Learning That Goes to Work

Chase Warner just landed a full-time plumbing job he’ll start after he graduates this spring. He did all the things he learned about in his Career Seminar class at Spring Lake Park High School to get the job. Application. Resume. Cover letter. Interviews. The class is just one way students are finding their paths and gaining workforce skills.

The hiring manager Chase interviewed with told him somebody came in the week before and handwrote their resume. It was all scribbling, and he couldn’t read it. He told Chase, ‘That was already just not a good look. We’re not hiring that guy.’ He complimented Chase on his resume and cover letter before telling him he’d like to interview him and move forward.

“That was huge,” says Chase.

Career Seminar is the new name for a course that has been called Work-Based Learning for many years. Students taking the 12-week trimester-long course learn about different career paths, create resumes and cover letters, practice interviewing, review hiring paperwork, and more. There is also an opportunity to get elective credits for hours spent working a job outside of school.

Dan Buck teaches the course that takes students through all the practicalities of getting, having, and even leaving a job. The course is open to all juniors and seniors. It’s a good option for students to creatively earn elective credits and for students who want to explore different careers and the in’s and out of having a job.

Learning the life cycle of a job

The course begins with students doing personal inventories to find their strengths, weaknesses, characteristics and what they do and do not like to do.

“I synthesize that down to two professions or careers they want to research,” says Dan. “They research how much that job earns, the growth rate, the education you need, opportunities for advancement—those types of things.”

From there, they write a resume, find a job to apply for, write a cover letter and practice interviewing with some general questions.

“We also expose them to everything you have to do when they get a job. The videos, the paperwork—filling out I-9s and W-2s. They see the forms and kind of know what they are,” says Dan. “I tell them, ‘This is all the information you need to know.’ If you get hired and you don’t know your address the person hiring is going to wonder if they’ve made a good choice. You’ve got to know these things.”

Then, they resign from the job.

“Maybe we’ve found a better opportunity,” says Dan. “I try to teach them how to leave on good terms so they don’t burn bridges. Put your two weeks in. Leave on a good note. You might need that person.”

They also spend time rating jobs based on a variety of factors – not just pay.

“I give them different jobs and have them rate them to show that hourly pay isn’t the only pay,” says Dan. “We look at the full package. In one job, you may get more per hours, but no time off, no insurance, no benefits. In some cases, maybe you take less per hour to get everything else.”

They learn about things like retirement and employer contributions. They discuss sticking it out in some jobs to see what happens.

“Kids job-hop a lot now. I don’t think they stay long enough to realize, ‘If I had stayed another month, I might have gotten a raise or a promotion.’ Instead, they leave for two more dollars an hour,” says Dan. “Or, they might have gotten a raise if they just asked. If you’re going to leave anyway, you have nothing to lose by saying, ‘Hey, I’ve been here six months. I’d like a raise. What can I do to earn one?’”

Putting learning to work

Chase took the construction trades class last year and was part of building a house. He knew he wanted to do something in the trades because of the hands-on work. The day a plumber came in to do some plumbing work, it just clicked for him.

“The construction class helped me figure out what I want to do, and this course helped me figure out how to get the job,” says Chase.

He learned about interviews, cover letters and the documents you need for a job.

“My first ever job, I forgot two forms of identification. I only brought my license, so I couldn’t get hired,” says Chase. “Mr. Buck talked about what you should bring—like a license, birth certificate, stuff like that. That was big. Also, body posture—how you express yourself in an interview.”

 Some things were obvious, while others were more surprising.

“Honestly, the quitting piece is super overlooked. A lot of people think, ‘I’m never going to work here again, so what does it matter?’ But that’s not really the case all the time,” says Chase. “It’s important to have that two weeks—or submitting your two weeks—and not just quitting on the spot, so you can maybe use that previous job as a reference for the new job . . . ending on good terms.”

The mock interviews were Chase’s favorite part of the class.

“We had a Chick-fil-A manager and some other entrepreneur-type people come in, and we did fake interviews with them,” says Chase. “We got graded on what we could do better.”

That preparation and practice paid off.

