From the shadows: Young people gain personal insight on careers

Throughout Wayne County today, professionals from many different fields got to share a little of their expertise with high school students who might be interested someday in following in their footsteps.

The Groundhog Day job shadowing program offered young men and women the chance to get a firsthand look at what it is like to be in the working world.

Their “mentors” for the day showed them not only the responsibilities of working in a profession day in and day out, but the exciting feeling of achievement that goes along with choosing a career.

And who knows, maybe the youths’ enthusiasm just might have rubbed off a bit on the veterans, too. They might have thought a little bit more today about why they love their jobs.

But that is not why programs like the job shadowing day are so important.

Giving children more real-world experience is vital to pointing them in the right direction as they head out to college and later, the work world.

By allowing them to meet people who are out there earning a living — who aren’t their parents, of course — we reinforce the values of hard work, industry and achievement. We also give them real-world examples of how far a little schoolwork can take you if you set your mind to succeeding at it.

And we let them know that the community is interested in their futures and ready to help them achieve their goals.

If along the way, we reinforce some of the “value of education” lectures they receive at home, then we have just made up for the time we donated.

The job of educating children is a tough one, with many more stresses and challenges than in years past.

By forging a common determination to support the schools’ efforts, we really can offer valuable support in the process of creating the next generation of young leaders.

And that is certainly worth a few hours on a Thursday morning.

Published in Editorials on February 2, 2006 10:52 AM