By Jade Inglada
A variety of department career information and clubs were available to students during the Career and Technical Education Fair last Wednesday in the S2 and P2 quad.
The Office of Workforce Education and Associated Student Union hosted the CTE Fair.
The purpose of the fair was to offer information to students on the different path options available at East Los Angeles College.
This could be achieved by joining a club with students working toward similar goals or following department-based criteria for a certificate, easing the transfer process to a four-year university.
“We have programs designed to help you find your path. By taking few of our assessments, we can find out what career or job is best for you,” Career Job Placement employee Randy Lee said.
Career Job Placement offers help in completing cover letters, resumes and in preparation for a job interview.
The Architecture Department was one of the 21 booths at the CTE Fair. The department has an average of about 300 students per semester. A large number of students transfer to local universities such as the University of Southern California, Woodbury University and California State Polytechnic, Pomona, every year.
Architectural majors are also able to receive certificates or an associate degree in architectural drawing and architectural computer aided design. The architecture program offers fifty courses in design, technical documentation, computer-aided design and building code.
The Health Information and Technology Program trains students on how to work in the medical field. There are about 250 students currently enrolled in the program.Students are able to learn hospital billing and how to read codes for insurance companies.
Mechanical Engineering major Tiffany Alvarez was part of the Health Science and Medical Technology booth. Alvarez explained how a lot of students often don’t know the variety of options in the medical technology field to major in.
“Mechanical is more like synthetics, how things work together, while biomechanical is creating the fake arm, leg or body parts,” said Alvarez.
The Automotive Club shared information about the club and its current goal to raise funds to participate in the Shell Eco-marathon competition in April 2015. The marathon gives participants a set amount of time and fuel to design, build and test ultra energy efficient vehicles.
“Automotive technology is not just about fixing cars. It’s about design and fabrication concepts. The industry is changing, looking for more eco-friendly vehicles like hybrids, but with new technology,” club member Juan Gonzalez said.
The students also shared that they offer automobile repairs for a $10 donation that goes to the program. Students are graded on their performance when repairing automobiles. The department only asks for customers to pay for their own car parts.
Child Development major Cassandra Avila attended the fair to look into the Child, Family and Education studies booth. “Child development is something I want to have a career in because I love kids. I love the way they interact with one another,” Avila said.
Avila said she found the fair helpful. She learned about the different careers that are available and what is required for each one.
The Art Department offered information for some career options such as animation, illustration and character design.
According to Frame by Frame Animation Club President Erica Mazariegos, many students are interested in pursuing a career in animation. One popular type of character design of interest is in horror.
“I was debating on majoring in Psychology or Criminal Justice. After comparing information from both departments, I think I’m going for Psychology,”student Jazmin Espinoza said.
“It was a great way of finding out information, especially for people who are new to the school and don’t know where to go to ask for help, or even for students who are still trying to figure out what they want to do with their life,” student Leslie De La Torre said.
Career guidance intern Yvette Ivaven said they expected more than 1,000 attendees to check out the fair.
ELAC Shipping and Recieving staff member Regis Bell performed his single ‘Luv U Down!’ as RB the Evolution.
Free lunch was given to the first 500 students with a valid student I.D. There was a raffle to win an iPad and entertainment throughout the fair.
Cardling Del Real, Gil Milanes, Jessica Munoz, Stephanie Garibay and Jenny Gramillo contributed to this story.