Career Development
WISR Internship and Career Resource Center for Community Leadership and Justice
Mission
The WISR Career Center for Community Leadership and Justice seeks to provide WISR students, alumni, and faculty with support and access to resources on career development in traditional and alternative areas–related to community leadership and justice, education, and counseling psychology. In particular, the WISR Career Center for Community Leadership and Justice aims to help WISR learners to use their education to change the world and
to help others through their professional and community leadership roles, while also surviving and thriving materially and personally. Students will receive information and personalized guidance as they pursue, and in some cases, develop, their careers—while being mindful their own sense of what is meaningful, and their larger personally-held commitments, which may include matters of social justice, spirituality, and sustainability, for example.
Available Services
1) Information about Socially Responsible Careers and Jobs;
2) Information about Socially Responsible Internships and Practica;
3) Informational Events and Workshops;
4) Materials on Careers and Building Bridges to the Next Important Things to do in Your Life.
Services Not Available
However, the availability of information from the Career Center and the assistance with Career Development and Networking does not include job placement, nor is anything stated here (in the catalog and on the WISR website) meant to imply that students should expect job placement assistance, or any guarantees of job placement.
The Role of Faculty
The WISR Career Center is coordinated by WISR faculty member, John Bilorusky, with support and assistance from WISR alumnus, Suzanne Quijano, MA (MFTI), MBA, and other WISR faculty.
Also, as part of their ongoing mentoring and advising of students, WISR faculty rather consciously and continually help students to design learning activities—action projects, research, and writings—that help to build bridges to the student’s desired career path.
Socially Responsible Careers and Jobs
Idealist.org: This is the best one stop site for seekers of alternative, progressive opportunities for internships, jobs, careers, organizations, social actions/projects, events, individuals and community. With 100,000 (including WISR) organizational and 800,000 individual members, individuals can sign up to receive daily notice of available jobs, or a daily blog – Idealist Careers – which provides ideas and resources for preparing, seeking, and manifesting an alternative, progressive career. There are also regular webinars in this vein – all for free @ www.idealist.org.
LearnHowToBecome.org
LearnHowToBecome.org (http://www.learnhowtobecome.org) began in late 2013. Its mission is to help students (or other aspiring professionals) understand what it takes to land their perfect career. A one-stop, comprehensive resource, it can guide individuals through each of the steps they need to take to begin, further, or change their career path. Careers are described in detail including areas in social service, psychology, education, health and medicine and more. Also provided is a special section on ‘Green’ careers, socially responsible non-profit careers and domestic and international volunteer opportunities (such as AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps) to prepare and gain experience for a career of service http://www.learnhowtobecome.org/volunteer-and-nonprofit-careers/.
Careers in Psychology:
a good site for getting support focusing in the area of psychology is http://careersinpsychology.org/ . This includes a site for clinical and non-clinical internships; and for jobs: see\Indeed.com http://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=Family+Therapist+Mft&l=California&rq=1&fromage=last
Green Careers and Jobs:
According to the Economic Policy Institute over 3.1 million Americans have a “green job,” and that number continues to climb. BestColleges.com created a career guide for green jobs [www.bestcolleges.com/careers/green-jobs] which highlights several paths of study, job positions, and occupational outlooks at all degree levels.
Social Innovation/Entrepreneurship
http://myimpact.ch/meaningful-careers-in-social-entrepreneurship/
http://www.socialenterprisebuzz.com/2013/07/29/career-change-places-to-find-social-enterprise-jobs/
https://netimpact.org/careers/entrepreneurship-and-social-enterprise
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-c-hodgson/social-entrepreneurship-career-choice_b_1562949.html
www.LinkedIn.com– the ultimate in career networking provides access to ideas, people, education, jobs, professions and careers across the broadest range of interests, needs and desires.
