9th grade career day!
9th grade career day was on May 18th, 2018. HTHNC Career Day is a full day of school dedicated to shadowing someone in the workplace. It's purpose is to get students prepared for the workplace and to allow them to check out careers they enjoy. My career day was with Joel Voss, a navy pilot for the Firehawk Squadron, and I got to spend a day with Joel at the Coronado naval base. The first thing we did was he showed me the H-60 Seahawks and explained a ton about the birds. These helicopters are beasts and it was really cool to hear some of his flight experiences. Next, I got to meet many members of his squadron. I realized that the comradery and joking nature in the navy is really awesome. Finally, we did a flight simulator which was a ton of fun.
At lunch I conducted an interview, and Joel explained that there is not really a typical day in the navy. He did say that there is a lot more training than there is flying, but that one day you could be flying for 14 hours and the next you could be prepping for flight. One thing we talked about was the flight presentations, everytime Joel or any other pilot wants to fly they must give a 30-60 minute presentation about the purpose, safety, and course of the flight. I found this to be a bit of a bummer, but he explained that safety is the number one priority. Also during the interview, I asked him about collaboration, work ethic, and leadership skills in his job. He said they were all very important and that he collaborates a ton. I asked him what he thought makes a great leader and he replied "a good listener makes a good leader." This made me feel really happy about what I am learning in school because it is directly preparing me for the workplace. