DECATUR — In the past, when kids were asked what they wanted to be when they grow up, their usual response would have been a fireman, or a lawyer, or a coach or an engineer. But today's youth are looking into more specialized fields such as athletic trainer, editor, or even a childcare service provider. This was the question proposed to students at one Decatur school.
Students of Jeff Melton's eighth grade and Ashley Riggles' seventh grade classes at Decatur Middle School were asked to find a profession that they would be interested in pursuing after graduation. The unit began Aug. 29 and concluded with a class presentation Sept 2.
Each student had a list of questions to research about their chosen profession. Their research included a job description, salary, education requirements, top universities and nearest schools offering degrees in this field.
Some of the seventh grade career choices included the fields of acting, animal breeding, computer numerically controlled technology, and media art and animation.
For the eighth graders, the choices included photography, art directing, agriculture, food service, natural resource specialist and air traffic controller.
All these professions require four years of college at a variety of accredited institutions such as Harvard for lawyers and the University of Arkansas for the art director and media artist. The rewards for these years of study would yield a good salary and a rewarding career in a field that could last a lifetime.
It will be interesting to see if these students will still pursue these professions upon graduation five years from now. Whether or not they decide to join the professional work place in these jobs, early career development is key to getting kids to begin working toward their future.