“What do you want to be when you grow up?” is a question often asked by our parents and teachers when we were younger children. Maybe someone said firefighter, or teacher, or doctor. Some of us may even have the same hopes and dreams to this day, but as young children, we did not know what it would take to become a professional in whatever field we chose. Now that we are young adults looking into future careers seriously, it’s a whole new ball game. There’s college, training schools, internships, job hunting, and the list goes on and on. It’s sometimes hard to take it all in, but that’s what Career Day here at West Milford is for, to teach us what is expected of us as students to get into the career of our choice.

From aeronautics, veterinary sciences, funeral directors, and educational positions, the choices offered to the students were quite varied. There was something in which every student could take an interest. Thomas Glade, a freshman, commented on Career Day saying that, “It was an educational experience and it was both exciting and terrifying to see where we could end up in life.”

In each class, there was a professional from that field visiting to tell the students about his or her line of work. Each person talked about the college requirements or training needed to enter into the career in which they were currently employed. They also talked about job opportunities. There are so many possibilities once a person is ready to work in his or her chosen career. Some students had mixed feelings about Career Day, “Career Day was pretty boring and didn’t do very much for me, but I thought it was fun seeing the different people in the three different career choices we had,” said Gabriella Espinosa of the sophomore class. Whether or not the students enjoyed the careers about which they learned, hopefully the students here in West Milford have a better understanding of the careers in which they may choose to partake in the future.

We also have to remember those who put Career Day together for the students here in West Milford. Our hardworking Guidance Department spent long hours working to organize this very important day. Phone calls had to be made, arrangements for the presenters were put together, and schedules for all 1200 students at our high school had to be administered to fit our preferences. The guest speakers who came in also deserve a big thank-you for the dedication they have to their careers and the enthusiasm they have to educate high school students on the careers they may also have one day.