Palo Alto College
Feb.2013

 
  
Greetings!

Welcome!

 

Are you wondering what STEM jobs are available and what they are paying? A NerdWallet study reveals that jobs requiring only a two-year associate's degree will have the highest average growth through 2020. The average growth rate of all jobs by 2020 is just 14%, while high-growth jobs requiring an associate's degree will grow by an average of 35%. At the same time, associate's degrees have the shortest payback period. Lower tuition rates coupled with high median earnings on the job means these graduates pay off their tuition in just two years, on average. Plus, many of the jobs that require only an associate's degree pay more than those requiring a bachelor's or master's.

 

The 10 best-paying jobs for associate's degree holders (median salary indicated):

No. 1: Air Traffic Controllers ($108,040)

No. 2: Construction Managers ($83,860)

No. 3: Radiation Therapists ($74,980)

No. 4: Nuclear Medicine Technologists ($68,560)

No. 5: Dental Hygienists ($68,250)

No. 6: Nuclear Technicians ($68,090)

No. 7: Registered Nurses ($64,690)

No. 8: Diagnostic Medical Sonographers ($64,380)

No. 9: Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technicians ($58,080)

No. 10: Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technicians ($56,040)

 

To read more go to: http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/nerdscholar/2012/top-jobs-associates-degree/

 

If you have any questions about STEM fields or general Academic Advising, be sure to stop by the Undergraduate Advising Center in the Palomino Center Rm. 114 or call 210.486.3660.  
In This Issue
Contact Us!
Student Spotlight!
STEM Tech Tip!
STEM Events and News!
Leave No Trace!
UIW Tech Fair!
Made in Texas Exhibit!
Save the Date!
STEM Advising Tip!
Meet your Professor!
STEM Health Tip!
Contact Information:

Location: Palomino Ctr, Rm. 114 

 

Michael Ximenez, Director
210.486.3660

Maria Diaz, Advisor
 210.486.3663

Jennie Huebenthal, Advisor
210.486.3664     

Jonathon Gonzales, Advisor
210.486.3665

Danielle Esquivel, Advisor
210.486.3661
Quick Links

STEM STUDENT SPOTLIGHT!
Ernest Hernandez!   

 

What is your name and what is your classification? 

Ernest Hernandez, Sophomore

 

Tell us what STEM field you are Interested in pursuing?

Engineering

 

What event motivated/inspired you to study in the Enginnering field?

I was motivated by the time I spent in the military working in the Nuclear Engineering Department. I was responsible for supervising nuclear reactor operations on submarines and aircraft carriers.

 

With the program you are pursuing, what are your future employment/educational goals?

AA in Engineering (PAC), BS in Electrical or Nuclear (TX A &M College station)

 

What would you like to tell a student who is just starting classes at PAC?

Pick your classes carefully and correctly the first time to avoid spending another semester you don't have to catching up. College tuition is getting more expensive each term so use your financial resources wisely whether it is Financial Aid or Pell Grants. Do not give into the temptation in cheating on your assignments. You are only doing yourself harm by not working for your grade. No employer wants to hire an employee who can't do basic math or write intelligently about any subject. Too often I hear how students get books with answers already filled in who just show up for class to make the attendance requirements. Take some pride in yourself and do your own work. Think about it this way; "Would you like for a doctor who cheated and copied his work during his college years to be operating on you? Would you trust in an attorney to defend you in court who took the shortcut around everything? Would you like for a restaurant employee who can't read very well or do basic math cooking your food?" Obviously not. So why not just do your own work?

 

Has being a STEM student opened up any opportunities for you while here at PAC?

The opportunity to participate in clubs like SOFE (Society of Future Engineering), and the chance to apply for the various scholarships.

 

 

  

 

STEM Tech Tip!
Stay up to date with whats happening at Palo Alto College. Like Us on Facebook!
STEM Events and News!
 
Leave No Trace!

