All children have dreams of what they will be when they grow up. Every little boy wants to be a fireman or truck driver, and every little girl wants to be a nurse or morah. But not many people end up working in these jobs. Often the careers that excited us as children do not look so exciting once we are adults.
My father kept an old framed letter
hanging in his office for years and told us the story behind it many times. My
grandfather was an antique dealer, and he wanted my father to be a judge.
During World War II, my father’s family lived in a small town in England, where
my grandfather became good friends with Rabbi Dessler, zt”l.
Rabbi Dessler convinced my
grandfather to send my father to Gateshead Yeshiva when he was about 16. After
spending time in yeshiva, my
father lost his yearning to be a judge. He wrote a letter to his parents
explaining his desire to stay in yeshiva
and become a rebbe. His mother sent my father’s letter to Rabbi
Dessler and asked him what they should do. Should they give up their dream of
their son becoming a judge so he could stay in yeshiva? Rabbi Dessler wrote back, encouraging them to allow my
father to stay in yeshiva. Here are some lines from the letter:
I
received your kind letter a few days ago. I have read and reread it and also
thought over the problem again and again. I understand quite well your anxiety
about your son’s future. After all, the Frankfurt way of Torah im
derech eretz is well known. But times have changed and with them the duties
towards Yiddishkeit, too. Your son is right!
We can see that the dilemma about
careers is not limited to our generation. Parents and their children had and
still have different opinions about what careers to choose.
Choosing a career depends on many
factors but what makes the decision particularly difficult is that no one can
see into the future. We can only take the information we have now and try to
plan as best as we can.
Career
Counseling
In this community, we have talented
counselors who help people figure out what careers will work for them.
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The Ignite Career
Center is a program of Jewish Community Services that offers customized
services for job seekers of all ages, skill levels, and abilities. Whether the
job seeker is new to the job market, returning to the workforce, or is a
seasoned professional, Ignite’s professional career coaches and advanced
certified resume writers can help one go further and get there faster.
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Faige Katz, whose
business, Career360, specializes in vocational counseling, says, “I spend my
days helping people figure out what career to train for. What’s right for one
person isn’t necessarily right for another. Choosing a parnassah isn’t a
black and white issue; it is actually quite colorful. Each person has a unique
set of talents, skills, interests, life experiences, and circumstances that
lead them to different opportunities.”
There is no
one perfect job, Faige explains. “Everyone contributes to society in a unique
way. We need doctors, mechanics, accountants, handymen, lawyers, chefs,
businesspeople, uber drivers, barbers, web designers; the list goes on and on.
There are close to 600 occupations listed in the Bureau of Labor and
Statistics.”
With so many
bills to pay, income is an important factor in deciding which field to go into
for most people. Faige shows clients the average salary to be expected in each
field. “But it’s not always cut and dry. I meet with a diverse clientele; some
value making a lot of money, and some express a desire to live a simple
lifestyle.”
Another
important thing to realize, according to Faige, is that every person has a
different reality. Some people have the time and money to invest in earning a
degree. Someone else might not have the interest or money to spend on a degree.
Perhaps they already have a family they have to support; their options are
going to be different.
Faige starts
with a test, called Career Aptitude Testing, which pinpoints a person’s
talents, interests, and G-d-given kochos.
The test takes two to three hours and generates information on how a person
solves problems, communicates, learns, thinks abstractly and creatively, and
which work environment they’ll thrive in. Once the test is finished, Faige has
a conversation with the client and uses the information to steer him or her to
a suitable career.
“Figuring
out how to support oneself financially can be a complicated decision,” says
Faige. “Thankfully, there is a way to take the guesswork out of the decision. I
encourage you to check out career360.net and the Highlands Ability Battery and use
the chochmah that is available to
guide you to the right path.”
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* *
Malka Weintraub, LCPC,
has been helping people find their career path for many years – first at Jewish
Communal Services, then at General Rehabilitation Services, and then with
students and alumni at the University of Baltimore. In her private practice,
Career Awakenings, Malka works with people of all ages. Many of her clients are
returning seminary students, yeshiva bachurim, and newlyweds
just starting out in the world of work, but there are also mothers returning to
work and midlife career changers.
Malka starts with a
phone conversation, asking the person what brought them to career counseling,
what they are looking for, and what kinds of things they have tried. “If we
agree that I can help, they come in, and, before our first appointment, I give
them various assessments that will elicit more information.” Malka is also a
Distance Certified Counselor, allowing her work with clients remotely.
