Date: Fri 08-Sep-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

edink-Career-Shadowing-program

Full Text:

What Do You Do?

And what do you do for a living?

How many times have you tried to answer that question only to find that it is

almost impossible to give an adequate explanation of what you do on any given

work day? Most times, we give a short answer: "I'm an engineer," or "I'm in

real estate," or in our case, "I work for a newspaper. That seems to suffice

since most people really don't want a detailed explanation of our work. They

seem satisfied with whatever misconceptions they have about what an engineer,

or real estate agent, or journalist might do.

But there is one group of people in our community who are keenly interested in

finding out about all kinds of jobs, and they don't want the short answer.

These are students in Newtown High School who are trying to figure out what

they want to do for their life's work. It doesn't make sense for them to make

life decisions based on misconceptions, so last year the Career Center at the

high school initiated a Career Shadowing Program. The program matches students

with professionals who are willing to share a work day with a student.

In the last school year, about 100 people volunteered to give a high school

student a close-up look at their jobs. The experience proved to be rewarding

for both the professional volunteers and the students. The students came away

with a better understanding of the challenges involved in a given job and the

skills needed to meet those challenges. Many realized for the first time that

the real world does demand practical application of many of the seemingly

irrelevant lessons they learn in school. They also realize there is no

substitute for direct experience when it comes to assessing possible career

choices.

For their part, the professional volunteers have found their own rewards in

the program. After spending a day with a student last year, one volunteer

commented, "It is days like these that make my job worthwhile. Thank you for

giving me the opportunity to make a difference in someone's life."

The success and value of the Career Shadowing Program is evident to all who

have been touched by it, but its continued success depends on the continued

availability of volunteers. The education of young people is not something

that can be locked up in a school and forgotten about by the rest of the

community. Help bring public education into the shops, studios, labs, and

offices of Newtown. Call the Career Center at Newtown High School at 426-1915

to sign up as Career Shadowing Program volunteer. And when someone asks you

what you do for a living, you can expand on your answer a bit by saying, "...

and, oh yes, every once in a while I am a teacher too."