Upperclassmen take advantage of Job for a Day on Nov. 5

Juniors and seniors all around the school are participating in “Job For A Day,” an event where they get to shadow a certain profession for a day and experience what it’s like to work in that environment. The event took place today, Nov. 5. There were a plethora of professions available to shadow in several career clusters, including Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), Health Sciences, Finance, Information Technology, and Education, to name a few. These were all available to preview on Oct. 12.

Applications for the event opened on Oct. 15 and closed on Oct. 22. The number of positions open were limited; students had to hurry to get the job they wanted to shadow for the event; otherwise, it would have been taken sooner or later. An e-mail containing all this information was sent out on Sept. 24 by Maryann Ottenberg, and the event was also featured on Feature Friday. Some students, including junior Clara Salazar, found out about the event in other ways as well.

“I heard about it when I was snooping around Naviance,” said Salazar. “I chose the veterinarian job, since I intend on pursuing a career as an exotic animal veterinarian. I want to get as much experience in the career I am going for as I can before college, so I can fill up my resume.”

Medical sciences seemed to be a popular choice; in fact, the large amount of student requests to shadow at the Inova Loudoun Hospital prompted a possible reassignment date for those particular jobs. For job shadowings in the Inova hospital, as well as in LCPS, the possible reassignment date is Nov. 14. One of the applicants to shadow jobs in the Inova Hospital is junior Michaela Greenlee.

“I would like to shadow doctors at the Inova Loudoun Hospital because I have a passion for science, especially biology,” said Greenlee. “I have begun to develop more interest in the medical field, and I feel that having this opportunity to go shadow at the hospital for a day will be a rewarding experience that will enable me to see if it’s a path I really want to take.”

Ottenberg, who works at the PFHS College and Career Center, thinks the Job-For-A-Day event is a great idea.

“I think it’s a super cool opportunity for junior and senior students…you get to experience what a specific career is actually like,” said Ottenberg. Job For A Day is also an excellent way to help students find future opportunities as well. “Participating in Job For A Day may help a student meet professionals in the field in which they plan to study in college & can also afford the student an opportunity for future internships, references, and perhaps even paid employment opportunities in the future. The contacts you meet through this program can be very beneficial to a student.”