“I have been recently struggling with knowing what I want to do career wise and this really opened my eyes and makes me so excited for the future.” – PPS student, Wieden+Kennedy Career Day
Many of us didn’t get career advice in high school. We had vague ideas of what we might want to “be,” but a limited sense of what people at work actually do.
This is why we’re so grateful for the many caring adults helping Oregon teenagers learn what different careers are all about. In fact, here are 3 reasons we’re feeling extra thankful this week:
Our Career Day hosts are amazing. This month, our partners Wieden+Kennedy and Puppet hosted PWA Career Days for high school students. Next month, we’ll go to Howard S. Wright, the Oregon Humane Society and a Kaiser Permanente simulation lab.
These volunteers help students think more broadly about their career options. By doing so, they inspire students to develop goals about the kind of life they want (and the education they might need).
From our blog: “Portland students get inside view of growing tech, creative sectors”
Support for this work is growing. The recent passage of the anti-dropout Measure 98 shows the public’s desire to turn around Oregon’s low graduation rates through targeted investments in career education and other proven strategies. Many districts, including Portland Public Schools, are adding opportunities for students to explore careers.
We’re working with our partners to develop career days, mentorships and other in-depth experiences. Our role is to serve as a bridge between schools and employers, finding options that are doable, valuable and (dare we say) fun.
High school students inspire us. Sometimes teenagers show up to career days looking nervous. Usually, they just need a chance to get settled. “When I came in, I didn’t know what to expect,” one young man told us after the Puppet Career Day, “but everyone was enthusiastic and interesting and got me excited about the possibilities in tech as a career. … The whole thing was amazing.”
We’ll count that as a win. THANK YOU to everyone who makes this work possible.
Happy Thanksgiving.
