Tag: careers

STEM Careers Pandemic Proof

Posted on by NVC Voice

STEM workers are in demand! Engineering and STEM-related jobs will take precedence in the employment industry through 2029 according to recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — professions are expected to increase 8% between 2019 and 2029, compared to just 3.4% for all other careers. Even more impressive, the median annual STEM wage is $86,980 a year, compared to $38,160 for all non-STEM jobs.

Also WalletHub.com ranked four Texas cities in the top 60 of its list of the Best Cities for STEM jobs. Although San Antonio ranked No. 58 on the list that was released last month, Austin ranked No. 4, and its proximity to San Antonio is beneficial.

This is good news for engineering students in Northwest Vista College’s new partnership with UTSA called TATE which stands for Transfer Academy for Tomorrow’s Engineers program. It allows NVC students to co-enroll at both institutions and take engineering courses taught by UTSA and NVC faculty. Upon completion of the NVC component and an associate’s degree in hand, students will continue courses at UTSA to obtain their bachelor’s degree in any of the six UTSA engineering degree programs, which includes Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Civil Engineering. UTSA also has a partnership with Lone Star College, a community college in Houston.

Students interested in the TATE program are welcome to attend a virtual meeting on Thursday, Feb. 25 at 3:30 pm. To sign up and get Zoom details, go here.

What are some of the benefits of TATE? First, students will be able shave off about $8,800 from their tuition and fees by attending a community college first.

Second, students in this program will be the envy of their peers at summer internships. Many of the summer jobs are from companies that pay about $18 an hour – more than doubled the current minimum wage in Texas. Just in the Lonestar State, there are nearly 100 companies that offer summer internships and many are in the San Antonio area, such as U.S. Air Force, Valero Energy, H-E-B, Intel, CPS, USAA, IBM, Accenture, and Proctor & Gamble. After graduation, UTSA says the starting salary for engineers averages about $60,797.

Third, this joint program opens the doors for many students who don’t have the resources to purse an engineering degree. NVC students who are on financial aid can participate in the AlamoPromise program, that along with other financial resources, can end up making college free.

Finally, the partnership allows students to strengthen their math skills to get calculus ready for their final two years at UTSA. With NVC’s strong math department and tutoring program, it can transform students who started in lower-level math development courses and get them calculus ready in their first two years at NVC.

To learn more about the program and its requirements, which includes being calculus ready, visit the NVC website at https://www.alamo.edu/nvc/academics/tate/

Earning a Degree to be More Competitive

Posted on by NVC Public Relations
Screen Shot 2014-09-05 at 12.01.28 PM
Discover the Power of a Degree: http://alamo.edu/nvc/current-students/degree/

In 2010, I was hired as a case manager for a local home health agency. I had no medical experience, but I knew medical terminology. I had a caseload of 70+ Medicare patients with a variety of medical needs. In 2011 and 2012, Medicare regulations changed which affected the home health agencies nationwide.

Unfortunately, I lost my job in the summer of 2012. I thought it would be fairly easy to find a job as a case manager, especially here in San Antonio. As I looked through job postings, I noticed all the case manager positions available required some kind of degree— and I didn’t have one.

After talking with my husband, I came to the conclusion that it was time for me to go back to school. I wanted to become more marketable for higher-paying jobs. I knew if I didn’t go to school to get a degree, I could get stuck in some measly dead-end job. I knew I didn’t want that.

It took me almost a year to decide what my major was going to be. With the help and advising of an instructor, I was able to narrow down my possible degree paths.

Gerona Nylander
NVC Student & Public Relations Administrative Assistant

Northwest Vista: Knowledge and Skills for your Career

Posted on by NVC Public Relations
fbcover nvcsign
Northwest Vista College

It is said that most people will go through seven careers in one lifetime Although this number of careers may not be accurate, I can say that I have had about three careers so far. In all of those endeavors, I have needed to acquire new skills and knowledge for each job.

Northwest Vista has been a constant source of education in my career choices. I have been attending this school on and off since the early 2000’s and, I must say, that it’s a great place to learn and to visit.
The campus is a calming place to sit down and contemplate life and studies. Yet, NVC inspires me to be more and learn more. Maybe it’s the buildings, the natural areas on site, the professors and staff, or just the fact that I’m learning something new. But, NVC is a place that will launch any student into greater career opportunities.

 

I returned to NVC this semester (Spring 2014) with the intention of obtaining a Web Design Certificate. There are two reasons for this choice:

 a)     I love technology. I not only work with technology in the customer-service industry on a daily basis, but I am the “go-to” guy amongst my family when it comes to technology-based questions and service.
 

b)    Web Design/Development is much needed today. Just do an online search for “Web Designer jobs” and you will find many available jobs in your area. There is no lack of employment if you have this skill. In fact, the Occupational Outlook Handbook predicted a 20% growth rate in the Web Design/Development field for job outlook through 2022. This is a faster than average growth rate. 

I am very excited to go through the Web Design program at NVC. I especially like the convenience of having either an internet-only class or a hybrid class choice. As a full-time professional, these types of classes make my learning experience manageable and convenient. Don’t get me wrong, the classes and materials are challenging; but it helps to be able to work on them around my schedule. Thanks NVC for being there throughout the years!
 
By NVC Student Joe Cortez