What do you want to be when you grow up? That is a question that is asked to many students as early as kindergarten. Most students will say careers that they know either by their parents’ occupations or a close relative. When given the opportunity to do job shadowing, students typically go to what they know as well. Logan County High School’s freshman class has experienced taking this a step further.
After surveying the students, Jama Madison, the YSC director, and I as the freshman counselor are coordinating field trips to various places so students can see firsthand what they need to do to make their career goals a reality. We believe providing these opportunities allows our students to do self-reflection, encourages further research, and possibly gives them a person in the field who they are now connected with for future jobs.
High school students do not have to know the exact career they want to pursue, but they should know how to explore potential careers and take time to learn more about them. Students are given time in class to do just that. The field trips are only the first step in this exploration. During CATS time, students research what the different careers require as far as education, how much the job pays, and the demand for the job.
In my experience as a high school guidance counselor, I believe you have to be careful when asking what students want to be because for those who do not know, this question can be very unnerving. It can cause students to feel stressed and make them feel like they do not have it all together compared to the students who think they have all of this figured out. The fact is, students are likely to change their minds several times between now and graduation. There will be careers out there that do not even exist today. Career preparation is an important step to begin in high school, but the truth is, it should not end at graduation.
Some of the job shadowing experiences landed students at the Logan County Airport where students talked to Air Evac if they were interested in being an EMT/Paramedic. A commercial pilot was also there to talk to a couple of students about a career as a pilot. Another group of students went to SKYPAC in Bowling Green to focus on their acting skills. Students went to Lindsey Institute of Cosmetology to see what steps need to be taken to become a licensed cosmetologist, while another group went to Summers & Son Funeral Home to see how the funeral home business operates. A group of students interested in the IT field went to Logan Aluminum to work with leaders in those fields.
The list will continue to grow as the year goes on. We have already seen these field trips sparking career interests in the students and making their learning fun!