Middle school students get early start in career planning with Junior Achievement of Greater Boston
BOSTON - Junior Achievement of Greater Boston held their second Inspire event at the Hynes Convention Center Tuesday. It was a way for middle schoolers to start thinking about their careers early.
"It's really important to think about my future so I'm prepared and I know what I'm going to do after because it's going to be really hard to just be stuck. Just being here is honestly a privilege so I can just see what I can experience," Genesis, a student from Chelsea, told WBZ-TV.
It's a show-and-tell career exploration event that kicks off Junior Achievement of Greater Boston middle school-to-career strategy. Students had the opportunity to interact with employers and speak with role models about their career paths. Junior Achievement said this conference can help the pipeline of development for diverse talent.
"The idea is that when they leave here hopefully they start thinking about 'Well, I had a great time talking to that exhibitor maybe I should focus more on my math or my science or maybe I get involved. I can get involved with an activity that can help me get ready for a career in that particular industry,'" said President and CEO of Junior Achievement of Greater Boston Radhamés Nova.
More than 45 companies filled the exhibit hall to explain their industries to more than 1,000 eighth graders.
"Middle school is critical timing because before they get into high school and decide whether they want to go into a technical school, a traditional school, what extracurricular activities they want to engage in. The middle school age is critical to help them get ready for that phase and that transition," Nova explained.
Students told WBZ this event is a great way to start thinking about achievable options for their future.
"You're meeting a lot of people with definitely different backgrounds, different careers and probably went to different places, university or maybe they might've not gone to a university but still succeeded in life so you're meeting different perspectives," said Neris, a student from Chelsea.
"You're never too young to think about your future and what you need. Because skills need to be built and the sooner that you start to build those skills the better off you're going to get an idea if this is the thing you want to go into," Chelsea Public Schools math teacher Chris Flynn told WBZ.
The hope is that the students have gotten mentors, role models, inspiration and ideas of what careers would be good paths for them.