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May 20, 2007
If you can see yourself teaching on campus, but think you don’t have the credentials, you may be pleasantly surprised at how close you are to qualifying as an instructor for some courses.
Under state guidelines, community college instructors usually need a master’s degree in the subject taught or a closely related field. If one is not offered or required in their field, they need a bachelor’s degree plus two years experience and any required certificates or licenses. If the instructor does not possess a bachelor’s degree, an associate of arts degree plus six years of professional experience and any required certificates or licenses fulfill requirements.
"We have openings for adjunct faculty members to teach one or two courses," explains Linda Hoile, director of marketing and public relations at Modesto Junior College. "Those subjects include American sign language, computer graphics, anatomy and much more."
For more information about these career opportunities go to the Yosemite Community College website (Yosemite.edu), click on ‘Human Resources’ and then the job openings link.
Los Rios Community College District has four main campuses: American River College, Cosumnes River College, Folsom Lake College and Sacramento City College, and job openings are posted on each school’s website.
"Most teaching positions require a master’s degree, but there are exceptions," explains human resources assistant Shevonna Blackshire. "On our website (losrios.edu) there is a ‘job openings’ link that lists minimum qualifications for faculty."
Some of the disciplines that require only an associate’s degree plus six years of experience include law enforcement, aircraft mechanics, agricultural inspection, farm mechanics, exotic animal training, and vending machine repair.
Non-Professor Positions
"Most of the openings for nonteaching positions receive a higher response (from applicants)," she notes. "These include administrative assistants and clerks; math, computer and science lab personnel; and instructional assistants, which are similar to tutors."
Other recent job listings included book buyer, public relations technician and police communications dispatcher.
The district is one of the largest in Northern California and, accordingly, it has more jobs listed. Applicants do not have to reside in Sacramento County to qualify for employment.
"Job postings change from week to week and the best thing to do is to go online and read the job announcements, salaries, deadlines and the qualifications for each one," Blackshire concludes. "Applications are available to download."
"We have many nonteaching positions available," Hoile reports. "Those include campus security, librarians, and a wide variety of secretarial positions and clerical jobs in financial aid and accounting departments."
A college campus has been described as a small town that requires a solid infrastructure to support the people who work there. There are lawns to mow and trees to trim, as well as sports teams to transport to athletic events. The campus has people who work in informational technology and those who are lab assistants.
At a community college, you will have the opportunity to work with a diverse student body from all works of life who are pursuing vocational and university-track programs – from traditional academic pursuits to high-tech career programs in biotechnology and healthcare. Hoile says there are hundreds of degrees and certificates available.
"The best thing about working on campus is the atmosphere of doing something constructive, and helping students fulfill their dreams," Hoile emphasizes. "It’s a positive thing."
A Sporting Chance
But suppose your idea of a job on campus does not include working in the classroom but on the athletic field? You don’t have to put on pads or a helmet to find a sports job on campus, just combine your passion with a dash of initiative.
Lorraine Gan, director of game operations and facilities at the University of San Francisco, advises sports-minded jobseekers that the best way to get through the locker room door is by volunteering first to see if this type of work setting feels right as a career.
"Smaller schools such as USF are always looking for help," she says. "We arrange rentals and schedules for facilities and work with professional teams, but our main focus is helping the student athletes. It is a great way to get the inside scoop about working in a sports environment."
She admits she has always had a love affair with sports, but never thought of working it into a career. The timing was right when she discovered the sports administration industry was up and coming. She got into it in college and never looked back.
Most of her day-to-day duties include following up on work orders, answering email, staying in touch with the coaches and administration, and handling locker room security. Her department works many long hours – 14 to 15 a day – especially in season.
"My department does a lot of customer service," she notes. "We work with many departments for event scheduling and sports marketing information."
This is the reason why there are jobs like Gan’s on campus. While the athletes are attending classes and preparing for the next game, her team makes sure their sporting events run smoothly.
"In California there are many job opportunities in my field," she reports. "The best way to start is at a small school; you get hands-on doing everything, whereas a large school is more specialized."
The jobs are out there, but you have to look and find the right fit, which could be at a high school, college or professional level.
"I look for candidates who love sports and love to support the lives of the student athletes," Gan confides. "It takes someone with a compassionate heart to place the students above themselves. Actually, we are their family while they are away from home."
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