Crowded hallways, finals week cramming, and missing math worksheets are all things that junior Zak Baydass has not worried about since his sophomore year. 

For Baydass, his school experience is made up of video-game workshops, interactive coding, and a communal lego table, all of which have been made possible by Baydass’ participation in The Washington Network for Innovative Careers.

The Washington Network for Innovative Careers, or WANIC, is a tuition-free collection of programs that has remained largely undiscussed by Liberty students and staff. With deadlines for enrollment quickly approaching and class selections around the corner, students might wonder if WANIC is a good fit for them. 

WANIC comprises several school districts, including the Issaquah School District, working to provide hands-on, career-focused courses to high school juniors and seniors. Depending on the specific program, a schedule of up to three consecutive hours of class time will leave room to continue classes at Liberty or take Running Start courses at a college. 

WANIC offers a multitude of different programs and courses at varying locations. Programs range from Art and Animation hosted at the DigiPen campus in Redmond to Nursing at Lake Washington Institute of Technology. The courses also count for Career and Technical Education (CTE) credits, and allow for certification and provide a path straight into a career out of high school.

Baydass currently takes DigiPen Game Programming, an instructive course that teaches the basics of video game programming by offering videos to watch and games to make.

“You go to class every day, and for two and a half hours, you do a lot of coding that they teach with videos. You also do a lot of game jams, which means you make small games every now and then,” Baydass said.

Through this WANIC course, Baydass is able to interact with like-minded people and receive one-on-one instruction from his teachers. Additionally, it helps upperclassmen see a clearer picture of a workplace environment.

“It gives you an idea of what it is you’re going to do because they give you a professional setting,” Baydass said. “It’s a lot like what you would be doing in that career, so you get the idea of whether you’d like it or not.”

For seniors like Ryan Chen, these courses can open up many new career opportunities.

“WANIC has opened up every career related to computer science, so if I am not happy with my current one, I can pick a new occupation within the same field,” Chen said.

WANIC classes are not only a great way for upperclassmen to expand their career opportunities and adapt to working outside of school – for many students like junior Summer Lane, who currently takes the Art & Animation program, it also provides a style of learning that is unique to WANIC, particularly in the DigiPen classes.

“It’s good because I’m not a very academic person, and it gives me classes that I can thrive in, instead of the basic classes we have here,” Lane said.

The flexible class times also allow people to choose which part of the day they want to attend WANIC, letting students have freedom over their schedules and adding to students’ enjoyment.

“I do the morning class, so I’m starting my day doing something that I love,” Lane said. “It starts my day off right, and I love the teacher.”

WANIC is a place where many juniors and seniors can learn to thrive beyond a high school setting with the ability to explore careers of potential interest. The innovative lessons coupled with the unfamiliar setting give upperclassmen many ways to gain working experience before college outside of Running Start.

“Would I recommend WANIC to juniors and seniors?” Lane said. “Yeah, absolutely.”

The College and Career Center, located in the library, has more information on what WANIC offers, and an open house will be hosted on March 16th for those interested in finding out more about WANIC and exploring the Lake Washington Institute of Technology’s campus.