Students from Babbitt, North Woods School and Cherry rotated through classrooms at Northeast Range School’s Career Day on Thursday, Oct. 22, to explore job opportunities and post-secondary pathways.
Dozens of employers, colleges and other career representatives gathered to inform students about day-to-day life on the job, education requirements and more.
Ely Echo and Babbitt Weekly News reporter Harmony Fisher provided an overview of journalism opportunities for students, who asked questions about camaraderie among journalists, educational requirements and more.
Rachael Thom, Northeast Range
School’s dean of students and K-12 counselor, said the best part of the event was that “every single student walked away with information about at least one career or college they wanted to explore further.”
“That’s what today was all about,” Thom wrote in a thank-you email to participants. “Huge shout out to the businesses and people for making this day the best possible for our students.”
High school students swapped between rooms organized by career clusters in 20-minute segments between noon and 2:30 p.m. During this time, seventh and eighth graders participated in a career poster project.
The format encouraged a conversational experience, with brief
overviews from each employer present in the room, then an open forum for students to ask questions or for employers to describe their roles in greater depth.
“We have emphasized that Career Day is about conversations, not sales pitches or formal presentations,” Thom told employer participants before the event.
Professionals represented careers as diverse as cosmetology, trade opportunities, hospitality, healthcare, natural resources, law enforcement, military pathways, engineering, technology, mental health and city government.
Among many others, employers and post-secondary representatives in attendance included the Babbitt Police Department, Iron Range Engineering, Giants Ridge, Ely Bloomenson Community Hospital, 218 Trades, Minnesota North College, the Air Force, the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department and the Minnesota DNR.
“As a school counselor, I know how valuable it is for students to hear about opportunities beyond high school from people who are actually doing the work,” Thom stated. “Sometimes, one conversation can open a student’s eyes to a career they had never considered or help them feel more confident about a path they are interested in.”
Career representatives were encouraged to explain daily routines, any educational or training requirements, job opportunities in their field, challenges and highlights they encounter in their role and any advice for students considering the career path.
