High school is a stressful time; keeping up with classes, homework, and extracurricular activities can keep a student on their toes. Nonetheless, there are required things one needs to get done before one graduates. The school requires all students to do at least one job shadow before graduation. Students have many opportunities to complete these and have options during the fall and spring openings. They can choose from many fields of careers like health science, information solutions, human services, business, finance, marketing, and management, as well as agriculture, food and natural resources, and applied sciences and technology.
Tom Kettmann has been the 11th and 12th-grade counselor for 20 years, and he loves working with the students to remove barriers and tune them into success. Kettmann said, “We require job shadows because it’s part of each student’s career and academic plan, but also, we feel it is a vital step to explore career options and guide student coursework and hands-on experiences.” Jobs shadows offer a glimpse into specific professional paths. This gives students a chance to consider their alternatives and determine what steps they should take if they want to pursue that specific job.
Rylee Matthes-Stumbo, senior, completed a CRPD job shadow that was an all-day event. Her favorite part was when they brought in a K-9 dog to search the room in front of all the students and got pizza for lunch. After the day was over, she felt more confident about her decision to go into law. If students do not like their job shadow, it is still beneficial because it allows them to choose a different career path rather than enrolling in and paying for classes in a field in which they have no long-term interest. Some students are not too fond of the idea, but this helps narrow down what one might be interested in going into. Kettmann said, “I think sometimes they are just unsure of a career path, and it can be intimidating to step out of their comfort zone to visit a business. Others may not feel they have time to leave school to complete a job shadow. The good thing is that we have virtual job shadows as well so they do not even need to leave the school!” We all struggle to get out of our comfort zone, so taking a chance to better your future is what a job shadow is all about.
Matthes-Stumbo said that job shadows are beneficial and have helped her narrow down her decisions for future college plans. It gives students a first-hand look at what a specific job requires, helping them understand the daily responsibilities and tasks it may involve. Kettmann’s advice is to “Visit the counseling office so they can walk you through the experience, or choose a group day so you can go with friends or other people. This is a great option for your first job shadow!” One can gain real-world experience and clarify career choices by doing multiple job shadows before they walk the graduation stage.