Health and Public Health:
The website of the Prevention Institute in Oakland preventioninstitute.org, a progressive think and action center emphasizing ‘upstream’ (read: social inequalities/determinants) perspectives on health and public health issues has an excellent page for local and national jobs in health, psychology and social welfare.
Higher Education:
Academic teaching/faculty opportunities/jobs/careers as well as the same in college/university administration or Alt-Academic roles in higher education can be found @ insidehighered.com .
Activism/Social Change:
Begin with Amherst University’s webpage on careers in social activism.
http://www.indeed.com/q-Social-Activism-jobs.html
Other Useful Sites:
On-Line Sources for Non-Profit Jobs–Perhaps the most comprehensive “one-stop-shopping” links to non-profit jobs.
National Opportunity NOCS–Classified listings of nonprofit organizations.
Nonprofit Times–Another classified listing of jobs.
The Non-Profit Career Network–A slowly growing resource center for non-profit jobs.
2020 Guide to Nonprofit Jobs & Careers—tips on developing a resume, interviewing for jobs, types of jobs
Community Career Center–Through a database users can search a healthy set of job openings, many from “member” non-profits
Good Works Foundation–Search jobs, post jobs through this website
http://www.politixgroup.com/ttjobs.htm– Job Searching at Policy Think Tanks
Craigslist craigslist.org
Bay Area Progressive Directory bapd.org no jobs list, just organization contacts)
Young Nonprofit Professionals http://www.ynpn.org
Philanthropy News Digest http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/jobs/index.jhtml
Nonprofit Career Network http://www.nonprofitcareer.com
PNN Online http://pnnonline.org
Environmental Career Opportunities http://www.ecojobs.com
Nonprofit Jobs Cooperative http://www.nonprofitjobscoop.org/
Opportunity Knocks http://www.opportunitynocs.org/
Job Star San Francisco http://jobstar.org/adjobs/nocal.php#environment
Bay Area Jobs http://www.bajobs.com/
Volunteer Match http://www.volunteermatch.org/
Bay Area Volunteer Information Center http://www.volunteerinfo.org/
NetImpact http://www.netimpact.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=713
Internships-USA http://www.internships-usa.com/
Undergraduate Fellowships http://career.berkeley.edu/Infolab/FellowUndergrad.stm
Graduate Fellowships http://career.berkeley.edu/Infolab/FellowGrad.stm
Co-op America http://www.coopamerica.org/about/employment/
Ecoemploy http://www.ecoemploy.com
Environmental Careers Organization http://www.eco.org
Sustainable Business http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/jobs/
International Rivers Network http://www.irn.org/index.php?id=sub/career/main.html
US EPA http://www.epa.gov/epahrist/
Books
Making a Living While Making a Difference: The Expanded Guide to Creating Careers with a Conscience by Everett, Melissa
While we are enjoying the lowest unemployment rate in decades, our need to mesh career with purpose is at an all-time high. And, as business and society continue to place greater emphasis on social and environmental responsibility, opportunities for career-seekers with a conscience have never been better. This completely revised second edition of “Making a Living While Making a Difference” updates the rapidly expanding career opportunities in socially responsible and green business, industry, commerce, and non-profits. Professional career counselor Melissa Everett guides the reader through a 10-step program for career development that stresses personal fulfillment, integrity, and contribution. Unlike traditional career guides that focus on defining skill areas, “Making a Living While Making a Difference” focuses on personal, social, and environmental values as the driving force for career decisions. Expanded and updated self-assessments, exercises, and visualizations point the reader toward defining their personal area of commitment. Compelling stories such as the origins of the Endangered Species Chocolate Company or the success of Stonyfield Farm, the feisty little yogurt company, illustrate how ordinary people are doing good and doing well. Everett provides a compassionate self-help framework for dealing with the unique challenges of establishing and maintaining a value-driven life/work career path. Whether a new job-seeker, job-changer, or someone who would like to make a difference right where they are, “Making a Living While Making a Difference” is the definitive “how-to-make-it-happen” guide for anyone who wants to customize their work lives to reflect their values more fully. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction PART ONE: THE WORK TO BE DONE Self Employment The Work to be Done Headlines We’d Like to See, I: Environmental Protection and Renewal Headlines We’d Like to See, II: Social Healing Catalysts for a Positive Future: Occupations that Make a Difference PART TWO: A TEN STEP PROGRAM FOR PRINCIPLED CAREER DEVELOPMENT Step 1: Wake Up Step 2: Stabilize Your Life Step 3: Create a Vibrant Support System Step 4: Turn On the Light of Connection
