We know that people are living longer and populations are aging worldwide. Moreover, the demand for professionals with expertise in aging is growing rapidly. Each year in April, the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) hosts Careers in Aging Week (CIAW)opens in new window to raise awareness about the diverse opportunities available in the field of aging. APA also provides great resources for studentsopens in new window to explore careers in aging during CIAW.
Below is a class assignment you can use during CIAW or at another point in the semester to get your students thinking about a career in aging. The protocol may be adapted to your class and student needs; however, it is recommended that you keep the designated “slide guidelines” as they help students keep their focus, which in turn makes it easier for you to provide feedback and evaluation. They also help to make for more cohesive presentations. Whatever way you choose to use this teaching tip, it’s a great experiential way to give your students an opportunity to explore working in the field of aging.
Project overview to provide students
This project allows you to explore career opportunities in aging. You may work with a partner or on your own. Your goals are to learn about different jobs that may be of interest to you, identify one real job opportunity, learn about it and the employer, and make a plan for how you could work toward obtaining that job when you graduate. The job may be one that you can apply for with your current degree or one that will require an advanced degree.
You are encouraged to consider career paths that intersect aging with gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, social economic status, regional location, or other components that distinguish our diverse aging population.
You will share what you learned with other students in class presentations (using PowerPoint). Have fun exploring what could be a job in your future.
Presentation guidelines to provide students
Use the following PowerPoint slide format to build your presentation. The total presentation time should be about 15 minutes.
Slide 1: Who you are (Name, Major/Minor, Class, Year) and Your Presentation Title
Slides 2 - 3: Background information about what you learned about opportunities surrounding careers in aging, this particular job path, and what drew you to looking at the position you selected.
Slide 4: A description of the career opportunity you identified, including “background” information about the job sector as well as information about the specific position (which could draw on an actual employment posting). Dig around for as much information as you can (e.g., job responsibilities, salary, benefits, company culture, challenges). You may also find out about the opportunity by speaking personally with someone in the field or someone working at the organization.
Slide 5: A description of how your skills, interests, talents, academic and life experiences can connect you to the position – as well as steps you could take to develop your connection further. For example, are there particular courses, internships, special workshops or training sessions you could pursue? Does the job require an advance degree? If so, what options would help you obtain that training?
Slide 6: In a few sentences, tell us – and your possible employer – why you are the person for this position.
Resources to provide students
In addition to giving your students these resources to get them started exploring career opportunities in aging, it is recommended that you also provide them with local resources to search for employment opportunities in the aging field.