LAURENCE SHATKIN

New Product Development for Career Decision Making

Extensive experience designing, prototyping and developing software applications to guide people of all ages in getting information and making decisions, especially about careers and educational plans. Ability to research and organize useful new databases, script easy-to-use interactions, and write effective study guides, manuals, and online help. Expertise in strategies for new product development. Outstanding creative and communication skills.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

JIST PUBLISHING, INC., Indianapolis, Indiana

2005-

Senior Product Developer
Write books and develop database information for books; develop ideas for books; develop interactive products for guidance and assessment. Recent books include the following: 200 Best Jobs for Introverts, 2008; 150 Best Jobs for a Better World, 2008;Salary Facts Handbook, 2008; 150 Best Jobs Through Military Training , 2008;175 Best Jobs Not Behind a Desk, 2007; 90-Minute College Major Matcher, 2006; 50 Best Jobs for Your Personality, 2005; 250 Best Jobs Through Apprenticeships, 2005.

CONSULTANT, Verbal Media, LLC, Titusville, New Jersey

1997-

Consulting client: Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ (1999-)
Edit study guides and develop test questions for teacher certification examinations. Supervised annual update of information about the 250+ occupations in SIGI PLUS (computer-based career guidance system), the most widely used system of its kind in colleges, with a subscriber renewal rate of over 90%. Consulted on product enhancements. Formatted HTML screens for Web version of the application. Created skills database for EnterpriseOhio project for workforce development.

Consulting client: JIST Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, IN (1999-)
Edited and did database work for reference books: Guide for Occupational Exploration, Third Edition (2001), Best Jobs for the 21^st Century, Second Edition (2001), O*NET Dictionary of Occupational Titles, 2001-2002 Edition (2002), 200 Best Jobs for College Graduates, Second Edition (2003), 300 Best Jobs Without a Four-Year Degree (2003). Wrote Quick Guide to College Majors and Careers: A Guide to Four-Year College Majors and Related Career Opportunities (2002), Quick Guide to Career Training in Two Years or Less (2003).

Consulting client: Valpar International, Inc., Tucson, AZ (2004-)
Supervise annual update of information about the 250+ occupations in SIGI PLUS.

Consulting client: King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia (1997-)
Developed Career Oasis system, in English and Arabic, online and workbook versions. Includes assessments and career information.

Consulting client: United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (2003)
Adapted Career Oasis system for UAEU users and advised on implementation.

Consulting client: intoCareers, Eugene, OR (2003)
Researched and wrote descriptions of 160 college majors.

Consulting client: SCT Corporation, Malvern, PA (1999)
Developed product concept statement.

Consulting client: Vantage Technologies, Yardley, PA (1999)
Did quality control of online Accuplacer test, including editing, HTML, bitmaps.

EDUCATIONAL TESTING SERVICE, Princeton, New Jersey

1979-1999

Development Scientist (1989-1999)
Developed interactive products for guidance and assessment: planning database contents, scripting and prototyping interactions, writing manuals. Became expert in principles of managing new product development through serving on corporate re-engineering teams and as management facilitator.

• Modeled database and laid out 200 interactive screens for Windows version of SIGI PLUS.
• Supervised update of information about the 250+ occupations in SIGI PLUS. Improved efficiency of research assistants by 30%.
• Increased number of career-related Web links in SIGI PLUS from four to 500 in two years.

Senior Research Associate (1983-1989)
Developed interactive guidance products for middle schools and high schools. Supervised update of career information database and designed other databases for interactive products.

• Co-authored and prototyped interactions (about 180 screens) for DOS version of SIGI PLUS, the first career guidance system targeted at adults.
• Advised Fukutake Publishing on developing Japan's first computer-linked career guidance resource.
• Scripted interactions and supervised development of database for BookWhiz, a product to help middle school students choose an interesting book. Recruited 30 librarians to write descriptions of books; edited write-ups and coded them as database entries for 1,000 books.

Research Associate (1981-1983)
Researched and wrote information about occupations and educational programs for SIGI PLUS. Created new information about college majors that expanded database from two to three megabytes.

Senior Research Assistant (1980-1981)
Research Assistant (1979-1980)
Researched and wrote information about occupations for SIGI PLUS. Wrote review of current scholarly research on career information in secondary schools.
 

CONSTRUCTION FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION, Princeton, New Jersey

2004

Director, Educational Services
Developed training programs and other educational resources; made deals with learning providers.

RIDER COLLEGE, Lawrenceville, New Jersey

1977-1979

Visiting Lecturer, English Department
Taught Business Writing to college students.
 

BUCKS COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Newtown, Pennsylvania

1977-1979

Lecturer, English Department
Taught English Composition to college students.
 

PENN STATE UNIVERSITY, YORK CAMPUS, York, Pennsylvania

1972-1975

Instructor, English Department (1973-1975)
Lecturer, English Department (1972-1973)
Taught English Composition and Introduction to Literature to college students.

EDUCATION

Ph.D., English, Lehigh University, 1978 (Packard Fellow)
M.A., English, University of Chicago, 1971 (Ford Fellow)
B.A., English, Johns Hopkins University, 1970 (Phi Beta Kappa, Departmental Honors)

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Member of Association of Computer-Based Systems for Career Information, 1993-. Manager of listserver for ACSCI members, 1996-. Board representative for Individual Members, 1998-2000; Public Information Officer, 2000-2002; President, 2007. Awarded Certificate of Distinction, 1998.

PUBLICATIONS (SELECTED)

• A new challenge for education: Addressing the needs of lifelong learners (with P.G. Clark). The Technology Source, March/April 2003.
• The world of work as viewed from Saudi Arabia. NewWork News, 2002.
• Quick Guide to College Majors and Careers: A Guide to Four-Year College Majors and Related Career Opportunities. Indianapolis, IN: JIST Publishing, Inc., 2002.
• Developing a career resource for college students in Saudi Arabia (with N. Atiyeh). In Careers Across America 2002: Best Practices & Ideas in Career Development Conference Proceedings, ed. G.R. Walz, R. Lambert, and C. Kirkman. Greensboro, NC: ERIC/CASS, 2002.
• Guide for Occupational Exploration, 3^rd Edition (with J.M. Farr and L. Ludden). Indianapolis, IN: JIST Publishing, Inc., 2001.
• Characteristics of college majors: Results of research. Presented at 22nd National Conference on Academic Advising, San Diego, CA, 1998.
• Understanding New Product Development (with J. Askew). Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service, 1998.
• On-line review of Workforce 2020 for NewWork News, 1997.
• Help scripts for SIGI PLUS for Windows, SIGI PLUS Customizer and SIGI PLUS Report Manager (with J. Fertig). Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service, 1996.
• The electronic counselor: Computers in the guidance department. Electronic Learning, 3 (1), 74-77, 1983.