facts
Benefits can add as much as 30 percent to your total compensation!

Upcoming Events
CSC Career Unscripted workshops, Every Wednesday, 3:30 pm, UC Suite 210
Style & Grace Business Etiquette Dinner
Tuesday, 4/13, 5 pm, Chancellor’s Dining Room
Reservations required (tickets $5). Limited seating available.
Senior Brunch, Wednesday, 4/14, 10 am, UC Lounge
LSOP Awards Brunch, Wednesday, 4/21, 10 am, UC Lounge

Return to Newsletter