Counting down the days until graduation, eighth-grade students begin to prepare for the next step in their lives. With the school year coming to an end, many students are introduced to many career pathways to find their passion. For eighth graders at Fallon, Career Day was a way to view pathways for future experiences and different environments. Students viewed different fields throughout the day, including math, science, business, art and leisure activities, and more.

     Career day is when workers from different backgrounds come together at a school to discuss their interests, jobs, education, and background to reach a career. Speakers like Richard Salmon (Workday), Kevin Lu (engineering), and Ms. Elissiry (Civil Services – Law Enforcement) explained the components of their jobs, as well as what they did to get where they are today. This benefited many as it opened individuals’ eyes to the countless opportunities in our society and how to proceed was beneficial to many as it opened individuals’ eyes to the countless opportunities in our society and how to proceed forward into our careers. 

     In context, student Sarah Chen exclaimed, “It was a fun experience learning about new jobs that I didn’t know about before! It was interesting and I enjoyed how we didn’t have to carry backpacks while still learning new information!” She later went on to explain the new experiences she had in her day, as well as the topics further explained in the seminars.

     Though that may be true for many, it was not as effective for others around campus. Student Sathya Ganesan stated, “It was not interactive enough. I think we should have more interesting and interactive activities, and the school should find a way to make the day more engaging.” Throughout his day, Sathya said that it was a new, and fresh perspective, but was not fit for his interests at the time. 

     Many students said they enjoyed the event, but wished it had more variety in the future to cultivate new interests. In a rotation of job choices, students could explore new fields and view how different decisions affect their careers. This includes the profit of specific jobs, the need for prior education, and the pros and cons of other employment in particular careers. With these new insights, students could listen to those who have experienced these decisions firsthand and gain a new voice to guide them. Overall, in Career Day 2024, events held may have been viewed differently, but overall, they really impacted the student body at Fallon.