Career Development and the Young Professional's Group
Survivors Joining Forces with their Peers
CBTF has recently reinstated the Young Professionals Group (YPG) which is a non-survivor group of professional peers who come together with brain tumor survivors so they can offer guidance to those exploring the job market. They exchange tips and offer mentor-ship throughout the job development and career searching process. 

This month, we would like to highlight an active YPG member and sibling of brain tumor survivor, Sarah McCarthy, who works for the Nestle Corporation. She gives an overview of the YPG and Career Program from her unique perspective

If you are or know a survivor who may be interested in our Career Program or are interested in becoming a member of YPG, please contact  Dr. Elizabeth Cardoso, Career Consultant, or  Stacia Wagner, Senior Director of Survivor Programs. 
Using Our Networks to Help Each Other
By: Sarah McCarthy, YPG Member
Survivors and YPG members come together for a Career Development Meeting
Every few months, I get the privilege to meet with a variety of young people from all ove r the New York Tri-State area. We share our resume tips, experience with using LinkedIn and visiting job fairs, while talking about our rough commutes, 
over-scheduled calendars and career goals.
 
However, what makes this meeting so much more special is that I'm partnering with people my own age that have a passion to help people affected by brain tumors and cancer - and most importantly, people that are young survivors.
 
Finding a job is hard enough: competition is tight, it can be overwhelmingly to settle into one spot, and (although I love it) this area is expensive and we need to pay our bills!
 
But when you are a survivor, there are so many more limitations that are never truly addressed. There are plenty of articles about job hunting and networking but there can be limited resources for people that have pre-existing health conditions, sight impairments, required rest periods, inability to have a driver's license - the list goes on.  
 
What makes this group so important, is that we're helping brilliant and driven people that may feel less than or limited, even if they are some of the strongest people we know.
 
As a sibling of a brain tumor survivor, I even have to admit that I can get so caught up in my own work deadlines and stressors that I sometimes have to remind myself that I'm lucky to have a full-time job with benefits.
 
Every time I attend a session, I learn more from speaking w ith the survivors than I did reading a "how-to-get-a-job tutorial." It's a valuable lesson to understand and appreciate that the path to getting a job - as a cashier, librarian, landscaper, marketer, independent business owner, etc. - is a hard one but the most important part is that it never fails to search for postings and reach out to your network of family, acquaintances, and Facebook friends. This Young Professionals Group is helping to solve a problem that isn't often discussed following a  diagnosis. I look forward to seeing what this group will accomplish in the future. 
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