Wednesday, April 4, 2001
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Wednesday, April 4, 2001 |
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Career fair helps guide students Deciding what do to with the rest of their lives is the biggest decision people will ever make. Eighth-grade students at Flat Rock Middle School got some help in making that important decision through the school's annual career fair. Over 50 different careers and jobs were represented at the fair including nursing, veterinarian medicine, politics, professional photography, baking and art. Counselors Sue McEwan and Tama Trammell helped to organize this year's event. McEwan says the purpose of the fair is to get students thinking about the kinds of careers that they want to pursue before heading to high school. "Kids need to see what's involved in the areas they are interested in so that they can plan their high school courses to meet the needs of their desired career," McEwan explains. Trammell adds that career fairs also give students a realistic look into different careers as well as exposes them to some they had never thought about. In fact, some career fair guests offer students opportunities to participate in internship programs in order to get a real life taste of what their dream career would entail from day to day. Before the students attended the fair, they were asked to choose several careers which were of interest to them from those represented. They assessed each career by asking questions of the representatives to collect important information such as how much education is needed, the job opportunities available and the average salary. "It is important to thoroughly research a career before setting your heart on it," says Trammell. "The average person changes careers five to six times within a lifetime. Being fully aware of what you are getting into can help you land a career that best suits your professional and personal needs." After the fair, students will go over their research in class with their teachers. In order to further prepare students for the working world, Trammell conducted a Career Guidance Seminar that taught students how to effectively research a career so they could determine what they would need to do to prepare for a particular job field. Approximately 400 students participated in Flat Rock's career fair.
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