Electricians. Mechanics. Police Officers. Welders. What do these jobs all have in common? They don’t require people to attend a four year college to succeed in them. Jobs like these are exactly what the Great Careers Expo is all about.
The Great Careers Expo occurs once every year in the Issaquah School District and offers students an opportunity to explore career pathways that don’t involve attending a four-year college or university. People who have experience in jobs such as firefighting, the culinary arts, welding, auto body repair, electrician work, and many more professions come to exhibit their careers and provide students with a glimpse into their work lives.
Last year, the Great Careers Expo took place at the Lake Washington Institute of Technology, and this year, it will be held at Renton Technical College on February 9th.
“If you’re not sure what you’re wanting to do, the Expo is a great way to not only explore alternative careers but also explore a technical college. I particularly like the school tour part of it,” Liberty College and Career Counselor Becky Wachtman said.
Typically, the event is broken into two parts: half of the experience involves a tour around the hosting campus, and the other involves a career fair where students are able to walk around different job booths and have conversations with professionals.
In addition to speaking with adults currently in the workforce, students also have the opportunity to leave resumes with professionals and learn about current job openings if they want to take the next step in a career path.
“A lot of younger people aren’t registering for those degrees because they’ve been told, you go to college, that’s the best option”, senior Lucas Counts, who attended the Great Careers Expo last year, said. “I think that part of the reason behind the student loan crisis is that a lot of people are going to college when really maybe they shouldn’t, maybe there’s something better for them to do.”
The Great Careers Expo also works to educate students about some of the myths that have to do with non-college paths; many people believe that in order to get a good paying job, college is the only path, but Great Careers exhibits jobs that can pay just as well–or even better–than some jobs that one can obtain with a college degree.
People don’t often think about those paths because many programs in schools are geared towards preparing students for college.
“Lo and behold, not everybody needs to go to college or wants to go to college…. So this is kind of part of that”, Wachtman said. “Let’s show students that they have other options besides college; college is a great option and it’s a great fit for many kids, but it’s not the only option.” Wachtman said.
