I recently attended the Milton District High School Career Pathways Day. As I observed the hustle and bustle of students hurrying down the halls to their classes, heading out for lunch and chatting away, it took me back to a familiar yet different time of when I attended high school in Waterdown in the 90’s. Looking back, my high school experience was so far removed from what a student’s life looks like today. With the saturation of social media in every aspect of life, we are currently in a world where job options are constantly changing and evolving.
After speaking to many students from all grades at Milton District, I recognized that one factor remained the same, a lot of them did not know what they wanted to do with their education once they graduated.
Career Days are a great way for students to obtain a glimpse of future opportunities. At Milton District this was a well-executed event coordinated by the School’s co-operative education department and led by the students. While I was apprehensive about stepping out of my comfort zone by speaking publicly for the day, I have to admit, I had a lot of fun and was happy to share my story of how I arrived at where I am today in my career, especially with students within my own community. I remember how much my high school co-operative education program helped me to ultimately determine what I did, and did not want to pursue.
After going through my power point presentation for 3 different groups of 60 students, there were a few inquisitive students asking about future careers in architectural and engineering pathways. This whole experience reminded me how passionate I still am about my own career. At the end of the day, I left the school happy to have provided a glimpse from my perspective into a fulfilling career in architecture as well as offer insight to even just a couple of students to a vocation they might want to pursue after high school.
– Christine Clark