Leave No Trace is a national and international program designed to assist outdoor enthusiasts with their decisions about how to reduce their impacts when they hike, camp, picnic, run, bike, hunt, paddle, ride horses, fish, or climb. The program strives to educate all those who enjoy the outdoors and about the nature of their recreational impacts as well as techniques to prevent and minimize such impacts. Good program for families and scout groups who enjoy the outdoors. Kid friendly activity included. Leave No Trace will be on Sat, Feb. 9th at the Medina River Natural Area is located at 15890 Highway 16 South. For more information, or to register for any program call (210) 207-3106. Suggested donation for each program is $3.00 per person or $5 per family. For more information on the Medina River Natural Area Click Here. 

UIW Tech Fair!
The University of Incarnate Word will be hosting a Tech Fair on March 6 from 10 a.m.- 3 p.m.  The Tech Fair will be held in the Marian Hall Ballroom located on the UIW campus. There will be vendors demonstrating their products as well as the Employers' Showcase where businesses's representatives will be available to talk about their companies. For More information visit www.uiw.edu/techfair.
 
Made in Texas Exhibit!

Cowboy boots and computers. Salsa and Texas-shaped tortilla chips. Jalape�o jelly and prickly pear wine. Ancient stone tools and artificial hearts. What do these all have in common? Texas! "Made in Texas" explores a diverse array of Texan-made objects which add to the fabric of life not only in our state, but across the globe. Explore objects, concepts, ideas and expressions of culture which originate in, are made in, or have strong ties to Texas: foodways, arts and crafts, agriculture and manufacturing, music, ways of making a living, furniture, clothing, inventions and architecture. Discover the impact Texas has had on the world and how Texas culture has influenced others. The "Made in Texas Exhibit" is located at the Institute of Texan Cultures and it is FREE of charge with your Alamo Colleges ID. For more information please visit www.texancultures.com.

Save the Date! March 30th from 9 -10:30 a.m.!  

You're invited to A PBS/C-Span Filming on "Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM): A Critical Need". It will be held on Saturday, March 30, 9 - 10:30 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Riverwalk Hotel. The American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education will launch a nationally televised panel discussion via the Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) and C-Span. A ground-breaking televised broadcast will raise national consciousness about the challenges posed and opportunities offered by the nation's fastest growing minority population - Hispanic Americans. The goal is to initiate a nationwide discussion to frame questions concerning the need to recruit and graduate a critical mass of Hispanics in the STEM disciplines. AAHHE will assemble a panel of experts to discuss industry STEM occupational needs, recruitment and retention strategies and action plan for priming the STEM pump. For more information or to RSVP for this event please contact Jonathon Gonzales at [email protected]     

 
STEM Advising Tip!
How well do you really know what your degree entails? Visit the Center for Academic Transitions to speak with a career counselor and find out more!
 
  
  
   
Meet your Professor!
 

Anita C. Soliz , Adjunct CIS Instructor!

 

What is your position at Palo Alto College?

IT Digital Media Specialist / Adjunct Instructor

Instructional Innovation Center / Distance Learning

 

What is your educational Background?

A.S. - General, Palo Alto College

B.S. - Computer Information Systems, Our Lady of the Lake University

M.S. - Computer Information Systems, St. Mary's University

 

How long have you been teaching at PAC?

5 years - since Spring 2008

 

What motivated/inspired you to enter into your field?

Initially, I had wanted to become a Network Administrator.  While taking a CIS undergraduate course, one of my instructors was the SAISD network administrator.  He was a great teacher and talked often about his job when it related to the course information.  To oversee and be involved in the implementation of several types of technology for a computer network was so fascinating to me.  But because this job can be so demanding (being on-call after your regular working hours), I decided to go another route that will allow me to be a "mommy" at the same time.  When I applied for a position in our Instructional Innovation Center (IIC), I found home.  I love technology and soon after found my calling to teach.  In the IIC, I train (teach J) faculty, staff, and sometimes students whenever they need assistance in learning a particular software.

 

Can you provide an example on how STEM fields are valuable to society and the world?

