Middle schoolers encounter inner workings of careers at CVTC

The thought of hundreds of middle school students descending upon Chippewa Valley Technical College doesn’t faze Anne Weber and Maggie Meyers a bit.

In fact, they welcome it.

Weber, a Student Recruitment Coordinator, and Meyers, an Admissions Advisor, both for Chippewa Valley Technical College, said preparing for life after grade 12 isn’t just a high schooler’s game anymore.

The women said asking students what they want to be when they grow up is at the bottom of the list. Instead, they invite middle school students from throughout CVTC’s 11-county district to the College, show them different programs, encourage them to speak with instructors and give them a fun, interactive experience at a young age.

“We’re really just opening them up to what's out there but also what CVTC has to offer,” Weber said. “It’s more about ‘Come and experience it.’ ”

Meyers said even if some students don’t gravitate toward a specific program along the tour, friends of theirs might.

“It’s a learning experience for them,” Meyers said. “It’s fun pulling them out of their comfort zones.”

Each tour is a no-pressure way for those middle school students to determine their own interest in the programs they’re seeing.

“We like to be interactive, and we also like to ask the students to think about if they would want a career that’s predictable from day to day or unpredictable,” Meyers said. “Would they rather work a consistent schedule, work during the day or at night, and these students may have never thought of these things before. It gets them participating.

“I think one of the biggest goals, besides exposing middle school students to our programs, is just to get them thinking about what they want and what they can see for themselves in the future.”

SIDEBAR

CVTC admissions advisors say the question “What do you want to be when you grow up,” should be at the bottom of the list. Instead, engage your children in a discussion about skills and culture.

Think about these questions to get the conversation started:

• Do you want a career that’s predictable from day to day, or one that’s unpredictable?
• Would you rather work during normal business hours, or would you be ok working a schedule that changes from week to week?
• What type of environment do you want to work in – indoors or outdoors, with many coworkers or solo?
• What are your financial requirements?
• What do you want your work life to look like overall?

“A lot of times we get students that are interested in healthcare, so we ask ‘why?’ ” said Maggie Meyers, CVTC Admissions Advisor. “Do you like patient interaction? Do you want to do Xray where you take that image and pass the baton? Or do you want to be a nurse and be at a high level of patient care?

“I think asking those questions of your students or your children is one of the best steps you can take without putting pressure on them to decide what they want to do for the rest of their lives.”