One interesting test
compares a person’s pattern of likes and dislikes with the patterns of people
who are working in different careers and are extremely happy in
their work. “For instance,” says Malka, “let’s say research shows that all
accountants like pistachio ice cream. The test will then ask, ‘Do you like
pistachio ice cream?’ This is just a made-up example, but there are some very
interesting correlations – like, it turns out that a lot of attorneys
appreciate and create artwork.
“I also do a
personality assessment that shows what might be a challenge for a person in a
certain kind of work and what would be very easy.” Malka interprets the tests
with her clients, and together they develop a “job search target.” This
includes the type of organization (government, a particular industry, or a
nonprofit), a geographical area, and a job title: e.g., manager (facilitator,
dept head, team leader), accountant, teacher, etc. “It is much easier to find a
job if you know in detail what you’re looking for,” says Malka.
“I then help people
prepare for the job market, including developing a ‘pitch,’ which is a summary
statement of who they are and what they have to offer. We discuss issues that
may impact them with an employer and talk about a whole variety of ways to get
a job.” Malka also coaches her clients through the job application process and
makes it her business to be up to date on careers for 2024, including salaries
and what employers are looking for. Malka can be reached at 410-358-0777.
College
or Not?
When I was a girl, going to college
was frowned upon by the more right-wing element of the community. Parents
wanted to steer clear of a place where a young person would be exposed to the values
and behaviors of people outside our community. Today, however, alternatives
have been developed to avoid that problem. Many yeshivas are accredited, which
allows boys to get their bachelor’s degree without leaving yeshiva. One of my
sons earned a Bachelors of Talmudic Law from Ner Yisrael. The yeshiva then
allowed him to take accounting courses at an outside college while he was in
yeshiva, and he was able to sit for the CPA exam. Another son earned a Bachelors
of Talmudic Law from Edison Yeshiva and then went on to get a master’s in
counseling.
My
daughter-in-law Racheli got a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling
through YIEP (in its program at Bellevue University) after getting her
bachelor’s degree from TTI (Testing Training International). She says, “I loved that it was
all online, via Zoom. It’s true that, in person, you get
the benefit of being face-to-face with your faculty and peers, but
the virtual format made it more practical. I feel I’m just as prepared as
I would have been in any regular college program. This was the best of both
worlds – a regular online college program with a special YIEP cohort, meaning
all my classmates were Orthodox Jews. The professors were amazing, and I came
out of the program with a good handle on how to begin my career as a mental
health therapist.” YIEP offers all
kinds of programs for men and women.
In Baltimore we have the Community
Testing Center. According to Lisa Meister, director of the program, the Center
provides an opportunity for a student to earn a regionally accredited
bachelor’s degree through credit by exam. Students often work in the field of
interest while earning their degree. Individual advising is provided to assist
each student in obtaining the necessary courses that they may need for the
master’s degree they are pursuing.
“The concentrations in the liberal
arts degree consist of education, psychology, or business,” says Lisa. “Many
students pursue further master's degrees and careers in special ed, ABA, social
work, law, business, and UX design, among other opportunities, such as general
educator and nursing home administrator.”
Baltimore is also home to WITS,
Women’s Institute of Torah, Seminary, and College. For 25 years, it has been
the place where girls can get a seminary education and a bachelor’s degree in
many different fields. [See the sidebar.]
Sara Schenirer, of Borough Park, offers
undergraduate and graduate degree programs for both men and women in both
in-person and live online format. Partnering with respected institutions of
higher learning, its programs are rigorous and challenging yet accelerated and
highly affordable. Above all, each student is matched with a personal advisor
who provides unparalleled student support throughout the program and beyond.
Sara Schenirer, now in its 44th year, has graduated more than 28,000
students who’ve gone on to meaningful and lucrative careers.
PCS (Professional Career Services)
is a division of the Agudah located in New Jersey. I spoke to Sarah Massry, who
explained, “Our programs are goal oriented, shorter, and focus on the exact
skills needed so that a person can be prepared to earn a good living. We have
separate classes for men and women, and they can be taken online or in person.
We have a great job placement department in the tri-state area, and 98% of our
students are employed. We accept bachelor’s degrees from yeshivas so that men
can go straight into our master’s programs.”
PCS offers an accounting master’s
degree program, which takes about 18 months. They also have skills-based
classes that do not give degrees: for example, a real estate course, a software
and web development course, and a business enrichment course. Programs like
this have really opened up the modern world for the members of our community.
Many people take advantage of all these
programs and go on to get degrees or certificates, some without ever stepping
foot on a college campus.
