by Jim Boyle
Editor
The questions about what a child wants to do when they grow up start at a young age, but at what point each person starts looking into their career options varies greatly.
Submitted photo
Jennifer Grant, founder of Inspiring Radiance and author of ‘Dying to be Good Enough,’ was recently interviewed by KARE 11 reporter Bryan Piatt on KARE 11 Sunrise.
Some figure out their path early. Others put it off, but manage to find their calling. And many end up circling back as adults to consider what will be a better fit for them — be it financially and/or to find something more rewarding.
District 728 Community Education hopes to light a fire under youth in ninth, 10th and 11th grades with its first Career Exploration Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Handke Center, 1170 Main St. in Elk River.
The thought behind the event is to get youth thinking, inquiring and taking action about their future careers sooner rather than later, and to start the process by learning from others who have arrived at their chosen career destination.
The free event will feature representatives from dozens of professions along with break-out sessions and chances to talk to people in various fields about potential job shadowing opportunities.
Jered Sweet, a software engineer for a Shakopee firm, will be there to share what his job is like and what prompted him to go after a career like software engineering. He will also share what it takes to tackle such an objective.
“I feel that the best time to start learning about this career path is in high school,” he said. “I was first exposed to software-related work after taking AP Computer Science as a senior, and I wouldn’t be where I am today if I did not decide to enroll in that class.”
The employee of Rosemount Inc., a branch of Emerson that also has Tescom in Elk River, has specific advice on how to hone in on a software engineering career how to go about testing one’s interest in such a field.
Jay Grammond and Kristi Waite, who work for District 728 Community Education, are the brains behind the event. It wasn’t an idea they concocted in their offices at the Handke Center or one they stole from another community education program. It surfaced casually as they talked about experiences with their own children that convinced them of the need for such an event.
Grammond’s oldest child is a high school student. Waite’s oldest child is a college sophomore. Both say college fairs are good, but point out they are a vehicle for school representatives to convince high school kids to come to their college, university or tech school.
“We we want kids to be able to explore their career options,” Waite said.
Grammond said the exploration fair will be more informational in nature than a recruitment tool. The pair has lined up representatives from about 40 career fields, and more continue to step forward.
The career representatives range from teachers to engineers as well as entrepreneurs, business managers and a copywriter to government employees working in law enforcement, health and human services and social work. There’s even a soon-to-be husband and wife duo who have signed up.
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Lindsey Peterson, formerly of Elk River, is the assistant programming director for WCCO Radio. He will talk about the field of broadcasting at a career exploration fair on Feb. 28 at Elk River High School.
Lindsey Peterson, an Elk River native who graduated from Big Lake High School, works behind the scenes at WCCO Radio and his fiance, Jennifer Grant, is an author and life coach who traded in a corporate job for something more fulfilling.
“It’s always fun to talk to people about what we do,” Peterson said of his work at WCCO Radio. “There are so many things about broadcasting that people don’t realize. It’s not all about the person you hear on the radio or see on TV and the career choices inside our industry can be very rewarding.”
Grant has recently been featured on KARE 11 talking about everything from work-life balance, self-care, talking to a pesky boss or considering walking away from a career to do something more fulfilling. Her message points out that how people approach and prioritize their life doesn’t mean challenges go away, but their capacity to handle them improves.
The Minneapolis native became a life coach and started her own business called Inspiring Radiance to help people recognize that they are amazing and that their experience of life is a choice. The work has since led to writing her first book (“Dying to be Good Enough”), work as a speaker and becoming a yoga teacher.
She speaks to a wide array of audiences and can also address the topic of developing one’s own business.
Submitted photos
Jennifer Grant on a trip to Bali that gave her insight into human nature and the meaning of life.
Her advice to people considering such a career path is to “stay the course.”
She says when a person decides to start their own business, they need to realize how much work will be involved.
“I firmly believe though that having something passionate to pursue and work towards makes an enormous difference in your happiness overall,” she siaid. “Don’t be discouraged by what isn’t happening. Instead, be encouraged by what is happening.”
Waite said organizers have asked career field representatives to share what a typical day is like, what wage ranges are for that particular career, what the job market is like and what it is projected to be, and the training or education required to obtaining that career.
Wendy Paulson, a former WCCO program director, and Lindsey Peterson after winning an Emmy. It was a piece Peterson did on the top moments in the state’s history as heard on WCCO for the sesquicentennial.
There is no cost to the featured representatives. They will get a free lunch, and they will help the future workforce find a career path that suits them and maybe avoid having to circle back later in life.
There’s still time for people to sign up and represent their chosen career field, but the deadline to be listed in the event brochure is Feb. 25.
While the focus of the event is on high school freshmen, sophomores and juniors, students and their families in grades six and up are invited.
Invitations have been sent out to area school districts, including Elk River Area, Anoka-Hennepin, Osseo-Maple Grove, Princeton, Big Lake, St. Francis and St. Michael-Albertville, Waite said.
The 100 Best Jobs of 2014
n U.S. News and World Report offers high rankings for technology, health care, teaching careers
1. Software developer
2. Computer systems analyst
3. Dentist
4. Nurse practitioner
5. Pharmacists
6. Registered Nurse
7. Physical therapist
8. Physician
9. Web developer
10. Dental hygienist
11. Information security analyst
12. Database administrator
13. Physician assistant
14. Occupational therapist
15. Market research analyst
16. Phlebotomist
17. Physical therapist assistant
18. Civil engineer
19. Mechanical engineer
20. Veterinarian
21. Occupational therapy assistant
22. Technical laboratory assistant
23. Operations research analyst
24. IT manager
25. Dietitian and nutritionist
26. Diagnostic medical stenographer
27. Massage therapist
28. Veterinary technologist/technician
29. Esthetician
30. Computer programmer
31. School psychologist
32. Respiratory therapist
33. Epidemiologist
34. Maintenance and repair worker
35. Speech language pathologist
36. Substance abuse counselor
37. Construction manager
38. Licensed practical nurse and
licensed vocational nurse
39. Accountant
40. High school teacher
41. Financial adviser
42. Business operations manager
43. Bookkeeping, accountant and
audit clerk
44. Marketing manager
45. Medical assistant
46. Financial manager
47. Medical equipment repairer
48. Clinical social worker
49. Nail technician
50. Middle school teacher
51. Lawyer
52. Computer systems administrator
53. Meeting, convention, event
planner
54. Compliance officer
55. Medical secretary
56. Radiologic technologist
57. Bill collector
58. Child and family social worker
59. Cost estimator
60. Optician
61. Exterminator
62. Insurance agent
63. Financial analyst
64. Elementary school teacher
65. Hairdresser
66. Dental assistant
67. Management analyst
68. Home health aide
69. Patrol officer
70. Recreation and fitness worker
71. Human resources specialist
72. Personal Care Aide
73. Sales manager
74. Taxi driver/chauffer
75. Logistician
76. Marriage and family therapist
77. Surgical technologist
78. Computer support specialist
79. Administrative assistant
80. Sales representative
81. Nursing aide
82. Interpreter and translator
83. Pharmacy technician
84. Preschool teacher
85. Public relations specialist
86. School counselor
87. Paralegal
88. Paramedic
89. Real estate agent
90. Glazier
91. Art director
92. Architect
93. Customer service representative
94. Plumber
95. Office clerk
96. Auto mechanic
97. Mental health counselor
98. Landscaper and groundskeeper
99. Structural iron and steel worker
100. Painter