100 Jobs in Social Change by Harley Jebens
The methods and opportunities to call for and implement change can be found virtually anywhere. From the high-rise offices of corporate America, to the door-to-door activities of canvassers and candidates, to the computer screens of Internet users worldwide, people from all walks of life have engaged their professional skills and personal experiences to help shape a better world. 100 Jobs in Social Change explores those skills, experiences, and jobs to introduce you to the various opportunities available in this compelling and challenging arena of work. Spanning corporate, nonprofit, and freelance careers, 100 Jobs in Social Change provides all the basics needed—including brief descriptions of each job, typical salary levels, prospects for finding work, and qualifications and characteristics you should possess—to flourish in a chosen line of work. Along with each entry, there is an insightful profile of a person from each field that describes a typical day on the job and details the steps each took to rise to his or her current position.
The Career Guide for Creative and Unconventional People by Carol Eikleberry
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/575803.The_Career_Guide_for_Creative_and_Unconventional_People A career guide with WISR students in mind (see review below):
“You don’t have to stifle your creative impulses to pay the bills. For anyone who’s ever been told, “Don’t quit your day job,” career counselor Carol Eikleberry is here to say, “Pursue your dreams!” Now in its third edition, her inspiring guide provides knowledgeable career guidance, real-life success stories, and eye-opening self-evaluation tools to help artistic individuals figure out how to remain different, unconventional, and hard-to-categorize while finding work they love.
The revised third edition of the popular guide for offbeat [alternative/activist] individuals seeking work that suits their unique skills, talents, and passions. Updated throughout, including new inspiration and tips for keeping a creative job notebook. Descriptions of more than 270 creative jobs, from the mainstream (architect, Web designer) to the unexpected (crossword-puzzle maker, police sketch artist). Previous editions have sold more than 60,000 copies. Reviews: “What a great manual for young rebels and older freethinkers who are plotting their next career move.”—Boston Globe
Careers for Nonconformists: A Practical Guide to Finding and Developing a Career Outside the Mainstream by Sandra Gurvis
Life-Work: A Career Guide for Idealists by William A. Charland
From Making a Profit to Making a Difference by Richard M. King
Good Works: A Guide to Careers in Social Change (Good Works) (Paperback) by Donna Colvin (Editor), Ralph Nader (Editor)
Careers for Good Samaritans & Other Humanitarian Types by Marjorie Eberts (Author), Margaret Gisler (Author)
“As part of their ongoing mentoring and advising of students, WISR faculty rather consciously and continually help students to design learning activities—action projects, research, and writings—that help to build bridges to the student’s desired career path. “In most academic programs, a student first gets a degree, and then uses that degree to qualify for a particular type of job. Although WISR degrees are a source of credibility for most of our students in their professional endeavors, many WISR alumni have told us that it was much more significant that WISR gave them the intellectual, social and emotional support and impetus to develop, embark on and/or stay committed to their own distinctive career paths, while they were in the midst of their learning at WISR. They especially value the personalized assistance from faculty, to not limit their visions by the definitions of existing jobs and careers, and to enable them to be both visionary and realistic in pursuing a life path that makes sense to them.”
