Whether students’ interests lie in medicine, business, politics, psychology, or even acting, the GOAL Department’s Career Conversations recently provided valuable insight into a vast number of different occupational paths. Since March of 2020, this unique opportunity has been giving students the chance to talk to professionals across a wide array of career fields.
“We had an amazing group of presenters this year,” GOAL teacher Mrs. Lombardi explained. “There was a huge variety of speakers across many fields of study. While we always have fantastic community support, this year’s speakers are even more comprehensive in terms of the careers they highlight.”
According to Lombardi, some of the most prominent benefits Career Conversations sessions provide are “real-world insights” from professionals who are experts in their fields.
“These sessions create networking opportunities which are crucial for success in the workforce,” she said. “Career Conversations can provide clarity, helping students to differentiate the skills, tasks, and responsibilities that are specific to each job of interest to them. In addition, students learn soft skills, like how to communicate in a professional setting.”
Outside of the sessions, students have continued conversations with professionals in “personalized shadow studies where they visit the presenters in their workplaces,” Lombardi said. “Presenters have also followed up with career advice, course recommendations, college suggestions, career guidance, mock interviews, and more.”
NASH junior Edward Yang attended PA State Representative Arvind Venkat’s session.
“I wanted to gain insight on both how career paths are shaped and also what motivations and behavioral systems are valid when it comes time to choose your own career,” Yang said.
NASH Senior Megan McGuigan attended the session with Lawrence Martino, a criminal investigator.
“He was super insightful into what he does for the government and how he balances that with his personal life,” she said.
Like Yang, McGuigan thought it was “really cool to provide [the opportunity] for students, especially as seniors or juniors who are trying to figure out what they want to major in and what they want to do in the future. It’s also nice to ask any important deal-breaker questions to narrow down options.”
“I would definitely recommend going to these conversations, even if someone doesn’t ask questions or they don’t know exactly if it’s what they want to do,” McGuigan added. “It’s really informational and good to know what you’ll have to think about for the future.”
Over the past two weeks, more than 40 speakers from nearly every corner of the workplace participated in the remote event.
“The experience was a positive one,” Lombardi said. “And even if a presentation wasn’t personally interesting to students, the conversation at worst may help them eliminate a career option that they once considered.”
