Job Shadowing

The summer is an ideal time to try to job shadow because you won't have to miss school and most jobs have consistent responsibilities throughout the entire calendar year.

By spending time shadowing individuals who are working in fields that are potentially interesting, you will be gaining a behind the scenes look at what the career really entails. You will also have the opportunity to network and make connections with people who can, potentially, help guide and mentor you in your own future career path. But, because so few students actually take the time to arrange for job shadowing opportunities and follow through with it, what I like best about is that it allows you to have a leg up on everyone else when thinking about this as a potential future career.  You know just a little bit more about what a day in the life would feel like, what the stressors and high points are in the job, and you will more clearly have an idea of if this is truly a good career fit for you.

If you are interested in setting up a job shadowing experience, start by identifying the job you would want to shadow. Consider asking family members and the family members of your friends if they know anyone working in that field to see if they could help give you a contact name to reach out to about spending a day following them to learn about their career. If you cannot find anyone who knows of someone within that job field, you can always contact companies that have that field as a career and asking blindly if they would allow you to shadow someone. If you are making a blind contact, you might start by reaching out to their Human Resources department.

When your day arrives to job shadow I have a few hints for you...
1. Dress appropriately for the job.  (If you are unsure what approrpriate attire would be, ask when you are setting up the visit.)
2. Be on time. (This is your first impression. Don't blow it by being late.)
3. Smile, shake hands, look people in the eye and maintain a positive attitude. Ok, that is a lot in one hint, but the way you approach the people you interact with throughout the day will be important.
4.  Leave your phone in your car. Seriously. I know, it is a challenge to have your phone far beyond the stretch of your arm, but here is the thing... you end up checking text messages, social media, or the time just out of mindless, random habit. You don't want to do that when you are shadowing. So, for this one day, leave your phone in your car. Or, if that truly is going to send you into withdrawl, then turn your phone OFF (not just do not disturb) and put it away and only turn it on during your lunch break or when you are in the restroom. But, again, please, let me stress to you the value of just leaving your phone in your car!
5.  Come up with some questions you'd like to know about the career professional who you are shadowing and their job as a whole. Throughout the day, spread out those questions and give them the opportunity to share with you their career path and experiences. It's important to remember that your day there isn't just about interviewing them - they have a job to do, but having a few thoughtful questions or developing additional questions in response to things you are observing in the day is a good use of your time and of theirs.
6.  Bring something (notebook and pencil) to jot down thoughts and questions as they come up throughout the day. Remember, no phone means you won't have access to the Notes app on your phone so you have to go old school on this one.
7.  Keep track of anyone that you meet throughout the day, especially anyone who helps share insights or information with you that helps further develop your understanding of the job field. Most professionals will have business cards that they can share with you or you can write down their names in your notebook. 
8.  Later, after your visit is over, send a thank you note to the person who allowed you to spend the day shadowing them. You can also consider sending a note to any of the people you identified in point number 7 above.
9.  For yourself, jot down some notes - a few sentences or bullet points are fine. But take the time to reflect back on what you thought of your time at the job. Did you like it? What was the best or worst part to you? What surprised you? By having those brief notes, you will potentially be able to use it for yourself when you are writing a college essay, filling out your application, or trying to remember some piece of information a year or more from now related to the visit experience. I know that it seems as if you won't forget any of it, but I promise, it will not stay as fresh in your mind as you anticipate, so just write a few simple thoughts and reflections down before you leave the experience behind.

Remember, you can shadow several different jobs to get varying perspectives and ideas of different fields that interest you. Plus,there are so many careers (like nursing for example) that have drastically different settings and so even if you have picked out a career that you want to shadow you may be interested in learning from people in a range of different settings.

We can't wait to hear about your experiences as you go out and job shadow!  Good luck and we hope you learn a lot.

Sharing Sad News

In writing this blog, we are trying to keep all Kilbourne students and families updated with timely information that helps with navigating the high school years. Unfortunately, the high school years can also be a time when students must deal with grief and loss. As school counselors, we know the weight and magnitude that death can have on anyone who knew and cared about those who have died.

The week after school ended, Mr. Thomas shared the news with the Kilbourne staff and families that Mrs. Chelsey Hundertpfund, a science teacher at WKHS, had died. "Hundy" as she was lovingly known to most students at school, had been out of school for the last year as she fought against cancer, but there are some current WKHS students who had her previously or knew her through her involvement with the Environmental Club and Yoga Club.

Hundy was just 43 years old and she is being missed so much right now by her husband and 2 little kids along with her extended family, friends, colleagues and former students. We know that the death of Hundy is significant to so many of you and that grief, sadness, and loss is real. There is no doubt that she made an impression and worked hard to make sure all students could see and feel her excitement about science and life.

If you want to read Mrs. Hundertpfund's obituary, please check it out here: https://www.newcomercolumbus.com/obituaries/chelsey-hundertpfund

If you are struggling with the grief from Hundy's death, we encourage you to reach out to the trusted adults in your life and remember that those feelings are real and valid because she was someone who made a difference in your life.

Summer School

Summer school in Worthington kicked off today and we are excited for all of our students who are going to be working hard to get back on track for graduation by taking advantage of the free summer school provided in Worthington! Remember, if you signed up for summer school you should be attending daily from 8-10 or 10-12 depending on your designated time window. You can work on your own outside of school as well to help you make progress in your classes faster.

If you failed a semester course and didn't get signed up for Worthington summer school, there is a waiting list for a seat, but use the email sent by your counselor to join the waiting list and as seats open up they will work to give you a chance to make up your credits as well.

At the same time, we know that many students are planning to do get-ahead credits during the summer in order to make room in your schedule for other classes that you are interested in taking. You can use any accredited school, but most often students use TRECA. Don't forget that the deadline to sign up for TRECA summer school is tomorrow, June 2nd at 4pm.