“You have 11 more years of school after graduation?” was the wide-eyed question an eighth grader put forth to Dr. Eric Fisher Friday at the James E. Bazzell Middle School during Operation Preparation---an annual event in which professionals speak to middle school eighth graders and high school sophomores to help the students began to think about their career ambitions as well as the steps to take to achieve their dreams.
“You have four years of college and four years of medical school after high school,” Dr. Fisher---a 2003 graduate of Allen County-Scottsville High---told a group of students who were considering health care as a profession. “Then, your residency is a minimum of three years and it could be longer depending on the specialty you choose. I went to school for 25 years, from age five until May of last year.”
Dr. Fisher was one of approximately 35 community and area professionals who volunteered their time Friday to speak to students at the Bazzell Middle School and Allen County-Scottsville High School. The professionals represented agriculture, architecture and construction, arts--audio/visual and performing, business management and administration, communications, education and training, health sciences, human services, law enforcement and military, manufacturing, transportation-distribution and logistics, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) related fields.
The areas reflected student interests---interests compiled by counselors at both schools. Once interests were determined, the counselors and district staff assembled professionals to address the students’ interests. Students were given the opportunity to attend two 30-minute sessions in which the speakers explained their profession, outlined the steps to take to go into that field, and fielded questions from the students.
Not only did students learn about careers, the students were challenged to begin now with the end goal in mind.
“In architectural, you will learn about drawing by hand and the process of drawing by hand,” noted John Gilbert, an architect with G. Scott Architect and Associates. “In school, you will do drawing, model-making, creative design work and that turns into 3-D work. If you like to do things like this, there is a place for you in architectural. If you like to talk to people, there is a place for you in architectural. If you like to write, there is a place for you in architectural. But working in architectural does take a lot of education.”
Gilbert also emphasized that learning will not end once college ends and that being successful in life starts now.
“When you are done and you have your professional license, there’s continuing education as most professions have,” Gilbert added. “When you are done with school, you are not done with learning. So, now is the best time for you all to learn how to learn. You’ll take what you learn today and use that pretty much for the rest of your life. Have good habits of learning and want to learn.”
Students interested in engineering had a chance to see and hear how becoming a civil engineer for the transportation department could lead to employment close to home and working on projects in this community. Among the speakers was Christopher Walden---a 2007 graduate of Allen County-Scottsville and currently an EIT2 (engineer-in-training) with the transportation department. Walden helped explain how engineers look at problems and determined ways to correct the problems. Case in point was a road project in Allen County.
Joe Plunk, the Branch Manager of Project Development with the Kentucky Department of Highways District 3 office, explained to students how civil engineers re-designed a section of Highway 98 a few years ago in order to replace a dangerous curve just east of Scottsville.
“This road was a problem,” Plunk said as he showed students photographs of the road prior to reconstruction. “It was a problem of safety, a problem with speed, and a problem in structural support. This was a problem in the community that needed to be solved. Look at these new pictures of the finished project. Look at the improvements. For example, the new culvert should last our entire lifetime. This is an example of a problem, an example of a solution proposed by engineers, and now how we have a better situation.”
Plunk also urged the students to start now to think about their future and learn about the steps it will take to reach their career ambition.
“What you do in your high school time will determine your success in college,” Plunk explained. “I hope you find something you really enjoy but whatever that is, be focusing on that in high school to get good grades and take the classes that are reverent to what you want to do. You want to get through high school focusing on math and science so that you are better prepared. What you do today will determine how successful you will be tomorrow. Don’t think you can just wait until your 12th grade year and get serious. It starts now.”
Professionals also spoke about careers that may not require four years of college but will require a solid background in core-content subjects such as math and science, plus a higher knowledge of technology than ever before.
“If you are operating a piece of heavy equipment, you have a computer with you inside the cab,” explained former AC-SH student A.J. Anderson, now with Holland Inc. “You got this computer screen and you are seeing where you are at, how much cut you have left, and how much fill you have left to do. We are getting more technology involved these days. Our older guys used to be able to do everything by feel but now we are getting operators that will use technology to help them get the grade and the cut they need.”
Students looking at a career in automotive technology were also reminded what it takes to be a good mechanic in 2015.
“Used to, you could take a five-eight inch wrench and a pair of pliers and rebuild a 68 Camaro,” noted auto mechanic Chad Lindsey. “Today, you have to be good in math. You have to be able to figure cubic inches and read a ruler. You also need to be able to read and understand instructions. You can’t remember everything on these new cars. Now-a-days, there are 18 to 20 computers on a car so you got to be able to operate a laptop and scanners and you have to be able to read and understand all that. Being good in science is also great if you want to go on to be a mechanical engineer.”
Students with an ambition to pursue a career in music and performing arts had the opportunity to meet with a professional singer and actor that has traveled the world but is now an artist-in-residence in southern Kentucky.
“There are so many jobs if you get a degree in music,” explained Zac Bush, the education and performing arts director at the Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center in Bowling Green. “There are so many options for musicians in this world.”
Operation Preparation is a collaborative effort between the Kentucky Department of Education and the Department of Workforce Development to provide an opportunity for schools and communities to work in partnership and focus attention on the importance of planning for college and career.