Choosing a Career as a Firefighter

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-Two career overviews illustrated with black-and-white and full-color photos. Oleksy begins with a historical summary of fire companies in the U.S., and then describes the duties, hours, equipment used, and the educational and physical requirements for jobs in the field. Related careers, such as EMTs, paramedics, apparatus operators, and fire inspectors, are also highlighted. Chapters describe a typical day in the life of a firefighter; discuss salaries, benefits, and advancement; give ideas about preparing for this type of career; and take a quick look at the profession's future. In Child Care, Weintraub surveys career choices such as nannies and au pairs, day-care center employees, social workers, teachers, and pediatricians. Salary ranges and general educational requirements are noted. The author provides some good advice on testing the waters and gaining experience while still a student. She suggests baby-sitting, volunteering in libraries and local community centers, or taking on an internship to gain some firsthand exposure to working with children. Tips for writing a r sum and preparing for a job interview are also included. This is a fine title for those wanting to survey the options. For more detail and depth, however, Marjorie Eberts's Careers in Child Care (VGM, 2000) is a better choice. Both offerings are solid additions to career collections, although Oleksy's book has more substance overall and more of the details that are often needed for school reports.-Roxanne Burg, Thousand Oaks Library, CA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.