Real Careers, Real Talk!
Local professionals share their career paths and their life stories.
Interviews highlight 21st century skills: collaboration, communication, critical thinking, problem solving, and self-management.
Interviews highlight 21st century skills: collaboration, communication, critical thinking, problem solving, and self-management.
Most of the featured careers are among those listed in Michigan's Hot 50 Job Outlook through 2030
and in the Southwest Michigan Career Outlook through 2028.
and in the Southwest Michigan Career Outlook through 2028.
Fall 2023
Christopher Robinson
social worker at Penn State University
Entry level social workers average $32,997 starting salary in Michigan. There will be 235 annual openings for social workers in Michigan through 2028.
COLLABORATION | Real Careers, Real Talk!
Morgan Boyd
aircraft mechanic (intern) at Stryker
Entry level aircraft mechanics average $27,830 starting salary in Michigan. There will be 25 annual openings for aircraft mechanics in southwest Michigan through 2028.
SELF-MANAGEMENT | Real Careers, Real Talk!
Roxanne Brown
staff accountant at ASM Global
Entry level accountants average $41,990 starting salary in Michigan. There will be 195 annual openings for accountants in southwest Michigan through 2028.
SELF-MANAGEMENT | Real Careers, Real Talk!
Cheryl Dickson
pediatrician at WMed
Entry level pediatricians average $43,450 starting salary in Michigan. There will be 30 annual openings for pediatricians in Michigan through 2028.
SELF-MANAGEMENT | Real Careers, Real Talk!
Jovaughn Carver
high school teacher at Kalamazoo Public Schools
Entry level teachers average $37,170 starting salary in Michigan. There will be 125 annual openings for teachers in southwest Michigan through 2028.
SELF-MANAGEMENT | Real Careers, Real Talk!Fall 2022
Joanna Yiu
veterinary assistant at Mt. Hope Veterinary Hospital
Entry level vet techs average $19,655 starting salary in Michigan. There will be 80 annual openings for vet assistants and lab animal caretakers in southwest Michigan through 2028.
PROBLEM SOLVING | Real Careers, Real Talk!
Lynn Chen-Zhang
personal financial planner at Zhang Financial
Entry level personal financial planners average $33,350 starting salary in Michigan. There will be 35 annual openings for personal financial advisors in southwest Michigan through 2028.
PROBLEM SOLVING | Real Careers, Real Talk!
Michael Evans
CNC machinist at Humphrey Products
Entry level machinists average $25,150 starting salary in Michigan. There will be 25 annual openings for CNC machine tool programmers in southwest Michigan through 2028.
PROBLEM SOLVING | Real Careers, Real Talk!
Allyson Reed
welder at Landscape Forms
Entry level welders average $26,140 starting salary in Michigan. There will be 115 annual openings for welders in southwest Michigan through 2028.
SELF MANAGEMENT | Real Careers, Real Talk!
Malcolm Jones
paramedic at Life EMS
Entry level paramedics average $20,480 starting salary in Michigan. There will be 35 annual openings for EMT/Paramedics in southwest Michigan through 2028.
CRITICAL THINKING | Real Careers, Real Talk!
Marissa Poth-Miller
construction manager at CSM Group
Entry level jobs in construction management average $53,500 in Michigan. There will be 40 annual openings for construction managers in southwest Michigan through 2028.
COLLABORATION | Real Careers, Real Talk!
Blanca Ortiz-Skelding
chemical engineer at Pfizer
Entry-level chemical engineers in Michigan earn an average salary of $55,550.
There will be 65 annual openings for chemical engineers in Southwest Michigan
each year through 2028.
Victor Green
police officer at Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety
Entry-level police officers in Michigan earn an average salary of $33,640.
There will be 140 annual openings for police/patrol officers in Southwest Michigan
each year through 2028.
Javon Myles
banquet supervisor at Greenleaf Hospitality
Entry-level jobs in the catering industry in Michigan earn an average salary of $30,240.
There will be 65 annual openings for food-service managers will be in southwest Michigan through 2028.
January 2021
Churu Yun
founder and principal designer at Argenta Park
Churu Yun is the founder and principal designer at Argenta Park, a design agency focused on creating elegant & thoughtful products & user experiences for disruptive start-ups to world's leading brands. Churu first realized he could channel his creativity into an art-related career when he took Education for Employment classes at Kalamazoo Central High School.
Click here for video, bio, resources, and reflection questions.
Marissa Harrington
real estate agent at Five Star Real Estate
Marissa Harrington is originally from Los Angeles, California. She is a local Realtor with Five Star Real Estate as well as a founding member of The Black Arts & Cultural Center's Face Off Theatre Company. Marissa graduated from Western Michigan University's Theatre program with a BFA in Theatre Performance in 2013. Additionally, she enjoys serving the community as a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.-Rho Theta Zeta chapter, and as a board member of the Black Arts & Cultural Center, Kalamazoo Institute for the Arts, Read and Write Kalamazoo, March of Dimes, and Western Michigan University Theatre Guild.
November 2020
Charlae Davis
executive director at ISAAC
Dr. Charlae Davis currently works as the Executive Director of Interfaith Strategy for Advocacy & Action in the Community (ISAAC), a faith based non-profit community organizing network made up of 31 member Congregations/Organizations. She is also a Kalamazoo Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Racial Healing Practitioner.
Click here for video, bio, resources, and reflection questions.