1. CAREER PROJECT
MELISSA RAMOS
12/04/2011
SLS-1001 CAREER PROJECT

2. In order to prepare myself to become an Orthodontist, I have to complete about 8 years of
school altogether. This job consists of me helping others with their dental problems. I enjoy
helping people and I’m fascinated by braces so I know I won’t fail at it. First things first, I have
to attend a college or university for the full 4 years, and then transfer to dental school for two to
three years. Orthodontist examines, diagnoses, and treats dental malocclusions and oral cavity
anomalies.
They also, design and fabricate appliances to realign teeth and jaws to produce and maintain
normal function and to improve appearance. Other jobs like this one are oral surgeon and
dentists. To find more information I can make a trip to my school library and read more about it.
Orthodontist salary can vary, if you are working in a private practice the average salary will be
$90,000, nevertheless if you run your own private practice you can expect to be earning an
average of $195,000.
Moreover, an oral surgeon performs surgery on the mouth, jaw, and related head and neck
structures to correct or treat abnormalities or injuries. This job description is similar to an
orthodontist. About eight years of schooling is required for this career also. The salary for an oral
surgeon is roughly $98,000 per year. This job description is also interesting to me but I’d rather
be an orthodontist. To find more information on oral surgeons, I can visit different offices and
ask them for their time and question them on their obstacles, and/or I can visit the local library.
In addition, I never considered becoming a nurse but would love to find out more about it.
Registered nurses (RNs) provide independent general care for family groups and individuals in
the context of family living. I don’t like watching over sick people, therefore, no, I would not
consider this career as an option.

3. Part 3
The dental hygienist field is definitely for me and my assessment results agree. A person in
this field Performs non-surgical dental treatments and instructs individuals in the care of the teeth
and gums. To become a dental hygienist, you'll need either a 2- or 4-year degree in dental
hygiene. Most programs are two years long and lead to an associate's degree. They are offered
through community colleges and technical colleges.
Moreover, you would also need to be licensed by the state. The salary range for this career,
annually, is between $55,930 and $81,340 and that’s exactly what I expected. I only expected
them to get so little because they’re not necessarily doctors, although they are helping others
with their dental work. For this career, you have to be willing to converse with people and care
for others and that benefits my career choice as an orthodontist.
In addition, the results of my assessment showed me different careers, including a
biochemist/biophysicist. This career has much to do with science and living organisms, that’s
another reason I know this career, will be best for me. They also research the chemical actions
that affect vital processes, such as growth and aging and the reaction of these processes to foods,
drugs, or other substances. Similarly, an orthodontist has to study ones mouth and teeth, along
with keeping track of their progress and/or effects. I’m certainly headed in the right path.

4. Clusters paper
After completing my career project, I learned that I have to potential to do many other things
besides dentistry. My results were great and I’m not surprised with them. I was interested in the
private investigator career after it came up in my results, although, the only thing stopping me
from pursuing in private investigating is being held accountable for someone else’s merchandise
or money. The choices “work value sorter” is a great way for young people to find out what they
want to do in the long run.
After viewing the gold star list, I researched the dental hygienist occupation. Dental
hygienists perform non-surgical dental treatments and instruct individuals in the care of the teeth
and gums. Under connections, I checked out the American dental association website. I learned
this association is oldest and largest national dental society in the world. It includes 156,000
ADA members from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
To sum up, my career goal is to become an orthodontist and hopefully work in my very own
office. This project made me realize how many other careers are out there and even if this
mission fails, there’s plenty more out there. One thing I was surprised about was the fact that
financial manager showed up in my assessments results. Accounting and dealing with a lot of
math is not my thing. I’m glad I completed this career project.