Not
Good Enough
Although these programs sound like the perfect
solution to the dilemma of going to a secular college, there are some opinions
that say they are not as good as going to a regular college and others who feel
that they do not solve the original problem of going to college.
I spoke to a Baltimore askan about all the new programs that
are popping up. He is not sure these programs provide a good enough education. “For someone who wants to do a narrow job and
stay there, I guess it is fine. But if someone wants to grow, they need
more fundamental skills. These include oral and written communication, which in
my experience is sorely lacking. Students who did not spend a lot of time
writing, getting it critiqued, and trying again simply cannot write a concise,
clear, and convincing paragraph. Communication skills – learning how to speak
to an audience or even one-on-one – is another critical skill that I see sorely
missing in a large proportion of the students getting non-rigorous
educations. Another aspect of in-person, formal learning, especially if
joint projects are done as part of classes, is that one gets exposed to working
with others from different cultures and different ways to think about things.
“The main problem is that if someone has the
attitude that they are learning just to pass a gate, that attitude stays with
them, and they do not necessarily value becoming lifelong learners. Even if
they become professionals, that attitude restricts them to a very narrow world
view and does not prepare them to go beyond their initial educational or
professional boundaries. When the world changes – and it is changing more
rapidly now than ever before – unless someone is primed to ‘learn the next
thing’ they will be left behind.”
When
I told a friend who got his counseling degree online what this askan said, he told me, “I probably missed out on some
things by not going to a four-year bachelor’s degree program in a regular
college, but I also gained some skills from my yeshiva years. In fact, my
practice is greatly enhanced by the chasidic thought that I learned in yeshiva.
I also feel that in today’s atmosphere, I can learn whatever I need to know on
my own.”
Still Too Secular
Another perspective came from Rivka, a mother of many, who did not
send any of her children to college, even the new frum programs. She says, “Even with the innovations of not having
to mingle with college students, it does not solve all the problems. The
subject matter and the teachers will still give over secular values. And the
student has to spend a lot of time on the internet.”
My friend who lives
in New Jersey also does not encourage her children to get degrees. “The pay
scale for office jobs in New Jersey that do not need degrees is so good that it
is not worth the money and effort to get a degree,” she says. “Even my friends
who are professionals themselves do not encourage their children to become
professionals.”
Paying
for an Education
I asked a woman who is a
professional if she was happy with her degree. She made an important point: Her
parents had paid for her degree, so she did not have to take out loans. She
said, “I love my work, but I would not be happy if I were in debt now.”
When it comes to bankrolling an
education, rich people can pay out of pocket, and those with low incomes can
get grants. Middle class families are in the most difficult position. Although President
Biden has forgiven student loans, his authority to do so has been challenged,
and those taking out student loans need to know that loan forgiveness may not
be a reality in the future.
No
Degree, Lots of Skills
I spoke to a few people who learned
their skills by taking specialized courses of study. I did not broach the topic
of the income they are making because I feel that every family has different
needs. The bottom line is that, if they are satisfied with the income, it is
good enough for them.
One woman took a course in interior
design from a program called Design Alive. The course took about six or seven
months; she now has a well-paying job as a lighting designer and consultant.
My neighbor, Zvi Pollack of Pollack
Inspections, took a 300-hour course that taught him how to do home inspections.
“A person has to have a good understanding of building and construction, be
observant, and have confidence to be good in this field,” he explained.
Rivka Stern, a graphic artist, took
a yearlong course at WITS. “WITS provided me with really good
insight into design theory, based on established principles of design and
proven psychology behind advertising and design. The course did not go into the
business side of things that much, although we learned a few things about
working with clients and personal branding. Some of my classmates went on to
find internships or positions in graphics or marketing-related companies, but
others were just taking the course for credits. I took the course with the
intention of starting a freelance business. I did a lot of my own online
research and got some guidance from people in my personal circle with
experience in freelance work. I learned a lot from trial and error, and over
time I’ve gotten more experience.”
Rivka Bortz and Kaila Schonland, a nurse practitioner and nurse
duo, received training for laser hair removal and, specifically,
the use of the Candella Gentle Max Pro Plus machine. They have
teamed up to create Lumiere Laser and Beauty in Mt. Washington. They explained that laser hair removal removes unwanted body hair
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This topic is endless
because the lives of people are so unique and the careers they choose are so
varied. If you have made a successful career choice which you think others
would be interested to hear about, please send us a letter, and we can print it
in the next issue of the Where What When:
adswww@aol.com.
