Willette Coleman ©2017
Sometimes, actually many times, college students stop “feelin’” their
chosen field of study and decide to switch majors. Thus, the search for a new direction.
Some
surveys revealed that “as
many as 80 percent” of students “will switch majors at one point
during their time in college.” Switching majors also means searching for
scholarships for the “different” education focus. Unlike scholarships for common professions
- legal, health, communications, education, the arts, and so on - uncommon
scholarships target unique careers,
such as the study of grapes and winemaking, numismatics (the study of coins), ethical computer hacking, gemology, even
candy (yes, candy) technology. The point of this post is to help any student
(in college or not) search for career options that could spark your
passion.
Focusing on this branch of horticulture could get you a scholarship from the American Society for Enology and Viticulture. (Viticulture, from the Latin word “vitis” for vine, is the science, production, and study of grapes and vineyard activities.) The different career sectors within this industry include enologists (sometimes spelled “oenologists”), that are “primarily responsible for blending different strains of grape to create the best wines possible.” Sounds like a fun chemistry activity. Other sectors along with salaries listed on Winefolly.com are:
- Winemaking Director ~$150k
- Winemaker ~ $90k–$125k
- Vineyard managers ~ $81k - $89k
- Lab Manager ~ $65k–$85k
- Assistant Winemaker ~ $55k–$80k
- Enologist ~$55k
- Cellar Master ~ $60k–$80k
- Cellar Worker ~ $35k–$40k
While
enjoying the tempting treat, candy’s “science” rarely comes to mind. But, you can learn some sweet stuff about confectionery
technology, as insiders call it, at
CandyIndustry.com and
the University
of Chicago Library.
Education/Training: Interested college sophomores, juniors or
seniors can apply to The American Association of Candy Technologists (AACT) for its John Kitt Memorial Scholarship. Deadline: April 2018.
Income: Quality Assurance Managers
for food technology/candy start at $50,000.
Salaries for this and other sectors, and as an entrepreneur, can run
close to $100,000.
Students changing majors, as well as older adults making a career change, might consider following the MONEY! No, not banking, accounting or other common financial services, but coins and currency. For thousands of people, collecting coins and paper currency has transitioned from a hobby to a lucrative and engaging career in numismatics (studying and/or collecting coins, medals, paper money, etc.). Buying and selling coins is also a lucrative business. Recently, two pennies were auctioned off for a combined price of $35,625. The 1982-D sold for $18,800 and the 1983-D sold for $17,625. Besides possibly being lucky enough to find valuable coins, coins are educational. The individual states quarter series, introduced in the late 1990s, contain geographical information. The historical note on the flip side of the 1999 quarter, for example, reminds me that Delaware was the first state in the Union. I learned this in school, but had forgotten. (FYI: Numismatist falls under the broader career category of curators.)
Education/Training: The Professional Numismatic Growth (PNG), Learn to be a Professional Numismatist: PNG Numismatic Education and Intern Program awards certificate to students ages 21 to 32. “Training from the Edward C. Milas School of Numismatics online courses” is a $1,000 fee. Not bad. Also, the Professional Numismatic Guild offers the Young Numismatist Summer Seminar Scholarship Program for applicants “between the ages of 13 and 22.” Think about applying next summer.
Income: Salary ranges from $50,000 to $122,000 annually. Simplyhired.com’s list of career sectors include manager, cataloger, and order picker.
P.S. AARP’s Career Change page is a good resource for older adults considering reimagining themselves.
Image: https://lh6.googleusercontent.com
The Word “hacker” is generally associated computers and criminal activity. In our modern tech world, nearly on a daily
basis, we hear or read about unethical
computer hackers – from
music and movies to banks, governments, medical records and corporate and
individual emails. Although technology careers have become pretty common, we seldom hear about Ethical Computer Hackers, better known as Cyber Soldiers. These men and women use computer skills legitimately
to find and fix vulnerabilities criminals exploit to break into computer systems and who create malware and ransomeware. Education/Training: Although a college degree in computer science or IT is helpful, this is one of many careers that only require a certificate offered by hundreds of nonprofit colleges and universities. As I warned in my post Community College or For-Profit Schools?, beware of “for-profit/ career” schools. As I warned in my blog and Linkedin post Community College or For-Profit Schools?, beware of “for-profit/career” schools.) For anyone who has already earned a degree in technology and is headed to graduate school, (ISC2) Foundation Graduate Cybersecurity Scholarship offers a $5,000 scholarship. Deadline: May 4, 2018. The foundation’s scholarship for women is $10,000. Deadline: March 19, 2018.
Income: Salaries for this “counter spying” career range between $50,000 to over $200,000.
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| Image: https://www.einvestigator.com/ |
If you’re the nosey type, or just like a good mystery (like I do) Computer Forensics Investigation could be a good fit. This career path "integrates the fields of computer science and law to investigate crime," states Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science website. "For digital evidence to be legally admissible in court, investigators must follow proper legal procedures when recovering and analyzing data from computer systems." According to Techtarget.com, the investigator must maintain "a documented chain of evidence to find out exactly what happened on a computing device and who was responsible for it.” While the TV show CSI New Orleans' wheelchair-bound computer investigator (played by Daryl Mitchell) doesn't always follow the law, he helps solve crimes.
Education/Training: As with Ethical Computer Hacking, colleges and universities offer degrees, certificates and scholarships. (See technology scholarships here.)
Income: $68,000 to $120,000 annually according to Payscale.com.
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| Image: https://img.purch.com |
We’ll
close Part 1 with a “spirited” uncommon
career option. Specifically…,
scientific investigations of psychic phenomena (telepathy, clairvoyance,
psycho-kinesis, ESP/extra sensory perception, etc.). This career path is controversial since
scientists debate whether psychic phenomena is real. However, a recent 10-year investigation showed indisputable evidence that it’s the science “that’s broken,” stated
Daryl J. Bem, social
psychologist at Cornell University, as posted on Slate.com. If you're a skeptic, check out this Washington Post story, "Is the White House Haunted? A History of Spooked Presidents, Prime Ministers and Pets."
Education/Training: The
evidence in favor of Parapsychology (which comes under the
heading of social psychology), is solid
enough to get a scholarship from the Parapsychology Foundation’s
Annual
Eileen J. Garrett Scholarship, the next time applications
are open in 2018.
Income: The average salary, according to Psychologyschoolguide.net,
is $69,280 annually.
In the
final analysis, uncommon career paths take us out of the “play it safe” zone. It can be risky, but if successful, it can be
extremely rewarding personally and for the global community.
~ P.P.S ~
For many young and some older people, part of life’s stress is not being able to determine the career they want. Identifying your best career fit could be easier if, first, you do a self-assessment as discussed in helpful articles on TheBalance.com. While not all online assessment tools are equal or effective (really good ones lets you assess and be clear about your strengths and weaknesses), completing a self-assessment “quiz” just might reveal your niche - common or uncommon.
AND......., as I’ve pointed out in past posts, HUNDREDS of scholarship providers offer FREE MONEY regardless of your major and whether you’re in college or a technical school; they just want to help you pay for your education or training. So, always apply for “open-ended” scholarships, like those on Fastweb.com. Remember, plenty of good-paying common and uncommon careers exist for people who don’t want to go to college as noted in my post: I Don’t Wanna Go to College.