[Excerpt from “Multicultural, Community-Based Knowledge-Building: Lessons from a tiny institution where students and faculty sometimes find magic in the challenge and support of collaborative inquiry” by John Bilorusky and Cynthia Lawrence. In Community and the World: Participating in Social Change, Torry D. Dickinson (ed.). Nova Science Publishers, 2013].
At WISR, career development and networking is integrated into the entire learning process.
At WISR, like at most colleges and universities, students use the attainment of an academic degree to give them added credibility in the pursuit of career advancement. In most academic programs, a student first gets a degree, and then uses that degree to qualify for a particular type of job. At WISR, by contrast, students are assisted and encouraged to pursue career objectives while they are enrolled, and to use their projects at WISR as part of this pursuit.
Indeed, WISR faculty make conscious and concerted efforts to help WISR students to design learning activities—action projects, writings and research—which will build bridges to each student’s desired career path and objectives. For this reason, many WISR alumni believe that it was very significant that WISR gave them the academic, social and emotional support, and impetus, to develop and embark on their own self-defined, and oftentimes, very distinctive, career paths, while they were still in the midst of their studies at WISR. They have often commented on the value they place on the personalized assistance they received from WISR faculty, to not limit their visions by the definitions of existing jobs, and to enable them to construct their studies at WISR in ways that were both visionary and realistic in pursuing the next steps of a personally meaningful life path.
WISR alumni have also frequently told us of the value of the letters of reference that WISR faculty were able to write for them—because faculty get to know students so very well at WISR, they are able to back up the letters they write on behalf of former students with considerable convincing detail and tangible illustrations about the capabilities and qualities of their students. In addition, WISR students sometimes choose to present some of the projects they completed at WISR as further proof of their capabilities—evidence which is more persuasive to most employers than a simple transcript containing grades and titles of courses completed.
Career Options
Because of the nature of WISR’s personalized degree programs, many WISR students enroll to pursue advanced learning, not related to employment goals, including to further their non-employed endeavors related to community leadership, as well as to design career paths for themselves that are distinctive that do not yet commonly exist in the society. Those students who enroll at WISR for the purpose of entering a career, most commonly would pursue careers within the following job classifications, identified by the United States Department of Labor’s Standard Occupational Classification System Classification Codes, at the Detailed Occupation (six-digit) level:
25-1081 Education Teachers, Postsecondary
21-1013 Marriage and Family Therapists
21-1093 Social and Human Service Assistants
21-1099 Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other
11-9033 Education Administrators, Postsecondary
11-9039 Education Administrators, All Other
11-9151 Social and Community Service Managers
In any case, all of WISR’s programs may be pursued at a distance.
At WISR, career development and networking is integrated into the entire learning process. However, the assistance with Career Development and Networking does not include job placement, nor is anything stated here (in the catalog, in the enrollment agreement, and on the WISR website) meant to imply that students should expect job placement assistance, or any guarantees of job placement.
Explore the WISR Career Center.
JOBS AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT WITH A STATE LICENSED DEGREE FROM WISR: POSSIBILITIES AND LIMITATIONS
At WISR, career development and networking is integrated into the entire learning process.
At WISR, like at most colleges and universities, students use the attainment of an academic degree to give them added credibility in the pursuit of career advancement. In most academic programs, a student first gets a degree, and then uses that degree to qualify for a particular type of job. At WISR, by contrast, students are assisted and encouraged to pursue career objectives while they are enrolled, and to use their projects at WISR as part of this pursuit.
Indeed, WISR faculty make conscious and concerted efforts to help WISR students to design learning activities—action projects, writings and research—which will build bridges to each student’s desired career path and objectives. For this reason, many WISR alumni believe that it was very significant that WISR gave them the academic, social and emotional support, and impetus, to develop and embark on their own self-defined, and oftentimes, very distinctive, career paths, while they were still in the midst of their studies at WISR. They have often commented on the value they place on the personalized assistance they received from WISR faculty, to not limit their visions by the definitions of existing jobs, and to enable them to construct their studies at WISR in ways that were both visionary and realistic in pursuing the next steps of a personally meaningful life path.
