PORT ANGELES — Want to be in the FBI?
How about a chef or a video game designer?
In addition to asking students what they would like to do after high school, Port Angeles High School counselors offered guidance on how to approach getting into those fields during Career Day April 21.
On the first Career Day in as long as Counselor Mike Nolan can remember, more than 85 community members representing nearly 70 job categories spoke to students at Port Angeles High School.
“We filled every room,” he said.
“We had sessions in the teachers’ lounge, in rooms that are too small to be classrooms — we actually ended up having to turn some professions down because we simply ran out of room.”
Although he said the school is still debating about whether or not it will host the event annually or every other year, it will be done again, he said.
“I think it was a great success,” he said.
“I had invited some people to help me kind of guide kids to different classrooms and usually you have those stragglers who take a long time to get to class or are trying to not go to class and do something naughty — but for this, the halls were deserted.
“The kids were really interested.”
The sessions ranged from chef to FBI agent to professional pilot to financial planner.
FBI agent popular
FBI agent was one of the most popular sessions, with the line out the door, Nolan said.
Josh Dasen, a sophomore at Port Angeles High School, said he picked the FBI — presented by Agent Ted Halla — out of curiosity and because it was near another session he attended.
“It seemed like it would be the most interesting of all the different jobs,” Dasen said.
“I’ve never considered doing that before, but ever since I saw the presentation, I know that there are all sorts of different jobs available in the FBI.
“I’ve been kind of thinking about it.”
He also stopped by the Chestnut Cottage’s chef presentation and high school teacher Dave Uranich’s session on teaching.
“I always thought it would be cool to go to school to help kids understand math,” he said.
“If I were to be a teacher, it would probably be for math,” he said.
Police Chief Terry Gallagher said students were engaged and excited to hear about careers, and that to him, the most important message was to get a good education.
Banana costume
“I don’t like to get up there and tell ‘cop stories’ because you’re not really telling them anything of value — but I did tell them that the Port Angeles police are unique among its counterparts in the nation in that we once arrested an armed man wearing a child’s banana costume,” Gallagher said.
“But what I tried to emphasize is that we require two years of college, but we look for a bachelor’s degree.
“Our officers have interests that are widely varied — some of them have an MBA or a degree in biology.
“There are many educational paths, and those are not paths that were embarked on because they expected to become police officers.”
Instead, the degree allowed them to pursue that interest, he said.
He also emphasized to students that it is important that they watch their behavior.
“It is important for them to understand that majoring in criminal justice and then partying hard all weekend and smoking marijuana is something that would be incompatible with working at this police office,” he said.
Another career that requires a college degree — but for which major isn’t as important — is that of a professional pilot, said Mike Craig, who spent five years working for Pan American World Airways and the rest of his career flying large charter planes, ferrying planes or doing other kinds of piloting.
Along with a college degree, a pilot must have a pilot’s license, either through a school or the military route.
Working a job that paid 98 cents an hour, Craig, who is now retired, paid for his own $7-an-hour lessons in high school.
After finishing college, he was drafted into the Army and flew while in the military.
Rylan Spenser, a senior, who plans to attend Central Washington this fall, said he has always wanted to be a pilot and found Craig’s advice invaluable.
“It was great to talk to a genuine authentic commercial pilot,” he said.
“It was cool to talk to someone that likes to fly,” he said.
“I thought it would be someone who flew for Kenmore or something, and here this guy shows up who flew for Pan Am. That was one of the biggest airlines in the world.”
Meg Bohman, a senior who plans to attend the University of Washington this fall, was most enthralled by psychologist Mary Wegmann.
“My intended major is psychology, and she was super helpful,” Bohman said.
“She explained all of the different paths, which is helpful because it is so broad.”
Financial planning
Travis Berglund with Burglund Financial Group talked to students about financial planning.
He said that although his classes were small — about four students in each session, or 12 total — they all seemed serious about the career.
“I really enjoyed it,” he said. “It was a useful time for me.”
“I’m 28, so I’m not too far from that age, and I can relate to being that age and not knowing exactly what you want to do.”
He explained the various fields of financial planning — insurance agencies, 401(k) planning and many other niches — and gave them some tips, as well.
“My biggest pieces of advice was to partner or to go to work for someone that was willing to mentor you,” he said.
“I let them know that that is a critical piece of it all.
“A lot of people see the younger people as competition, but if you can find someone to mentor you and give good guidance, it can get them ahead.”
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.