Celebrating Women in Nontraditional Careers

Nontraditional careers are those in which women make up less than 25 percent of the workforce. The pay, benefits and job satisfaction can be much higher than in traditional female occupations.

Talking personally and directly about their lives, the women in these videos express the rewards and challenges of their nontraditional careers.

The videos in this series are ideal for vocational counseling, career exploration days, library programs, scout and youth groups, and one-stop centers. Using first-person narrative stories, based upon extensive interviews, they present oral histories of a wide range of vocations in a concise way. A teaching/resource guide accompanies each 15-minute video, and all videos and guides have ISBN numbers.

NEWIST is pleased to offer these exciting videos, produced by Jocelyn Riley of Her Own Words ®.

"Powerful videos on women in nontraditional careers."

--Tradeswomen Tools for Change

"Uniformly excellent"

--Practical Historian

Women in Nontraditional Careers: An Introduction

ISBN #1-877933-68-6, Guide ISBN #1-877933-69-4
Highlights forty-six women from a wide variety of backgrounds, including welders, firefighters, construction workers, machinists, a helicopter pilot, a dump-truck driver, police officers, dentists, athletic coaches, a service mechanic, a mason, and a mold-making apprentice. Purchase $140.00, rental $50.00. 15 minutes.

Work Talk: Women in Nontraditional Careers in Their Own Words

ISBN #1-877933-94-5, Guide ISBN #1-877933-95-3
Fast-paced; highlights dozens of diverse women in a wide variety of careers. What makes a job gratifying and challenging varies from person to person, but it's important to find the right career for you. A great discussion-starter. Purchase $140.00, rental $50.00. 15 minutes.

Writing at Work: Women in Nontraditional Careers in Their Own Words

ISBN #1-877933-31-7, Guide ISBN #1-877933-17-1
Nineteen women show how they use writing on the job. "You have to be able to present well, you have to be able to write well, or you're just someone sitting in the corner at a computer desk," says an engineer. "The ability to communicate with people is absolutely the most critical part of the job," adds a police detective. Purchase $140.00, rental $50.00. 15 minutes.

Math at Work: Women in Nontraditional Careers

ISBN #1-877933-84-8, Guide ISBN #1-877933-85-6
Thirteen women ranging from a helicopter pilot, an architect, a police officer, and a firefighter, to machinists and welders, highlight how they use mathematics on the job. Purchase $140.00, rental $50.00. 15 minutes.

"Superior."

--School Library Journal

"Recommended."

--School to Work News

Women in Building Construction

ISBN #1-877933-27-9, Guide ISBN #1-877933-28-7
Work experiences of nine women who work in building construction, including carpentry, architecture, sheet metal, painting, lighting design, plumbing, electrical, and heat and frost insulation. "The average woman would amaze herself," asserts a carpenter. "We can do it!" adds an architect. Purchase $140.00, rental $50.00. 15 minutes.

Women in Dentistry

ISBN #1-877933-62-7, Guide ISBN #1-877933-63-5
Four dentists in a variety of specialties. "I couldn't be happier now!" says one of them Purchase $140.00, rental $50.00. 15 minutes.

Women in Engineering

ISBN #1-877933-92-9, Guide ISBN #1-877933-93-7
Thirteen engineers whose work includes roller coasters, wastewater-treatment plants, commercial packaged baked goods manufacturing, human resources, power utilities, telecommunications, tractors, and streambed improvement. Purchase $140.00, rental $50.00. 15 minutes.

"Invaluable for math, science, and career curriculums; an excellent purchase."

--School Library Journal

"An interesting and useful reflection of women's issues and the workplace environment."

--InfoTech

Women in Firefighting

ISBN #1-877933-71-6, Guide ISBN #1-877933-72-4
Six firefighters, including paramedics, a lieutenant, and a fire chief. "I was twenty-five years old when I realized, hey, I can do this!" says one firefighter. "Sometimes I wish I would have started this earlier, but I didn't know anybody like me growing up. Everybody I knew had proper jobs for women at the time." Purchase $140.00, rental $50.00. 15 minutes.

"Highly recommended--a valuable source of real-world career information"

--School to Work News

Women in Highway Construction

ISBN #1-8977933-96-1, Guide ISBN #1-877933-97-X
Twenty-one highway-construction workers including pavement marker, civil engineer, concrete finisher, inspector, carpenter, electrician, operating engineer, laborer, materials tester, and owner of a highway construction company. Purchase $140.00, rental $50.00. 15 minutes.

"This is a fine orientation."

--Today's Librarian

Women in Machining

ISBN #1-877933-77-5, Guide ISBN #1-877933-78-3
Seven machinists who work in a variety of jobs. One points out that she does less heavy lifting as a machinist than she did as a waitress. Purchase $140.00, rental $50.00. 15 minutes.

"Recommended."

--Learning Resource Materials Update

Women in Policing

ISBN #1-877933-52-X, Guide ISBN #1-877933-58-3
Six police officers with different specialties. "This is the type of job that has a future," says one. Purchase $140.00, rental $50.00. 15 minutes.

"One of the few up-to-date resources available encouraging young people to choose a law enforcement career."

--Wisconsin Police Journal

Women in Welding

ISBN #1-877933-74-0, Guide ISBN #1-877933-75-9
"I enjoy working with my hands," says one welder. "There are very few things as satisfying in life as having a job that pays you well that you like," adds another. Purchase $140.00, rental $50.00. 15 minutes.

Shifting Gears: Changing Careers

ISBN #1-877933-48-1, Guide ISBN #1-877933-49-X
Nineteen women who have changed from more traditional jobs (food-service, clerical, nursing assistant, childcare) to careers that are not traditional for women (welder, machinist, engineer, electrician). Purchase $140.00, rental $50.00. 15 minutes.

Women in the Automotive Industry

ISBN #1-877933-61-9, Guide ISBN #1-877933-54-6
Nine women who work in a wide variety of occupations within the automotive industry (used-car sales manager, automotive-technology instructor, leasing manager, auto-repair shop owner/operator, automotive-tool distributor, and several automotive technicians). "Don't let anyone tell you you can't do this," says one. Purchase $140.00, rental $50.00. 15 minutes.