Coral Gables Historical Archive
The Times
Saturday, October 16, 1976, page 2 (of 28)
The page
The text of this pageRead by computer from the scan, so some words may be wrong. The page picture is the original.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
By DOROTHY STEIN Correspondent Susie Coleman had an interesting day at school Friday. She studied fractions, worked on her Stephen Foster report for music, played volleyball, and took her friend's blood pressure with a sphygmomanometer. Monday she thinks she'll make a plaster set of false teeth. Susie is 10 and says she wants to live on a farm when she grows up, but right now, through the Career Awareness program offered by Sunset Park Elementary School, she and other fifth graders are learning what it might feel like to be a doctor, dental technician, garment worker, draftsman, electrician, fingerprint analyst ... among the nearly 30 occupations and professions represented. This is the third year that Career Awareness has been offered at Sunset Park, which is located at 10235 SW 84th St., and the program continues to expand as new careers and facilities are added. "We try to stress that this is not a vocational education course, nor is it intended to be an in-depth study of careers," says Mrs. Berenda Taylor, who has run the program since its inception. Its purpose, she explains, is simply to expose the students to career possibilities that they might not have even considered. Only 17 career stations are set up at any one time, with one child to each station, except where two are required. At recent class sessions, pupils were running off signs on a printing press, soldering metals, totaling the cost of groceries on a cash register, answering phone calls on a small switchboard, drilling holes in sheetmetal, listening to heartbeats with a stethoscope ... and asking lots of questions. It's only the second week that these pupils have been in the program, Mrs. Taylor says, and they're still not very sure of themselves. "Once they realize they're not going to break everything they touch, they're fine, but it takes a couple of sessions." Each career station is accompanied by a booklet of directions which the children are expected to follow, and safety precautions are strictly enforced for those stations involving potentially dangerous equipment. At the end of each session the pupils are responsible for cleaning up and putting away the equipment at their station before the next class comes in. All fifth graders, and new sixth graders, attend Career Awarness for approximately five weeks, four days a week. At the end of that time they may not have their future courses charted, but hopefully they'll be more aware of the many possibilities. * * * Jeff Buchwald and Meg Brothers don masks to try out the life of a sheet metal worker 'Nurse' Susie Coleman (r) ...checks Tracy Kirton's blood pressure Photos by DOROTHY STEIN
Are they over the hill at 39? South Dade club says 'no way'
By ELIZABETH OWEN Staff Writer Two years ago, Yvonne Lee, an attractive, middle-aged woman, was on top of the world. She was assistant dean to graduate studies at American University in Washington, D.C., was well respected as an intelligent, ambitious woman, and was pulling in more then $13,000 a year. But then the bottom fell out. The university decentralized its administration and graduate studies began to be directed by the separate schools. Yvonne, at 46, was bumped out of her job. Shortly thereafter, Yvonne's husband got a position in Miami, and the couple relocated. Yvonne, who was still in her prime, had to start from scratch looking for work. She tried her luck at various employment agencies, and was lucky. She was hired by the state employment service. She began to come in contact with other capable, middle-aged people who had lost their jobs in much the same way she had. Her concern for them was sincere, and she decided to organize the "39 Plus" Club, a group of people like herself who were middle-aged, eager to work, but considered over the hill. Yvonne is only one of thousands of talented men and women who have had the rug pulled out from under them. They are the victims of forced retirement, bureaucratic reorganization, unreasonable transfers, big business takeovers and upper management decisions. "What employers often don't realize," Yvonne said, "is that the same, basic skills a person has used in his former job can be translated into other, related fields. "If you know how to handle people or machines or logistics on one job, then you can handle them elsewhere — the setting doesn't matter. "Just because you were a banker before doesn't mean that's the only thing you can be." Although Yvonne is working at another employment agency now, the 39 Plus Club she started at the state employment agency at 234 W. Flagler St., is still going strong. Nancy Allen, another employment counselor and a South Dade resident, is now in charge. Each Friday at 1 p.m., the 39 Plus Club meets at the agency to discuss mutal problems and to exchange helpful job contacts. "It's a moral boost for them, like a group counseling session," Nancy said. "These people, who are generally between the ages of 45 and 55, have something in common. They are from similar income brackets, have similar job ability and experience, and are all victims of job loss. "Club members are well-respected members of the community and they generally have good contacts — maybe not helpful to themselves but to fellow members." Nancy said members are encouraged to do job research on their own, and they are versed in proper job interviews at the meetings. Ironically, only four or five of the 20 members are women, because women find jobs at middle age much easier than men, Nancy said. The 39-Plus Club, the only such organization in Florida, is modeled after other organizations in large cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Dallas and Houston. In those cities, they are called "40-Plus" clubs, but Yvonne thought she'd add a twist. The sole requirement for membership is stringent: a steady work record in a professional, managerial or executive-type position.' Anyone who is middle-aged, has lost a good job and is searching for another, and is interested in joining the 39-Plus Club, can call Nancy Allen at 325-2782. Nancy Allen