Finding a future career can be intimidating, but there’s help.

From health careers to work-based learning, students can shadow people working in various professions.

In teacher Dawn Bankston’s health career classes, students can learn with professionals. 

“They do at least 40 hours a semester shadowing at a place of their choice. They get a minimum of 80 hours, but most of them do more,” Bankston said. 

Students in Bankston’s class get to pick where they want to job shadow, from Wesley Hospital to physical therapy offices.

“They get to pick the place, so I have two students who are currently at Wesley Hospital. They get to change units every week and learn something new,” Bankston said. “I have the other students at all the different locations.”

Throughout the year, students are required to do a project with the professional they are shadowing. 

“They are required to collaborate with the person who is signing off their paperwork to do a project,” Bankston said. “I’ve had some kids create dental work, clay dental work, for the dentist’s office, so it shows kids how to brush their teeth.”

After the course, students can utilize the hours they have gained throughout the year in college. 

“A lot of colleges require you to do shadowing before you get into their undergrad program,” Bankston said. “They will require them to go out and do so many hours of shadowing, and they can take almost all of these hours with them.”

As upperclassmen start to figure out what they want to do in the future, career-ready classes can give reassurance or a new perspective on different fields. 

Teacher Huy Vien teaches another class that focuses on work-based learning. 

“This class is mainly for Juniors who are wanting to see all their options after graduation,” Vien said. “While we do a great job of telling students that having a college degree opens more doors, we fail in presenting other career options that don’t require traditional four-year degree.”

Vien takes his students on career tours to meet individuals who started at low-wage jobs and are currently making six-figure salaries.

“In our career tours, we have met many individuals who make six-figure salaries who started off washing cars at a dealership and worked their way up,” Vien said.

Job shadowing is an excellent opportunity for those wanting to explore their possible career path.

“It helps them decide exactly where they want to be,” Bankston said.