Free Continuing Education
and Career Showcase

Workshops Show How to Transition to Higher Demand Jobs

July 22, 2009

By Henry DeVries

A free “Continuing Education and Career Showcase” will run from 4:30 to 7:30 pm September 2 at the University of California San Diego Price Center Ballroom East. Informative workshops to propel career and personal interests will be offered along with job tips from local professional associations.

Two workshops will be offered every 45 minutes. Workshops led by UC San Diego Extension faculty will include:

• Creative Careers in Casual and Mobile Game Industries
• Bridging the Gap: Translation and Interpretation (Spanish/English)
• Transferable Job Skills to Help Your Career
• Careers in Healthcare You Never Thought Of
• The Emerging Field of Healthcare IT
• A Career in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)

Panelists include industry experts from the fields of green/sustainability, information technology, engineering, finance, healthcare, project management, adult education, and video games, as well as experts in career development.
 
The workshop on “The Emerging Field of IT” will explain how the recently signed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) includes $19 billion that is clearly identified for healthcare information technology.  The key to implementing the plan is providing the industry with enough workers trained in the use of electronic records.  This workshop will explore the integration of IT into the healthcare setting, the career opportunities and training options.
 
A panel of software and game development professionals will discuss “Creative Careers in Casual and Mobile Game Industries.” Casual games, typically played online on a personal computer within Web browsers, are becoming big business for developers at both large and small companies.  According to the Casual Game Association, casual games are a $2.25 billion a year industry, growing at 20 percent per year.
 
An industry that is growing despite the economic downturn will be the subject of the workshop on “Careers in Healthcare You Never Thought Of.”  Some of the areas to be discussed are preventing and treating disease through clinical trials, keeping workers safe in high-risk environments and providing new or improved kinds of nursing and clinical care to patients.

How building up your tool box of business skills can set you apart as a valuable asset to your organization will be explored at the workshop on “Transferable Job Skills to Help Your Career.”  As businesses become leaner, employees with a well-rounded background and a foundation in core business principles are valued highly. Registration for this free event is available at http://extension.ucsd.edu/

As the continuing education and public programs arm of the university, UC San Diego Extension educates approximately 50,000 enrollees annually, which translates to more than 22,600 students in over 4,200 courses. UC San Diego Extension is recognized nationally and internationally for linking the public to expert professionals and the knowledge resources of the University of California.

For the convenience of working adults, continuing education courses are held online or evenings and weekends on the UC San Diego main campus and three other locations: the Extension Sorrento Mesa Center, the Extension Rancho Bernardo Center and the Extension Mission Valley Center.

 

Media Contact: Henry DeVries, 858-534-9955 or hdevries@ucsd.edu