As I step up my job search process in preparation for graduation in May 2018, I find myself drawing on my community college librarian days. One of the fields most interesting to me work-wise is that of Academic Technology Coordinator because it combines all of my past experience and education (degrees in IT support AND educational technology along with several years teaching online courses using a variety of course management systems) - so I feel I could make a great contribution to the field.

While applying to the one open position for Academic Technology Coordinator locally, I found myself wondering if were similar job titles to which I could use to expand my job search.

So I went to Lansing Community College's wonderful database collection in the Career Research category & found 3 FREE career research tool websites that help in the exploratory phase of job searching.

Recommended career research tool website #1:
My Next Move's clean, up-beat homepage allows you to search for career ideas via keywords, industry, function or via 'brightness of outlook' - meaning via a list of careers that will grow rapidly in the next few years, or will have large numbers of openings.

When I did a search for 'Academic Technology Coordinator' at
https://www.mynextmove.org I landed on a page listing not only knowledge, skills, & abilities for this career, but also stats showing that this is a 'Bright Outlook' career. Most importantly the page showed me another job title to use in my search: 'Distance Learning Coordinator'.

How might you use My Next Move?  If this post is helpful to you, feel free to share your experience in the comments below!

ii Next week: Which career research website has a Job Seek Help phone number answered by a real human being?

Have you ever wanted to learn more about one of the fastest growing industries of the new century?

Michigan State University offers a Graduate Certificate in Serious Game Design that you can attend either 100% online or via hybrid courses partly on campus in East Lansing.   During my time earning this certificate I learned a great deal about game design theory, particularly in the realm of serious games, as well as user testing and interaction design. The knowledge and experience I gained was applied in several ways:
1. A series of outdoor games in the Nature Science Club.
2. Prototypes of two nature-themed board games: Which Michigan Snake? & TreeTop=NewWeb
3. Designs of new courses for the LCC Youth Program: Nature Science, Gaming for Science & 3D World Map Making

MSU's Serious Game Design Certificate Program is highly recommended for its relevance in a variety of careers.