"I want to be a jet fighter pilot" That was what I wanted to be when I grew up especially after I watched the movie Top Gun. It really made sense; I was born at Wright Patterson Air Force base in Dayton, Ohio and my stunning resemblance to Tom Cruise. The only thing holding me back was my fear of heights. Oh well.
What do you want to be when you grow up? The infamous question that many people ask throughout their life. According to Forbes Magazine, the average worker today will change jobs every 4.5 years. The Washington Post reports younger workers are job hopping every 3 years. Why? Workers are more likely to be looking for stability, while younger workers are looking for happiness. You would think that we would get it right in college, but close to 50%-80% of college students change their majors. So then, what can high schools and parents do to prepare students to enter college and the workforce in the area that they have strong interest in. It is expensive to change majors in college and even more stressful to change jobs. The key to having a successful college and workforce transition is early career exploration. Through interest surveys, career field trips/interviews, job shadows, part-time/summer jobs, and internships, young people can begin to formulate what they want to do when they grow up.
I never dreamed of being a school principal. I had many career exploration opportunities while growing up in Oakland,a town in northeast Nebraska. Most of those experiences came from the part-time and summer jobs that I held. I remember, as young as 10, walking beans for weeds, if anyone remembers that; before Round-Up resistant beans. I also bean-buggied, a more advanced form of walking beans where a 3 to 5 people rode on a homemade contraption on the front of a tractor with umbrellas and Round-Up spray guns. While in junior high, I detasseled corn. During my high school career, I worked many summers for my uncle Vern at his plumbing business. I learned many valuable skills, that I still use regularly today. Sanding, and prepping vehicles for paint and all the other skills that go with rebuilding cars, I gained from working at the bodyshop in my backyard. Bussing tables at the Captain's Table, taking phone order calls at Cabelas, and mowing lawns are a few things I did when I lived in Kearney while attending college. I was even a cashier at the Hinky Dinky grocery store in Auburn, Nebraska. One summer I held a line position for the manufacturer Quebecor, a printing company in Lincoln, where I learned how magazines were printed and distributed. While at Peru State College, I worked as a youth counselor at a detention center in Tarkio, Missouri. Wow, my eyes were opened to many different challenges there!
I am grateful for the many work experiences that have provided me skills and aided me in my career exploration. As I went through college I found that I really loved teaching and knew the impact that teachers make on student lives.
Currently, Wood River High School provides the following opportunities for students to explore different careers/colleges: Careers Class for 8th Grade, Personal Leadership Class for Seniors ,College Recruiter visits, Numerous career field trips, Job Shadows, College Visits, College Fair, College Day(Sign up for College), Habitudes - Helps Make Career Ready Students, Getting To Know Series: Getting to Know Your Skills Getting the Life You Want: Getting To Know What An Employer Wants; How to do a successful Interview, Nebraska Career Inventory System, STEM Career in Two Years, What to Give to the person doing a Recommendation, What does a good recommendation look like, EducationQuest, ScholarshipQuest, Activities Resume,Essay Writing, Financial Aide Night in January(FAFSA), Writing Resumes and Cover Letters, Several Occupational Handbooks- Counseling office is the resource for many scholarships, answering questions, making phone calls, and anything related to career/college exploration. Do not hesitate to call the school, our goal is to make our students as successful as possible after graduation.
Guo, Jeff. "Millennials Aren’t Changing Jobs as Much. That’s a Big Problem for the Economy." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 4 Sept. 2014. Web. 20 Sept. 2015.
Meister, Jeanne. "Job Hopping Is the 'New Normal' for Millennials: Three Ways to Prevent a Human Resource Nightmare." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 14 Aug. 2014. Web. 20 Sept. 2015.
