Recently, for the sophomores at PHS, counselors have been introducing and taking steps in leading students towards their future plans. At the career fair on April 3, these questions could finally be answered.
Most have been asked the commonly repeated question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” It seems like an easy question when we’re young, but by the time we reach high school, the question naturally becomes harder to answer.
“I don’t exactly know what I want to do,” sophomore Brooklyn Neves said. “It’s been a big question I’ve been wondering about a lot recently, and mostly because I don’t want to choose something I’ll end up hating.”
Young adults commonly feel overwhelmed, unmotivated, and confused when looking at their future. For these reasons, the Career Fair has become helpful for exposing teens to career options and allowing them to interact with local business owners.
“Attending the Career Fair piqued my interest in being a pharmacist,” sophomore Anai Torres said. “I’ve never considered it at first, but after hearing the information they shared, I’ve started to do my own research.”
Attending the Career Fair piqued my interest in being a pharmacist. I’ve never considered it at first, but after hearing the information they shared, I’ve started to do my own research.”
— sophomore Anai Torres
One of the goals of the Northwest College Career Fair is to open up new and exciting windows. Some students may already know exactly what they want to be, but new knowledge and experiences only make them more confident.
“I thought the Career Fair was very helpful,” sophomore Cheyenne Laing said. “It gave me an insight for more options about the plans I hope to achieve.”
I thought the Career Fair was very helpful. It gave me an insight for more options about the plans I hope to achieve.”
— sophomore Cheyenne Laing
The teens learned lots of new info by going to different tables and even getting some free goodies. Not all kids felt any connection though and felt more help with the O*NET Interest Profiler: a self-assessment, exploration tool that gives you career options based on your personality.
“Though the Career Fair didn’t personally help me with finding any interests, I still thought it was interesting,” sophomore Colin Walker said. “I found the test results from the career test interesting as well.”
Many sophomores experience a lot of stress and pressure when it comes to planning for the future. Students are encouraged to try new things, which can help them narrow down their interests, but they shouldn’t be limited to the suggestions either. The counselors advocated that many people will end up taking multiple career paths in their lifetime, and the main goal is to just start somewhere.
