Jenny Cook, a horseback riding instructor, talks about her daily tasks in her career at Alamo's Career Fair.

Students were able to explore new adventures from more than books this reading month; they got a glimpse into several jobs they might want to venture into when they grow up.

Each elementary school held its 9^th annual Career Fair where several professionals give 20 minute presentations to different classrooms. Each class is assigned a schedule and attends five sessions. The presenters leave time at the end where students can ask questions. At the end of the day, students discuss the presenters as a class, then fill out a short form to reflect on which careers they learned about, what they found interesting and what they want to be when they grow up.

“I learned that the deputy sheriff’s most important tool is his mind,” says 4^th grader Carly Bowling.

Derek Ward wrote, “I learned that architects have to work as a team.”

“I learned paramedics do CPR and that means that they breathe for them and pump their heart,” Bailey Miller says on her form.

Another 4^th grader, Maria Germain, was captivated by the beekeeper, “I learned that the beekeeper is able to make chapstick, shampoo, lotion and candles out of beeswax.”

There is a wide variety of careers they learn about at these career fairs, from running a horseback riding farm to being a forensic scientist to sales representative. (See complete lists below.) The guests fall into the Michigan Career Pathways, which are six broad categories of careers that allow students to identify a main interest area and explore jobs. They are: Arts and Communications; Business, Management Marketing & Technology; Engineering/Manufacturing & Industrial Technology; Health Sciences; Human Services and Natural Resources & Agriscience. The school counselors who organize the career fairs explain that by exploring jobs within a pathway, students are not locked into a single occupation; and students’ top pathways will change as they grow and discover more about careers.

In addition, fifth graders complete simple interest inventories which allow them to see which career pathway they are most interested in at this stage in their life and choose which presentations they’ll attend based on those results, “We concentrate on teaching that your career is an individual choice, based on your talents and areas of interest,” says Counselor Rita Mitchell, “We stress choosing a career that will make you happy when you go to work each day.” She adds that they also talk about how salaries correlate to your level of education, “the more you learn – the more you earn,” she shares.

The Career Fair is for 3^rd-5^th grade students. Click here to see the photo album on Facebook.