The Technologies Open House will attempt to alert students on alternative career paths today at Friendship Plaza during a mid-day fair, followed by an evening event in the Campus Center Lobby.

“This fair will educate students that there are many fields that offer $40,000-$50,000 per year that only require one or two years of schooling,” said program specialist Elizabeth Shiffrar.

The third-annual event will focus more on specialties requiring a hands-on-approach as opposed to the more traditional classroom lecture method. Students who tend to learn in this fashion are referred to as kinesthetic learners.

Representatives from the following fields will be present at the event: automotive technologies, computer network engineering & electronics, cosmetology, drafting, environmental horticulture, interior design, marine diving technologies, and from the School of Culinary Arts & Hotel Management.

The representatives will either be department chairs or faculty members with prior work-experience and with vast knowledge in their respected fields. Staff from the Financial Aid Office and the Career Center will also be at the event.

“Most of the classes offered at this event don’t even require prerequisites beyond the basic English and math requirements,” Shiffrar said. “And none of our graduates ever had any problems finding jobs.”

Shiffrar added that there is a huge demand for these jobs, especially in computer network engineering and electronics where graduates can expect to make $100,000 upon completion of a one- or two-year degree.

“It will also be a good opportunity for students to get additional information on jobs that they may already be interested in,” Shiffrar said. “What students don’t realize is that there are so many different jobs within each particular field that they can do.”

The noontime fair will be aimed primarily at daytime students and is scheduled between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Friendship Plaza. The evening event will have a more diverse crowd because it has been targeted toward evening students, high school students, and their parents, Shiffrar said. It will be held between 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. at the Career Center Lobby.

“All local career centers and high schools have been notified of the event,” Shiffrar said.

Green flyers have been posted across the campus in order to attract students. Notices were also posted on Pipeline, but most of the buzz has been generated through word-of-mouth.

Shiffrar said she highly recommends students to attend the fair, since she only expects about 100 students to take advantage of this opportunity.

For additional information, call Elizabeth Shiffrar at (805) 965-0581 EXT 3454.