On March 5, the College and Career Center kicked off its first Career Conversation of 2024. This ongoing event, scheduled throughout March and early April, invites professionals from various industries to share their insights and experiences with students. The various professions explored include healthcare, finance, medicine, engineering, artificial intelligence and other fields.
Career Conversations, held twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays during lunchtime are organized by the dedicated efforts of the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA). This year, three parents are collaborating with College and Career Specialist Becky Bjursten to curate an enriching experience for students. One of these parents, Julia Cashin, expressed her hopes for the event.
“I hope kids will come away from [the Career Conversations] thinking it’s okay if you don’t know what you want to major in when you go to college. You might have a few different careers as an adult. Some people start down one path and then transition to something else,” Cashin said.
The speakers come from various backgrounds, offering students valuable insights into specific career paths. For instance, Kenneth Ip, an ophthalmologist at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco, shared his educational journey.
“After doing two years of medical school I felt that I needed a break. [Creating] my gap year turned into two years of working in an unrelated field for two years, allowing me to reset. [Upon returning], I was in a better place mentally and felt more committed and mature,” Ip said.
While it is beneficial for students to have an idea of their future goals, the panel emphasized that it is perfectly normal and acceptable not to have everything figured out.
Previously, the pandemic impacted attendance rates of Career Conversations, but this year has seen an encouraging increase, with an average of around 30 students attending each event. Notably, the majority of students who attend the Career Conversations are upperclassmen.
Junior Patrick Meesey, has attended multiple sessions and emphasized the value of delving into the intricacies of various professions.
“I learned some of the finer details about what it takes to be in a specific [field] rather than merely what classes you need to take and what an average day would be like,” Meesey said.
Furthermore, Cashin highlights the significance of Career Conversations for students to engage in, given the pressure they encounter regarding their post-graduation plans.
“It’s hard for kids to process what they might want to study when they go to school and what they might pursue as a career,” Cashin said.
The Career Conversations will have their final two sessions in room 111 through April 4. The schedule for these remaining sessions can be found on the College and Career Center’s website.
