Piedmont Community College (PCC) recently launched Career Coach, an interactive online software that helps current and future students, as well as the general public, explore potential career possibilities. This new tool allows individuals to explore careers and to determine if they are a good match for their interests.
The Career Coach link is available to the public and can be found on the College’s website at www.piedmontcc.edu.
“Career Coach is designed to act as a research and support tool that offers two main search options to explore information by career or by education,” comments Dr. Joyce Johnson, Vice President, Instruction and Student Development. “Both search options expose the user to real-time information customized by geographic location to display detailed wage earnings, the most in-demand jobs in the area, and current opportunities.”
Specifically, a search by career or education provides access to localized information within a 50 mile radius of either Person or Caswell County, depending on the zip code selected. Results includes career details such as typical tasks, required education level, a pay scale noting starting, average, and, top salaries, growth of the field, retirements expected, employers, current job postings, and programs at PCC to help the user get started.
“When searching by education, Career Coach pulls current academic programs and training at PCC and potential career paths that a student can pursue once he or she graduates from the program or completes the training. This enables students to think about employment prior to selecting an academic field and to pursue a more strategic career path,” elaborates Johnson.
New students, area high school students, persons changing careers, those returning to school, and graduates, can use PCC’s new Career Coach software.
Potential students unsure about a career or program of study can take advantage of a six-question test that offers career recommendations based on how the user’s interests match up to selected personality types. A longer assessment test is available to take with a PCC advisor.
Graduates who are looking for employment will find it helpful because the software shows how many employees there are in each occupation within a 50-mile radius, in addition to how many openings are expected per year and current job postings. There is also a resume builder to aid users in quickly building a basic resume.
“Career Coach is a great resource for PCC in that it helps students find direct links between college programs and real-world careers. It offers students that extra help to develop a road map or pathway to their vision for the future,” continues Johnson.
In addition to supporting student success through career counseling and outreach strategies, Career Coach also is available to the public. By making this tool accessible to everyone, the College is supporting its mission to be a catalyst for the economic development of its service area. To learn more, call a Student Development Team member at (336) 322-2159 or visit www.piedmontcc.edu and look for Career Coach.

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