From FBI agents to head chefs, the broad spectrum of professions to be represented on campus in Career Day on April 1 is seemingly endless and diverse.
The entirely volunteer-based event occurs every two years and requires a year of planning by the College and Career Center (CCC). Using a survey tool in Naviance, every student gets the opportunity to choose their three favorite career topics out of a selection of over 70 professions. Then, parent volunteers found speakers to present the event.
“Fortunately we’ve been successful every year in each and every topic and it’s a really broad, diverse range,” CCC coordinator Bonnie Sheikh said. “We just find it’s something really valuable and unique to offer kids and by doing it every two years, every student gets this experience at least twice during their four years of high school.”
On the actual day of the event, students will participate in three 40-minute presentations from different career professionals.
Sheikh encourages students to be respectful, enthusiastic and inquisitive.
“When you [ask questions], it makes it a more beneficial interaction with these speakers because they are professionals and they’ve had first-hand experience,” Sheikh said. “They’re here to speak to the kids and they love to do it, but our kids have to talk to the speakers and take advantage of learning from their expertise.”
Unlike previous years, International Relations, Economists, E-Business/E-Commerce, Machine Learning and Speech Recognition, Multimedia Artists and Animators, Renewable Energy, Environmental Science and Food Science have been included as new topics.
While there are numerous new additions to this year’s Career Day line-up, park rangers, human resources and interpreters and translators were cut due to a lack of student interest.
“If [students] don’t get their topic due to scheduling conflicts, we try to place them in a related topic or something we think may interest them,” Sheikh said. “Even if it’s something totally off base, they should still be enthusiastic because it may open a new window of opportunity they may have never considered before even if it wasn’t something they picked.”
Sheikh wants to remind students that Career Day is a mandatory day of school and attendance will be taken. In addition, Sheikh asked for students to “please be aware that parking will be different and students may have to park further down the lot in order to make room for speakers.”
Student schedules will consist of seven 30-minute periods with the three speaker presentations occurring between second period and lunch.