Change the byword for '00 grads

By Leon Lagerstam, Dispatch/Argus Staff writer

After they graduate, members of the Class of 2000 better be ready for faster work worlds and faster lives, Rock Island High School counselor Sandra Stoit said.

``This generation will need to develop ways to occasionally step aside and laugh,'' Ms. Stoit said.

She thinks they'll need to find better ways to balance their professional and personal lives because of the faster pace they'll likely see.

They'll also need to deal with change and be more flexible than their ancestors, Ms. Stoit said.

``People won't be retiring after working the same job at the same place for 40 years,'' she said, ``not because they don't want to, but because their job will disappear.''

They should expect to make four or five career changes in their lifetime, she said.

A lot of those careers don't even exist yet, according to United Township High School counselor Rob Watters.

``The information age, and the computer age, have changed the whole dynamics,'' he said. ``Opportunities created by the Internet and the World Wide Web are astounding. No matter what field you go into, you will have to have a fundamental understanding of keyboard and computer skills because of how they impact every aspect of our lives.''

Almost anything in the computer field will be attractive future careers for students. Computer scientists, engineers, specialists, analysts and Web masters are among possibilities, counselors listed.

A growing elderly population promises to make the health-care industry popular, too, Mr. Watters said.

Other kinds of careers needed as Baby Boomers grow older include food-service and lodging managers. Geriatric specialists or attorneys specializing in elderly law also could be promising careers, Ms. Stoit said.

People working in ``non-traditional'' occupations will continue to increase, Mr. Watters predicted. While more women have started entering the trades, becoming carpenters, electricians, engineers and technicians, more young men have become involved in clerical work, he said.

``Historical boundaries between the genders and their occupations aren't nearly as clearly defined,'' he said.

Doors are wide open, Ms. Stoit said. ``But they must become willing to go where the opportunities are, and not become place-bound,'' she said. ``They'll also have to be lifelong learners and stay in a continual learning environment much more than in the past.''

Enabling every student to leave school with a clear sense of direction is one goal high school counselors have, Mr. Watters said. Counselors also should make sure students have a good academic foundation and have a plan of what they want to do next and how to achieve their goals.

A good, solid education will remain a priority, Moline counselor Craig Ghinazzi said.

``Understanding the basics -- reading, writing, a good mathematical background -- will always be a good starting point,'' he said. ``We're not really looking at specific careers as much, since students will be making so many career changes in their lifespan. We're looking at a students' abilities, interests and the kind of work they feel is important for them to do.''

Ms. Stoit, who is retiring from Rock Island High School after 34 years, doesn't expect a high school counselor's job will change all that much in the future, except ``you'll find yourself dealing with much less paper,'' she said. Much of the career-opportunity and college information will be available via the computer.

``But I think people will always need other people to talk to,'' she said. ``The aspect of having someone to sit down with and get personal feedback, those human emotions, will never change. A student who is angry, or hurt is who, as a counselor, you're still going to be dealing with.''