Kids & Careers!
Who would you like to meet? • James: a firefighter engineer • Ian: a provincial police officer • Scott: a county police officer • Sean: a city planner • Dave: a senior software engineer • Kathy: a customs manager • Rosie: an international sales manager • David: a process engineer • Drew: a school department head • John: a director of computer services • Steve: a paramedic • Amy: a physical therapist Kidsnewsroom would like you to meet Kathy! Below are the questions (Q.)we asked about her career and the answers (A.) she gave us! Q. How old are you? A. I'm 42. Q. In what city do you work? A. Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Q. What type of company do you work for? A. I work for a company that manufactures all sorts of products, including things like clothing, baked goods and machines that people use in their homes. Q. What is your job title? A. I am the manager of customs imports and exports and compliance! Sounds complicated, doesn't it? Because we are such a large company, we get products from businesses worldwide. Q. At what times does your work day begin and end? A. I start work at 7:45 am, and I work until 5:30 or 6:00 pm. Q. How many days per week do you work? A. I usually work 5 days per week, Monday through Friday. Occasionally I work evenings or weekends. Q. What is your office like? A. I have a private office with a window in a corporate office building. Q. What kind of clothes do you wear to work? A. I usually dress business casual, which is a little bit dressier than jeans. Q. Who do you work with? A. I manage a team of six people and often work with them. Q. Tell us about your education and how it has prepared you for this job. A. I have a 4-year degree in Music Education and Voice. I work in the International Trade area of my company, and the music degree did not prepare me for this type of work! However, I have taken many courses and attended many training sessions regarding International Business and trade programs which help me with my job. Q. What should a kid do NOW to prepare for your kind of job in the future? A. Make sure you plan for a 4-year college degree, and concentrate on International Business if you want to work in the Customs/International Trade area of business. Do study spanish! Being able to speak another language is a highly sought-after skill. Do study in school! This type of work can be quite technical. Q. Do you have any other advice for kids who are thinking about having your type of career? A. To do well at this job, you must love teaching others. Much of my career is spent training and teaching others about international issues. Q. What skills or subjects are important to your job? A. Reading comprehension, writing, computers and foreign language (especially spanish) are probably the most important subjects to study. Q. What are the top ten things that you normally do at work each day? A. 1. Training other departments in various areas of the business on customs and international shipping. 2. Speaking with others in meetings and on the phone. I spend a lot of time on the phone! 3. Attending meetings. 4. Working with my staff on issues. 5. Writing procedures, memos and various other types of documents. 6. Reading. 7. Brainstorming for ideas. 8. Solving critical problems and issues. 9. E-mailing. 10. Visiting my friends and colleagues. Thanks, Kathy! It was nice getting to know you!