WISR alumni have also frequently told us of the value of the letters of reference that WISR faculty were
able to write for them—because faculty get to know students so very well at WISR, they are able to back up the letters they write on behalf of former students with considerable convincing detail and tangible illustrations about the capabilities and qualities of their students. In addition, WISR students sometimes choose to present some of the projects they completed at WISR as further proof of their capabilities—evidence which is more persuasive to most employers than a simple transcript containing grades and titles of courses completed.
It should be added that some of our alumni have professional goals that do not involve plans for further or continued employment–this is especially true of alumni who are in their retirement, or near retirement years, who want to further develop their professional knowledge and skills to help others and to make a positive difference in the world. Furthermore, many of our employed alumni place a higher priority on using the professional knowledge and expertise developed through their WISR studies in their volunteer community involvements. WISR faculty work with each student intensively and continually to help him or her to realize their goals and to use their WISR studies to build bridges to those goals.
Still, prospective students should be aware that there are some risks and possible limitations associated with having an unaccredited, State-licensed degree.
What Kinds of Jobs can I get with a WISR, California State-licensed degree? And what are the risks of an unaccredited degree like this? . . .
First of all, as recent economic times have shown, students are advised to never believe that an academic degree will guarantee them a job, and whether or not it increases their chances for a job depends on many variables.
In particular, all prospective students should understand that WISR’s degree is unaccredited but State licensed, and that this results in risks for some prospective students but not others. For this reason, we alert all prospective students to the strengths and limitations of WISR’s State licensed degree. Over the decades, our students have been very, very successful in using their WISR degrees for employment in non-profit agencies and also in setting up their own consulting practices, and in many cases, also in pursuing occasional grants and outside funding.
We caution prospective students that in many cases, public agencies (Federal, State, and local) are not interested in receiving applications from people who hold unaccredited degrees. In most cases, those hiring for these agencies are not aware that California State Approval even exists, and they are not motivated to take the time to hear explanations from prospective employees about the solidity of State licensed degrees. Still, some of our graduates have been hired by public agencies. Nevertheless, we want all prospective students to know that in this area of employment, having a State licensed degree is likely to be a liability in many cases, at least
Furthermore, in terms of doing more advanced graduate study in the future at an accredited institution, or in seeking a faculty position at an accredited college or university, there is definitely some risk, although in our experience, some of our alumni have been admitted to accredited graduate schools, and more than a few have been employed as faculty in accredited institutions. Most of our alumni so employed have held part-time positions, many of them in community colleges. Several of our Doctoral alumni have obtained full-time, tenure track positions in accredited universities. Other things being equal, our alumni are at a disadvantage when applying for graduate study or faculty positions in a traditional, accredited institution, partly just because “WISR” doesn’t have “big name recognition.” In our experience a lot depends on the particular attitudes of the particular faculty making decisions in a particular department, in a particular institution during a particular year. It is hard to generalize, but clearly a WISR alumnus is likely to be at a disadvantage unless he or she is being evaluated by a fairly progressive group of faculty.
One of our Master’s degree options is approved to meet the academic requirement for the California MFT license, as well as for the new LPCC license, and for these purposes, it has equal status with accredited degrees. Over the years, our MFT alumni have performed exceedingly well on the State MFT licensing exams, and they have usually been very successful in their professional practices. Nevertheless, those prospective students contemplating moving out of State should learn about the reciprocity laws and arrangements with California. Generally speaking, those who are interested in practicing as a counselor in another state will find that their odds of being able to do so increases dramatically if they first get the California license and then move, rather than trying to use their WISR Master’s degree in another state without first getting the California license. Nevertheless, a bit over 10 years ago, one of our alumni obtained her Colorado, and then her Arizona, license without
Can I Transfer Credit from WISR, or use my WISR degree, if I wish to later study at an Accredited college or university?