Just look around you.....  Technology surrounds us every minute of the day.  From your cell phone to the car you drive, every piece of media has some type of electrical component running some type of software to make your world easier.  Modern day students have so many opportunities to become whomever they wish to be in their lives.  In the technology/engineering world, you can become an engineer who creates those tiny microchips that allow computers to save data.  Or you can become a programmer who writes that app or program that allows a company or cell phone to access data much easier and faster for all users.  Your life, society, and the world will always depend on technology and engineering - it's just up to you on how you wish to be part of it - as a user, creator, or both.

 

In what STEM fields do you predict the greatest impact and job growth?

With the huge growth in smart phones, the app market has boomed within the last decade.  Can you imagine creating the Angry Birds app and selling it for just $1.00?  Already a million downloads of this game have been processed world wide - you do the math as to what your annual income would be as the creator of this software application.  Likewise, how about the production of smart phones?  Will you be one of the engineers who creates the next best thing to carry around in your pocket for communication?  If you are a native San Antonian, you have seen the exponential growth of this city.  So ask yourself - how do building developers know where to build?  Well, they need to survey the land so what's becoming more popular is Geographic Information Systems (GIS).  GIS applications are involved in almost anything - surveying land to build homes, office building s, city structures, highways, and more recently crime analysis (taking a survey of a city for crime activity and running visual reports for a law enforcement agency).  And these are just to name a few....

 

What are some pointers that you would like to give students as they continue their academic career?

Stay focus on your goals.  Life can throw you a lot of bumps and sometimes walls on the road to your success.  But don't lose sight because your education and the completion of your degree is the key to a rewarding career.  It will be hard and there will be times that you want to give up, but don't.  Find the courage and confidence to believe in yourself and you will be surprised on what you can accomplish.  Another aspect of yourself that you should nurture is how you treat others.  As you experience life, you will encounter the old adage "treat others as you would want them to treat you" is true in every word.  Respect and kindness will go a long way when you are developing relationships.  And stay true to yourself - for you alone are responsible for your own actions.

 

STEM HealthTip!
Don't drive from Building to Building, Walk! While getting in a little exercise, you also can clear your mind and prepare for your next class!

   

  
Internships!

    

The San Antonio Zoo is looking for College Interns for volunteer work. The San Antonio Zoo internship program is designed to allow college students an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in their chosen field. Internships are unpaid and housing is not provided. However, credit hours may be earned depending on the intern's school policy regarding internships. Interns are required to work for a minimum of 200 hours. For more information Click Here. 

  

Booz Allen is currently looking for an Engineering Intern. As an Engineering intern, you will perform duties in planning, collecting, organizing, and presenting engineering data and information for an Air Force client. Assist team in collecting information and data necessary for understanding the client's environmental program and work with others to implement solutions to store and report that data. Manage projects status and progression and provide status updates to senior project managers and team members. For more information Click Here.

 

The Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas is currently looking for Undergraduate Science Majors for a research opportunity. Get first-hand experience in the lab! Undergraduate students with an interest in biomedical science have many career options. Spend a summer in the lab to determine if biomedical research is the right career for you!
Watch out! It's EXCITING! For more information Click Here
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USAA is currently looking for an IT Intern. As an IT Intern, you will Learn key technical skills and begin to apply knowledge to solve problems as directed. Learn basic troubleshooting skills, quality assurance and requirements interpretation. Support procedures by shadowing senior team members, and begin demonstrating basic skill competency. For more information Click Here.
    

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship is looking for Undergraduate Science Majors. Undergraduate students selected for the program work in a research laboratory for a 10-week period in the summer. During this time, they also attend weekly undergraduate-level lectures by participating faculty. At the end of the internship period, each student presents his or her research to the department. The goal for this training program is to provide an opportunity for talented undergraduate-level scientists to experience "real" research For more information Click Here.

 

 Notice:  All job listings are posted at the discretion of the Palo Alto College Academic Advising Center. We will not post jobs that appear to discriminate against applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, national origin, veteran status, sexual orientation, disability, or gender. We also reserve the right to refuse to post jobs that do not support the interests of the college.