Your New Career Awaits You

Cambridge Junior College Provides Local Path to the Growing Career Fields Of Accounting and Medical Assisting

The current job market is full of contrasts: some industries have been eviscerated while others face shortages of workers. The good news is that despite the recession, there are still real jobs to be had. The really exciting news is that you don't even have to leave the Yuba-Sutter area to be trained to work in two of the top fields.

FastCompany magazine recently released their "Top 8 Career Fields" study listing "Nursing & Medical Services" number 1, and "Finance" number 7. Cambridge Junior College (www.Cambridge.edu), the only accredited Junior College in Sutter County, now offers degrees and certification in both of these top growing job fields.

Top Career Field: 
Medical Assistant

Healthcare is the nation's largest industry providing more than 14 million jobs. The statistics also show that seven of the twenty fastest growing career fields are in the healthcare industry with almost one in every five jobs being in the areas of medical office and administrative support. The well trained Medical Assistant, one who can run both the front and back office, is one of the most valuable assets a medical practice can have. An employee who can multi-task, manage the front office, give injections and assist with procedures and emergencies, are the wave of the future in the healthcare industry.

The combination of clinical labs, classroom activities and 225 hours of externship prepare Cambridge Junior College Medical Assisting students for this challenge.

"The medical office environment can be a really exciting and rewarding career choice," said Paddy Kearns, Medical Assisting Program Head Instructor and Career Services Director. "There are many challenges and opportunities to help people as a Medical Assistant. Our students not only benefit from the time they spend working in a doctor's office, they really enjoy it."

Top Career Field: Accounting

Employment of bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks is expected to grow by 12 percent between 2006 and 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, creating some 264,000 new jobs in a burgeoning occupational field.

Cambridge Junior College of Yuba City recently developed an Associate of Science degree program to prepare students for a career in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting. The purpose of the degree, earned using a combination of evening classes and online activities over an 84-week period, is to provide students with desirable business, management and entry level accounting skills, according to Sandy Fowler, Director of Education.

"What's great about this degree is that not only can it prepare students for the business environment but it includes great focus in accounting, which any business can benefit from," Fowler said. "The individuals we have contacted--business managers and owners, accountants, CPAs, and advisory board members-- all agree that accounting is a vital component of any business."

The program consists of nine eight-week, evening and online school terms and an externship. The externship takes place in a business offering on-the-job experience using the skills the student has learned in class and is a great experience to build the student's resume.