Despite the striking successes of WISR alumni in the workplace, students considering enrollment at WISR should be aware of the risks of transferring credit from one institution to another, especially from WISR, which is very small, non-traditional, and has State Approval rather than regional accreditation. Prospective students are discouraged from seeing WISR as a stepping-stone to further studies at other institutions, because of the risks involved, unless they first check with the specific institution(s) to which they plan to transfer. The risks are especially high for students who do not complete an entire degree program, and then wish to transfer credits to another institution where they would complete their degree.
Generally speaking, WISR students have not sought to do graduate study at another institution after obtaining a Master’s degree at WISR. The above noted, very real risks, notwithstanding, the WISR graduates who have applied elsewhere have oftentimes been successful. We know of only one alumnus who was turned down by another graduate program. Three WISR MA graduates were admitted to State-Approved PhD programs in Clinical Psychology, and that a fourth was admitted to a regionally accredited PhD program in Clinical Psychology. Another WISR MA alumnus, with the primary objective of obtaining her Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine was successful in being admitted to, and them completing, the program at John Bastyr Medical College in Seattle. The majority of our alumni keep us informed of their endeavors, and we are not aware of other attempts by WISR graduates to gain admission to other institutions.
Prospective students should take seriously the risks involved in having as a main objective, gaining admission to a more conventional graduate program after receiving a degree from WISR or completing coursework at WISR. Prospective students are encouraged to ask questions and to talk further with WISR faculty, alumni and students about their questions regarding the uses of a WISR degree in their future, hoped-for professional and academic endeavors.
NOTICE CONCERNING TRANSFERABILITY OF CREDITS AND CREDENTIALS EARNED AT OUR INSTITUTION
“The transferability of credits you earn at the Western Institute for Social Research (WISR) is at the complete discretion of an institution to which you may seek to transfer. Acceptance of the degree or academic credits you earn in the educational program is also at the complete discretion of the institution to which you may seek to transfer. If the credits or degree that you earn at this institution are not accepted at the institution to which you seek to transfer, you may be required to repeat some or all of your coursework at that institution. For this reason you should make certain that your attendance at this institution will meet your educational goals. This may include contacting an institution to which you may seek to transfer after attending WISR to determine if your credits or degree will transfer.”
These possible limitations notwithstanding, those people who have chosen to be students at WISR, after careful deliberation, have almost always found that their professional careers after graduation have been meaningful and successful in ways that are very important to them.
So, what do WISR students find to be the Most Valuable Benefit of pursuing a WISR degree, in terms of their Future Lives?
To a large extent, WISR’s history is indeed the stories of our students successfully building bridges to the significant things they next want to do in their lives. Our alumni have used their academic projects at WISR to network with professionals and community groups, to create new programs and even new agencies, to carve out distinctive and well-recognized specializations and consulting practices, and to obtain professional positions that carry significant and meaningful responsibilities. In sum, our alumni have generally been very, very satisfied with how well they have been able to use the combination of their WISR learning and their WISR State licensed degree to accomplish their goals, and indeed, to do more than they even aimed to do when they first enrolled at WISR. The profiles of our alumni that can be found on our website and in this catalogue attest to these successes.
Why have WISR alumni usually been so successful?
Over the years, WISR students and alumni have generally been very successful in finding high-level professional positions. Our students and alumni have only infrequently encountered difficulties in using their degrees for employment, and for obtaining grants and consulting contracts. Partly, this is because we help prospective students to carefully weigh the pros and cons of learning at WISR and their plans for how they are likely to use the WISR unaccredited, State-licensed degree after graduation. Also, over the years, WISR has attracted a large number of remarkably motivated, talented and committed people. And, generally they believe that WISR has enhanced their lives and futures in important ways.
Questions?
Anyone wanting to speak with someone at WISR regarding career development services and support is encouraged to call us at (510) 655-2830 (vm) or e-mail at johnb@wisr.edu.