Your
make good contacts for the future. very popular,” Smith says, and the fast pace
Art
Meanwhile, they’ll be learning work habits, of play gives the student video operators a
such as reliability, punctuality, and teamwork, challenging learning experience. “The team
CREATE a Career
that can take them far no matter what their doesn’t stop and redo it for you,” Smith notes.
career goals.
PORTfOLIO
Job shadowing
volunteering Job shadowing is another way Smith’s students
One valuable tool that can help you get
Students can learn a lot whether they’re paid learn outside the classroom. By following
ready for college and beyond is a career
or not. Smith’s students in audio and video a professional as he or she goes through a
portfolio—a collection of items that
production help out at their local public day at work, job shadowers gain an up-close
document your achievements both in
television station. “When they have telethons, perspective that lets them judge whether the
and out of school, assembled in one
students volunteer on the telephones. field would be a good fit for them.
convenient package.
Sometimes they have actually run cameras,” Smith’s students have shadowed TV
A career portfolio is not simply
she says. “They’re doing community service reporters, editors, and station managers. At
a resume, although it can certainly
work, but they’re doing it in a television radio stations they have sat in as disc jockeys
include one. So what should go in a
station, so they also get to see that side of the did their shows.
career portfolio? A variety of things,
production while it’s going on. They get a lot of “Most of them shadowed jobs in which they
depending on your own personal
really good experience that way.” were interested,” Smith says. “They got an idea
experiences. It could include transcripts
Students also volunteer to tape their high of how fast-paced things are and the variety of
and grades; writing samples; letters
school football games. “This is Texas. Football’s jobs behind the scenes.”
of recommendation from teachers,
mentors, or employers; awards you’ve
received; and items that document
S P o T L I G H T
other activities, such as internships and
job shadowing experiences.
“You need to be specific—dates, how
many years, any awards, what they
ARtS tAkEoff
meant, and who you received them
skillsUsA and tsA Competitions
from,” says Grace Brauchle, who helps
bring the Arts to life
students put their portfolios together
as the career center coordinator for
O
scar melendez felt out of place in high
Lehman High School in Kyle.
school. Then he discovered a talent for
Brauchle says portfolios come in
graphic arts, and his teacher suggested that he
handy when students apply for jobs or
join Texas skillsusa.
admission to college. “First impressions
“I always knew I didn’t really belong in sports
are a very big thing,” she says, “and
or other clubs,” recalls melendez, now a graphic
you want to be the one whose papers
communications instructor at socorro High school
get passed around the office. You want
in el paso.
3-d visualization and animation, and more allow
to be the one where the admissions
He was soon involved in skillsusa activities,
students to showcase what they have learned
counselors say, ‘Wow, look at this one!’”
however, improving his art skills, participating in
throughout the year.
And a portfolio doesn’t have to be
community service, entering competitive events,
competitive events at Texas Technology
simply a collection of papers. Artists
and meeting people from across Texas and the
students association (Tsa) conferences can help
and photographers use their portfolios
united states.
students with artistic talents learn how to master
to provide visual examples of their
skillsusa helps high school students improve
technology as a tool for artistic expression.
work, and so can you. Do you have
their leadership, teamwork, and communication
at local, state, and national conferences,
photos of someone giving you an
ability. programs include local, state, and national
students compete in events including video game
award? Put them in. How about a video
competitive events in which students exhibit their
design, desktop publishing, imaging technology,
of a performance? Include it on a DVD.
occupational skills.
film, and scientific and technical visualization.
Do you have experience in Web design?
janet conner, executive director for Texas
students can compete in technical research and
Make an online portfolio to showcase
skillsusa, says events in advertising design,
report writing by creating reports based on their
what you can do.
video production, graphics communications,
own research in an assigned technical field.
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