Career Day gives TMS students insight into the working world

Tecumseh Middle School (TMS) seventh grade students got a taste of what life after high school is like when several professionals gave presentations on Monday, March 7, at the school for Career Day. There were several different career categories presented, including military and government, mechanical engineering and science, law, nursing, medical, interior and fashion design, human resources, professional athletics, technology, teaching, cosmetology, writing, photography and graphic design.

Seventh grade teachers Mackenzy Hickner and Tracy Lorraine helped to organize the Career Day presentations with counselor Mary Tommelein after fifth grade teacher Josette Richardson came up with the idea last year.

“The students have been working on their career projects for a month, researching various careers, the stages of getting to that career and outlining what they want to do,” Lorraine said.

The students began their research by participating in Career Cruising, a program that helps young people determine what sort of careers they’d be interested in after graduation. “It gives a series of questions in a quiz-like format, so students can learn what they’re best suited for,” Lorraine said. “It also explains the responsibilities and other factors of the job the student is interested in, including employment opportunities, sal-ary, and education required.”

“Students can find out what careers they’re interested in and then begin planning their high school courses to match,” Hickner said.

Tommelein said the presentations are a good way of getting students talking with professionals in fields which interest them and meeting face-to-face instead of over social media. “I love how students have to do a poster board presentation, as opposed to a PowerPoint. Many students don’t do many verbal presentations without technology anymore, so this is a gift,” Tommelein added. 

The teachers agree that it’s important for students to start exploring careers before the start of college, so they understand the responsibilities of the job they’re seeking. “If you make a mistake and change your major in college, it’s a thirty-thousand dollar mistake,” Lorraine said. “The idea of the job is very different from the path to get there.”

“A lot of students ask me why they have to take certain courses,” Hickner said. “We can show them their career choice and tell them to look at all the math and English they need to take to get where they want to be, and then they understand why it’s important to pay attention in school.”

During the presentations, Hickner noted that many of the presenters talked about having a love for what they do. “Many of the professionals stated that if it’s not your passion, you won’t succeed,” Hickner said. “And that’s very important.”

“Every student in my class has written a paper researching their chosen career, and for me, that’s a success,” Lorraine said. “We want to get our students in the frame of mind where they start thinking about their future.”