I got an interview for a plumbing job—that’s what I want to do. I had done maybe six mock interviews. They prepared me—I can’t even explain how well they prepared me for my job interview. That was really fun because I like talking to people so that’s what I enjoyed the most. Chase Warner, senior

Working to learn

Sebastian Perez-Perez, a junior, hasn’t taken the Career Seminar class, but he’s definitely tapped into a variety of people and resources at Spring Lake Park High School to help him find a job and plan for the future.

“At the beginning of sophomore year, I was kind of looking for a job,” he says. “At that point in my life, my father had recently passed away, so I had to look for a job. I heard that Mr. Van Brocklin was a good person to ask for resources to look for jobs.”

Eric Van Brocklin, lead for Career and College Pathways, encouraged Sebastian to come with him to a couple of career fairs.

“I was kind of hesitant because I didn’t really know what it was or what to expect,” says Sebastian. “I thought you would just find an application online and go through it like that. But, I actually liked the experience of going in person—seeing each individual job and picking what works best for me.”

Sebastian ended up applying for a position with Lifespark Senior Living. For more than a year he has worked as a dietary server at Round Lake Senior Living.

“It was actually a really long process to get hired, but I got hired,” he says. “It kind of works like a restaurant. People come down and sit. I come around with drinks and ask what they’d like. I take their orders and serve them their food.”

He sees the residents every day.

“I’ve built good relationships with each of them,” he says. “Working with older people has helped me learn how to talk to them. At first, it was nerve-wracking. They didn’t know me, and sometimes they’d forget my name. But, I just treated them like family. They really responded to that.”

Sometimes, if an order goes wrong, residents get upset.

“They spend all their time in the same place, and meals are one of the few times they get to choose something for themselves,” says Sebastian. “If something comes out wrong, they might overreact—but I understand why.”

Through situations like these, he’s learned a lot about customer service and communication.

When he first took the job, he didn’t know what he wanted to do. Now, he has even thought about becoming a chef at the senior living home. He has also taken construction trades this year and discovered an interest in commercial plumbing.

“I realized I didn’t really love it long-term,” says Sebastian. “Plumbing interests me more. I like the problem-solving aspect—you never know what’s behind a wall.”

The skills he’s learned on the job will help in whatever field he pursues.

“I’ve learned a lot about time management. I’ve learned how to adapt to unexpected situations—whether it’s with residents or things breaking at work,” says Sebastian. “I’ve learned discipline and how to take initiative. We don’t have a lot of staff, so it’s important to step up when needed.”

Difference makers

Eric appreciates, and continues to build, a lot of ways for students to gain workforce skills and experience, earn credits, and explore future paths.

“Sebastian went the route of career fairs and hiring fairs. He talked to a lot of different people and he’s learning a lot through his job. The Career Seminar is another way,” says Eric.

Sometimes, students are behind in credits. Maybe they’ve been in double math or double English and missed electives. Career Seminar gives them a way to earn those credits back.

“If they have a job, they can fill out a work agreement, log their hours, and turn them in,” says Dan. “They get one credit for 60 hours of work—up to two credits per trimester. A lot of these kids are already working—that’s why they don’t have credits. They’re missing school because they’re working. This helps. It can make a difference for graduating.”

For some students, the experiences they gain in the working world help define their future path.

“I tell students—knowing what you don’t want is just as important as knowing what you do want,” says Dan. “Instead of going $50,000 into debt paying for college credits, you could make $50,000 while figuring out what you want to do. That’s a huge difference. If you realize, ‘I don’t want to do this forever,’ then maybe that motivates you to go to college instead of the other way around.”

Both Eric and Dan see other big opportunities for students who don’t need the credits but would benefit from exploring careers and maximizing their time.

“We have seniors with only one or two classes—they could be out gaining experience,” says Dan. “It’s a long work life—you should keep exploring until you find something that fits.”

Students who know they are college bound tend to skip over the Career Seminar. They miss out on opportunities to learn the nitty-gritty of having a job. They may not need the credit for jobs outside of school, but they miss opportunities that provide important experiences and perspectives – job shadowing, unpaid internships, paid internships, apprenticeships, mentorships.

“It’s about building experiences,” says Dan. “When something comes up, they can say, ‘I’ve done this – or seen this – before.’”