{"id":5879,"date":"2016-05-25T20:28:19","date_gmt":"2016-05-25T20:28:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/careers-internships\/?p=5879"},"modified":"2024-01-30T14:14:52","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30T19:14:52","slug":"need-job-try-public-utilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/careers-internships\/need-job-try-public-utilities\/","title":{"rendered":"Need a job? Try public utilities"},"content":{"rendered":"

St. Petersburg College Seminole Campus featured Public Utilities for its most recent job exploration fair! Currently, 2,500 job openings exist for the City of St. Petersburg, and a large portion of those jobs involve water treatment.<\/p>\n

\"Many<\/a>
Many tables at the Public Utilities career exploration fair detailed information related to the field.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Water treatment, a public service, encompasses many areas of expertise that all collate to one enormous goal: provide safe drinking water for a population. Chemistry, math and physical ability all play a role in getting water from the processing plant to a customer\u2019s faucet, and it is a prime reason why most who work in the field find it challenging yet extremely satisfying. Though the satisfaction rate appears high in the career, the managers of many water treatment plants are having a hard time finding new and promising individuals to fill positions.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst off, it is hard because you don\u2019t realize that this career is available,\u201d said Waunda Barcus, Manager of Treatment and Distribution in the Water Resources Department in St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n

And to most, the career choice does not come up. There is no set degree for Public Utilities, and the way to progress involves many hours of on the job training plus certifications.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took 2,080 contact hours – a years’ worth of experience – plus passing the tests to be considered an operator in training,\u201d said Waunda.<\/p>\n

Though the road is hard, the job has many benefits. One such benefit is working within a career that helps many people. Providing drinkable water to a city means those at the water treatment plant are the shield against many diseases that come from unfiltered water. They are the ones who make it so your child can drink from the faucet with little worry. That is a goal to be proud of.<\/p>\n

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“Make those relationships that later end up in a job offer.” – Sandy DeCarlo, Outreach Specialist at SPC<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n