As the class of 2023 gets ready to move on to the next big step in their future, each individual reflects on their high school careers as a whole. The projects they had to accomplish over the course of the school year required many different fields of work. These projects will be presented individually to a panel of teachers soon, and one of the specific sections that was required was a student job shadow.
Job shadowing for students was a new experience, as most had not previously conducted one before. The requirements for this section were to reach at least eight hours during the shadow, to ask questions about the person that they were shadowing’s career, and to have the sponsor fill out some evaluation forms on how the student did during the job shadow. These opportunities can provide students with a pre-college look at what potential careers can look like during a normal work day.
“It allows you to get a glimpse of what you would be doing in your field. If you don’t like what you want to do, you can change your field of interest before going to college and paying for something that you don’t want to do.” senior Vincenzo Fiorenza said. Fiorenza is planning to attend Penn State this fall.
Even though only one job shadow is required, it is believed that students conducting multiple shadows in different career fields will greatly benefit their knowledge of what they wish to pursue after high school.
“There are so many careers out there, more than you can ever imagine, and it is important to experience all of them.Even if you don’t want to work in the field of your career eventually, it is still important to know what they are and gain that experience.” senior Ethan Geibel said. Geibel plans to attend the University of North Florida.
As a senior, students are able to explore what the world has to offer outside of high school. There are many opportunities for job shadowing, and with each shadow, it can also be used on a student’s resume. The more experience they have from shadowing that can go on their resumes, the more that employers will consider hiring them in the future.
As the summer draws closer, seniors will reflect on not only their senior year but their entire lives of schooling as well. This can include many years of different classes and experiences, as well as all the new things that they have learned. One of the most important experiences during each student’s senior year is job shadowing an individual or company, since the amount of valuable experience and hands-on learning allows for students to better prepare for their future lives outside of high school.