Holmes counselor shares takeaways from last week’s career day

The fourth annual Holmes Junior High career day was Friday, Nov. 14. School counselor Julie Rouse was a big contributor to this event. 

Rouse said career day began because counselors wanted to prepare students for the next chapter of their lives. 

“We wanted students to have a better idea of what was next for them after junior high,” she said. “Students have an opportunity to meet with high school students and staff to explore CFHS course options. In addition, the Career Networking portion allows students to practice their elevator pitch and professional skills.”

Rouse said that in particular, this year’s event went well, and she also notes that Peet and Holmes Junior High are thankful for the specific individuals and companies who contributed. 

“We had great participation from Cedar Valley businesses during the networking event and career site locations. We are appreciative of Cedar Falls alumni and residents that contributed to the event. Over 87 percent of students from Peet and Holmes rated the day a success.”

Rouse said that there were “a lot of moving parts” to create an event such as this one. 

“The school counselors from Peet and Holmes gather information from students to align their preferred careers to their site visit,” Rouse said. “We organize the groups for each portion of the day: career networking, CTE rotations and purpose panel. There are a lot of moving parts to communicate with supervising teachers and event coordinators. T.J. Warren, CAPS careers, is the lead coordinator that communicates with career site locations, keynote speakers and panelists, and manages transportation.”

Rouse said that prior to the event for freshmen, they would have learned some context of the day from their eighth-grade health class in the career unit.

“We continue to build on the learning from the eighth-grade career unit. We collaborate with CAPS students to build instruction on professional skills and developing an elevator pitch.”

Rouse said that there is a wide range of future careers and jobs one could take, and she stressed the importance of keeping an open mind while on that journey.

“I highly encourage students to explore the world of work. Our perspective of the possibilities is often limited to what we see in our community,” Rouse said. “There are so many opportunities in our area that I never knew existed because my scope is limited to who and what I know. I want students to remain curious and strive to find their passion.”

Rouse said that she doesn’t expect kids to know what they want to do immediately, and that that isn’t what career day is about. 

“I do not expect ninth graders or seniors to know their career path. There are jobs that our students will have in 10 years that don’t even exist today. I want students to develop habits and a desire for learning that will help them get on the right path for their career journey.”

Rouse said that there have been changes that have sculpted school schedules and opened eyes to possibilities because of career day. 

“Our first ninth graders to participate in the career connections day are graduating this school year. Many were influenced to register for certain electives and took advantage of CAPS opportunities due to their experience at the event.” 

Rouse has said that changes in behavior are also appearing after Career Day—the most prominent being confidence in scheduling for future classes and grades. 

“The most significant change I have seen over the years is students having a better understanding of the courses that are available at the high school. Students seem to be more confident in their course selections for 10th grade.”