Jasmine Turner was the top student at Lodi Academy in 2005.

Finding a job can be a daunting challenge, especially if you don’t have any work experience. But to get a job you need work experience. It’s a nasty catch-22 that can be difficult to conquer. An internship just may be your key to landing a job.

About 50 years ago, David Vera hurt his back while working as a truck driver. After being put in a back brace, he became interested in prosthetics and orthotics. He decided to go to school and nearly 50 years later, his whole family is involved in the field. Today, Vera is the owner of DNR Orthotics, where he helps patients with injuries enjoy lives they way they used to.

(BPT) - If you’re heading out into the workforce for the first time, there’s plenty of prep work to do. An employer’s first impression of you could very well be your resume.

(NAPSI)—If you’re like most Americans, you change jobs every few years—the average man switches jobs every four and a half years; the average woman, every three. Additionally, more than half of all college students change majors at least once.

Woodbridge Sanitary District board members will consider several capital improvement projects, pipeline inspections, establishing an internship program and an update on wastewater operator interviews during Wednesday's board meeting.

If a Lodi teen is turning his life around and leaving the gang lifestyle, offering him a chance to gain some job experience might just be the incentive he needs to keep going.

Anyone interested in serving an unpaid internship to learn how a congressional office operates is encouraged to contact Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Stockton.

(BPT) - Throughout the busy school year, many high school students across the country are already taking steps to explore college and other post-graduation opportunities. In fact, in today’s challenging economic climate and competitive job market, it has become increasingly important to begin planning for future career options at an early stage.

(BPT) - With a slowly growing economy and a still sluggish job market, there has been a continued increase in children moving back home after having lived independently on their own. These so called “boomerang kids” are popping up more frequently and when this situation is managed improperly, it can cause serious tension in a family.

Dear Straight Talk: I have two daughters in college. Due to the recession, our economic situation changed drastically since they were in high school, where they enjoyed private schools, lessons, cars, trips abroad, etc. How do I get through to them the duty and joy of pulling their own weight? — Overwhelmed father

Last week, a triple murder took place in Stockton. Not an unusual story by itself, considering the city's recent history. But what made this tale unique was the alleged suicidal perpetrator. He was a licensed marriage and family therapist.

In a study published in May 2012, researchers from Rutgers University interviewed people who graduated from college between 2007 and 2011 to determine how they were faring.

Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Stockton, has openings for fall internships in his Stockton and Pleasanton offices. Interns, who won’t be paid, will learn about the civics process and get first-hand experience in the daily operations of a congressional office.

The Teachers College of San Joaquin is not your average graduate school. It was founded by teachers for teachers, and grew out of a program designed for teacher development through internships. In May, it graduated its second class of 70 students.

Just in time for graduation, State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson has unveiled a new Web site to help students connect education and careers. According to a press release we received in the office this week, the site will allow middle school and high school students to explore their options and plan their next steps toward productive careers.

Sunbal Dishad, 17, spent the evening before graduation alone in her family's garage. She was practicing her valedictory over and over. She ran the speech by her sister, and blasted a radio to imitate the sounds of a restless crowd.

Drawing designs. Selecting models and fabrics. Long nights at the sewing machine. Dozens of phone calls to local businesses.

What do you think is the key to reducing gang activity in Lodi?

As a long-time resident and advocate for the aging parts of Lodi, I am stunned by the number of gang members who live in Lodi. Since 1993, the Improvement Committee has worked diligently to understand, educate and eradicate gang activity on the Eastside and throughout the city of Lodi, yet 20 years later, the problem has grown tremendously.

I pulled into the driveway after work last week and a young woman was on the sidewalk, apparently waiting for me.

Jason Schierling is the new manager at Lodi’s General Mills plant. In a recent interview with News-Sentinel Editor Rich Hanner, Schierling discussed his background and transition to the local plant from a broad management career with General Mills.

Want to build a robot that can shoot basketballs through hoops? What about learn to use computers to study strains of DNA, looking for a cure to a genetic disease?

Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, has openings in each of his district offices for congressional interns who want to become engaged in the civics process and get first-hand experience in the daily operations of a congressional office.

To provide 30,000 meals of breakfast and lunch to children at schools every day, the Lodi Unified School District works with a budget of about $15 million a year.