Students start by taking an interest survey to identify passions, talents, skills- as well as- work location preferences. Next they design a compass about what matters to them before jumping in and exploring three different websites with loads of videos featuring different careers. Document is in an editable word file so teachers and counselors can tweak it to fit their student's needs! Great for grades 4-6.

 Learn about the greater impact of wildlife patients at the Wildlife Center of Virginia. Every patient is offered state-of-the-art veterinary medical care; some are treated and released, while others may be too seriously injured to recover. Every single animal has a story to share, a story that illustrates the wider problems wildlife face—litter, pesticides, free-roaming domestic animals, habitat loss, and diseases. Even patients that don’t make it live on by helping us shape our conservation education and research as we challenge people of all ages to take action to protect wildlife. More About This Resource  For more information and classroom activities, please visit The Wildlife Center of Virginia and VPM UNTAMED  websites.

Learn about habitat islands and wildlife corridors. Habitat islands are areas of various sizes that should contain all the necessities for a certain species or multiple species of wildlife to survive and thrive. But, too often these islands are not large enough to provide long-term support for the animals who live within. Surrounding these islands exist areas not hospitable to wildlife, and wildlife that naturally ventures beyond the confines of their habitats are often at risk of conflict with humans and/or human development. The concept of wildlife corridors has become a way to direct animal movement away from, or safely through, dangers caused by humans. As human beings continue to dominate the landscape, habitat islands and wildlife corridors will become increasingly necessary for the survival of our many wild species.

Learn about diurnal birds of prey -- a diverse group of birds across the globe which includes hawks, falcons, osprey, eagles, and kites. While these different families of birds have a variety of physical and behavioral traits, they are all specially adapted for daytime hunting. Today, most of these birds of prey are widely appreciated by the public, but they still face many dangers. Learn more about these amazing raptors and how to help.UNTAMED looks at the wild and often perilous world of wildlife, as seen through the eyes of the patients of the Wildlife Center of Virginia, a non-profit teaching and research hospital for native wildlife.

How do you track a disease? How do you determine if a blood sample contains a virus or a bacteria that could make millions of people sick? What type of information would you need to know to stop a disease from spreading? If you are interested in these questions then being an “Illness investigator” or a Clinical Laboratory Scientist (CLS) might be the right career path for you. 

How do you track a disease? How do you determine if a blood sample contains a virus or a bacteria that could make millions of people sick? What type of information would you need to know to stop a disease from spreading? If you are interested in these questions then being an “Illness investigator” or a Clinical Laboratory Scientist (CLS) might be the right career path for you. 

Manufacturers today are rapidly innovating the way things are made, creating new manufacturing techniques and scrambling to make sure our workforce has the skills needed to fill the jobs. In Virginia there is a projected annual shortfall of 11,000 skilled technicians for career opportunities in modern manufacturing.

Biomechanical engineering is an interdisciplinary field of science that applies the rules and principles of mechanical engineering to biological systems. It combines elements of many disciplines, including biology, engineering, physics, chemistry, and mathematics to better understand how physical forces influence living organisms. A biomechanical engineer may find work in the medical, scientific, industrial or governmental sectors. It is also sometimes considered a subset of Mechanical Engineering or Biomedical Engineering.

Jobs in drug discovery and bioscience use math, biology and computer science to improve the lives of very sick people in a faster, safer way. If you do well in these subjects, this might be the field for you!

Cyber Security, the protection of our information via computers and the internet is one of the fastest growing industries in Virginia and around the world. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Cyber Security Analysts (also known as Information Security Analysts) will grow by 37% over the next 10 years. That’s a much faster growth rate than the average for all other occupations.

Cyber Security, the protection of our information via computers and the internet is one of the fastest growing industries in Virginia and around the world. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Cyber Security Analysts (also known as Information Security Analysts) will grow by 37% over the next 10 years. That’s a much faster growth rate than the average for all other occupations.

Why is Engineering a Hot Job? Listen to 3 students from Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Engineering to find out. During the recent VCU Capstone (Senior) Design Expo hundreds of engineering students solved problems and developed new products that will make a difference. Learn why these three students went into Computer Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Electrical Engineering.

Why is Engineering a Hot Job? Listen to 3 students from Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Engineering to find out. During the recent VCU Capstone (Senior) Design Expo hundreds of engineering students solved problems and developed new products that will make a difference. Learn why these three students went into Computer Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Electrical Engineering.

Gummie vitamins have become a popular way to get a good dose of nutrients each day. Check out three “Hot Shots and Hot Jobs” involved in the development and design of gummie vitamins: Product Design Scientist, Confection Technologist, and Analytical Chemist.This visual media resource is designed for grades 6-12.

The possibilities for trained pilots are varied—from piloting huge passenger jets across the ocean to guiding small aircraft for police, fire and medical operations—and the job prospects are higher now than ever.
This is a visual media resource for grades 6-12.

Providing electric power can take a heavy toll on the environment. In recent years, that has led to increased interest in renewable energy. It’s a big responsibility, and doing it well requires all kinds of people with different skills and talents. Let’s meet three Dominion Energy employees (Project Engineer, Groundman, and Biologist), who are doing very different jobs to bring power safely to our communities. This visual media resource is designed for grades 6-12.

Just about everything you can do on a computer—checking your email, posting to Facebook, online banking and shopping—is powered by software. The people who come up with that software, and keep it working efficiently, are behind the scenes of a big portion of our lives.  Software engineering is an exciting career,.In this remix, some reflections questions for students have been added.

Just about everything you can do on a computer—checking your email, posting to Facebook, online banking and shopping—is powered by software. The people who come up with that software, and keep it working efficiently, are behind the scenes of a big portion of our lives.  Software engineering is an exciting career,.

In just a few short years, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, sometimes called drones) has risen dramatically. You may know someone who flies one as a hobby, and you’ve certainly seen the breathtaking bird’s-eye footage they can produce for movies and television.  Piloting one of these may be an interesting career path.

HOT JOBS: URBAN DESIGN

Urban designers are in charge of arranging city structures. They design plazas and parks, groups of buildings, and the roads and sidewalks that connect them all.

This is a digital classroom resource for grades 6-12.