Exploring Science Careers Web Sites

for Elementary/ Middle School Students

By Dr. Mary Askew http://www.hollandcodes.com

Here are the different types of SCIENCE CAREER CURRICULUM WEB SITES.

RESOURCE ONE: EEK! Get a Job – Environmental Education for Kids

Source: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Eek! Get a Job – Environmental Education for Kids is an electronic magazine for kids in grades
4 — 8. Eek! Get a Job provides information about –

 Forestry
 Hydrogeologist
 Engineering
 Herpetologist
 Park Ranger
 Wildlife Biologist
 Park Naturalist

There is a job description for each career, a list of job activities, suggested activities to begin
exploring careers, and needed job skills.

Here is another picture from the Eek! Get a Job web site
RESOURCE TWO: LifeWorks
Source: National Institutes of Health, Office of Science Education

LifeWorks is a career exploration web site for middle and high school students. LifeWorks has
information on more than 100 medical science and health careers.
For each career, LifeWorks has the following information –

 Title
 Education required
 Interest area
 Median salary
 True stories of people who do the different jobs

LifeWorks has a ″Career Finder″ that allows you to search by Name of Job, Interest Area,
Education Required, or Salary.

RESOURCE THREE: San Diego Zoo Job Profiles for Kids

Source: San Diego Zoo

San Diego Zoo Job Profiles discussed jobs for people who –

 Work with animals

 Work with plants
 Work with science and conservation
 Work with people
 Work that helps run the Zoo and Park
There are activities listed under each area, for example –

 What we do
 What’s cool about this job
 Job challenges
 How this job helps animals
 How to get a job like this
 Practice Being a …
 How to Become a …
RESOURCE FOUR: Want To Be a Scientist?
Source: Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of the Agriculture

Want To Be a Scientist is a career exploration web site for kids about 8 to 13 years old. Want To
Be a Scientist has a series of job descriptions, stories, and other resources about what
scientists do here at the ARS.
These stories include information about –

 Plant Pathologist
 Chemist
 Soil Scientist
 Entomologist
 Animal Scientist
 Microscopist
 Plant Physiologist
RESOURCE FIVE: About Veterinarians
Source: American Veterinary Medical Association

About Veterinarians has facts about –

 What is a Veterinarian?
 Becoming a Veterinarian
 Making a Career Decision
 What Personal Abilities Does a Veterinarian Need?
 What Are the Pluses and Minuses of a Veterinary Career?
 Veterinary Education
 General Information
 After Graduation From Veterinary School
 General Information
 School Statistics
 Preparation Advice
 Preveterinary Coursework
 Where Most Schools Are Located
 About School Accreditation
 The Phases of Professional Study
 The Clinical Curriculum
 The Academic Experience
 Roles of Veterinarians
 Private Practice
 Teaching and Research
 Regulatory Medicine
 Public Health
  Uniformed Services
 Private Industry
 Employment Outlook
 Employment Forecast
 The Advantage of Specializing
 Statistics
 Greatest Potential Growth Areas
 Other Professional Directions
 AVMA Veterinary Career Center
 Becoming a Veterinary Technician
 Your Career in Veterinary Technology
 Duties and Responsibilities
 Career Opportunities
 Education Required
 Distance Learning
 Salary
 Professional Regulations
 Organizations
 Further Information
RESOURCE SIX: Aquarium Careers
Source: Monterey Bay Aquarium

AQUARIUM CAREERS features careers information. For each Staff Profiles, there is
Educational Background and Skills Needed. The Staff Profiles include –

 Aquarist
 Education Specialist
 Exhibits Coordinator
 Exhibit Designer
 Research Biologist
 Science Writer

The AQUARIUM CAREERS web site answers the following questions –

 What should I do now to prepare for a career in marine biology?

 Where can I find a good college for marine biology?
 What should be my college major?
 How do I pick a graduate school?
 I'm not sure of my area of interest. What should I do?
Marine Science Career Resources include information on –

 Marine Advanced Technology Education

 Marine Mammal Center, California
 Scripps Institution of Oceanography, California
 Scripps Library/ Sea Grant
 Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station
 State University of New York at Stony Brook
RESOURCE SEVEN: Engineering – The Stealth Profession
Source: Discoverengineering.org

Engineering – The Stealth Profession has a lot of information about engineers –

 Types of Engineers
 Aerospace Engineering
 Ceramic/Materials Engineering
 Chemical Engineering
 Civil Engineering
 Electrical/Computer Engineering
 Environmental Engineering
 Industrial Engineering
 Manufacturing Engineering
 Mechanical Engineering
 Other Engineers
 True Stories
 Salaries
 Education Required
 Work Schedules
 Equipment Used
RESOURCE EIGHT: Sea Grant Marine Careers
Source: Marinecareers.net

Sea Grant Marine Careers gives you facts about marine career fields and to people working in
those fields. Sea Grant Marine Careers outlines information on –

 Marine Biology
 Oceanography
 Ocean Engineering
 Related Fields

In each area, there is a detailed description of the type of the work that the scientists do. There
are feature stories for different scientists in the career field.

The career profiles include information on –

 What is your current job and what does it entail?

 What was the key factor in your career decision?
 What do you like most about your career?
 What do you like least about your career?
 What do you do to relax?
 Who are your heroes/heroines?
 What advice would you give a high school student who expressed an interest in pursuing a
career in your field?
 Are career opportunities in your field increasing or decreasing and why?
 What will you be doing 10 years from today?
 What is the salary range?
RESOURCE NINE: Do You Want to Become a Volcanologist?
Source: Marinecareers.net

Do You Want to Become a Volcanologist? provides a description of the –

 Word ″Volcanologist″
 Daily work
 Traits for success
 Education
 Salaries