Career Connections

Students & Families

Career Connections offers students the opportunity to explore a career in programs that consist of multiple-day learning experiences.

The programs provide a chance for students to make connections with organizations and people who can help them as they pursue their career choices. A registration fee of $100 is due at the time of application. This fee is refunded if a student is not accepted into their choice of program. Some programs have an extra fee due at the first session. Transportation to programs is the responsibility of the student.

Explore our current offerings:

Digital Graphic Novels

Teaching Artist/Illustrator Joe Mruk

Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media (PCA&M)

Participating students will be able to jump right into making graphic novels using Procreate. We will format pages, sketch, import and format text, design characters, write dialogue, discuss story structure and narrative arcs, do flatwork, colorize and finalize graphic novel pages with a focus on storytelling through the combination of text and image. Learn about freelancing and how to connect with the publishing world. You may bring your own iPad (with Procreate installed) or PCA&M will provide one for your use during the six workshops. (Please note that there will be a $75 fee per student to use a PCA&M laptop.)

March 18, 25

April 1, 8, 22, 29

10 am - 1 pm at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts

Future Teachers Academy

This program offers a broad-based knowledge concerning the area of education. It provides opportunities to explore the field of education from A to Z. The instructors are actively involved in education and are able to bring in guest speakers who will answer questions and concerns about choosing education as a major in college and readily filling the teacher toolbox with ideas and suggestions prior to entering college. Apart from hearing from the best and finest in the field, the program engages participants in active learning both inside and outside of the classroom. This program meets four times at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit from 10:00am - 2:00pm.

Visual Arts Career Orientation Program

Please note that there is no registration fee due for this program.

The Visual Arts Career Orientation Program (VACOP), presented by the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, is a pre-professional experience that provides high school students with an opportunity to work with practicing Pittsburgh-based artists, learn new techniques from teaching artists, and hear about different career paths in the arts. Experiences may include tours of local universities, community art spaces, and cultural institutions. Students will experiment with a wide range of processes and media that artists are exploring today.

Sessions are typically planned for the last Saturday of the month (with the exception of December).

2024 Schedule:

October 26- Manchester Craftsmen's Guild

November 30 - Mattress Factory

2025 Dates To Be Announced

Writing for Publication

Drawing on life experience and insight, writers reach audiences through well-crafted words fueled by lessons learned. Nonfiction/fiction/script writing in this workshop series will focus on the kind of personal essays/poetry/short stories/drama published in magazines and literary journals. Working in the writer’s workshop format, the end product lends itself to submitting writing for publication and entering writing contests. The majority of participants in the past have enjoyed seeing their writing published and/or honored in well-respected local and national competitions. This program meets 4 times from 10am-2pm at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit.

Zoo Animal Care

Animal Care

Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium

Now accepting applications for spring 2025 sessions!

All sessions will take place at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium.

(Please note: animal areas may change)
Session 1: Wednesday, October 16, 2024 from 1:30 – 3:00 pm
Animals of the Asian Forest and African Savanna. Meet keepers who care for lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, giraffes, elephants and learn about the daily duties in caring for these animals.

Session 2: Wednesday, October 30 from 1:30 – 3:00 pm
Visit various areas of the Zoo including red pandas, Komodo dragons, and reptile holding area. We will meet animal keepers that take care of the gorillas, and the animals that live in Jungle Odyssey and Islands exhibits; including clouded leopards, warty pigs, and giant anteaters.

Session 3: Wednesday, November 13 from 1:15 -3:00 pm (PLEASE NOTE: TIME CHANGE FOR THIS SESSION – WE WILL MEET AT 1:15 PM (not 1:30 pm) IN THE EDUCATION COMPLEX

Do you want to be a Veterinarian? Meet our vet staff, go on a tour of the zoo’s hospital and get all your questions answered. You will also visit with the education departments’ ambassador animals.

Session 4: Wednesday, December 11 from 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
This session will focus on the animals at the Aquarium and Water’s Edge. Meet the aquarists that care for over 4,000 individual animals from tiny sea horses to the black tip reef sharks. Watch a sea otter training demonstration and talk with staff about training.