Event clears up post-secondary confusion
Posted By Lori Penner
Posted 17 days ago
Miller students Eric Rost, Colin Kelley, and Peter Fot discuss career options with apprenticeship coordinator Goeff Mackay.
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They were very thorough, and I learned what I needed to learn. My main concern was what kind of things I can study there and how I can put those courses together at other universities to get a degree. - Samantha Wall
What do you want to be when you grow up? That's one of the biggest questions high school students face. And along with the usual hopes and fears come questions about where to train for a future career.
On Oct. 27, W. C. Miller Collegiate provided their students and a group from Mennonite Collegiate Institute with some answers. About 15 Manitoba post-secondary institutions set up display booths and provided Grade 11 and 12 students with information sessions to enlighten them on the academic opportunities these universities and colleges provide. This is the sixth year Miller has hosted Post-Secondary Day and school guidance counselor Warren Friesen says the event's relaxed format eases the intimidation such a glut of information can cause. "I find that students have an easier time attending small, informal sessions than approaching a complete stranger at a display booth," he said. The primary goal of the event is to equip students with information to help them make better post-secondary education and career choices. "Preparation for life after high school is extremely important to our staff," said Friesen. "This event is simply one way to help guide our youth towards making successful choices."
For some students like Samantha Wall, the choice is pretty clear. The Grade 12 Miller student knows she wants to pursue a career in education and the Canadian Mennonite University and University of Manitoba sessions gave her all the information she needed about academic and financial requirements.
"They were very thorough, and I learned what I needed to learn," she said. "My main concern was what kind of things I can study there and how I can put those courses together at other universities to get a degree."
The display tables lining the school halls provided brochures and one-to-one discussion with representatives from the various institutions. Assiniboine Community College recruitment officer Erin Lambert said, "It's been a good day, with lots of great questions. While concerns about cost do come up, by far the most common questions have to do with the type of programs we provide."
For those interested in trades training, apprenticeship coordinator Goeff Mackay was a wealth of information. "This area of the province has the highest concentration of kids involved in some form of apprenticeship training," he said.
His display table was a draw for Miller students Eric Rost, Colin Kelley and Peter Fot. "The sessions were very informative, especially the ones about the RCMP and apprenticeship," Fot said.
For Rost, who hopes to be a carpenter one day, the apprenticeship sessions provided a sense of academic direction after high school. For Kelley, whose career goals aren't quite as defined, Post-Secondary Day offered a broad spectrum of choices. "I'm not sure what I want to be when I grow up. I think I'm just going to roll with the punches for a while until I figure it all out. Yeah, the sessions were very informative and stuff, because all of this can be kinda overwhelming. But I don't feel pressured or anything. I know I'm going to do lots of amazing things in my life and there's still lots of time to make up my mind."
Friesen stressed that what a student decides to do after high school is a very personal choice, and since there are such a myriad of options available in today's educational market, that choice can be daunting.
The school's goal, he said, is to provide a clear path. "Students should know that a post-secondary education does not always mean university," Friesen added. "When I talk to students about post-secondary education, I always encourage them to first, think about what interests them, what they are passionate about. We then begin talking about what type of occupation would allow them to pursue those passions and interests. If the path to that occupation requires a university education, great. If the path to that occupation requires a college education, that's great too. The old adage that says, 'If you love what you're doing, you'll never work a day in your life' makes good sense to me."
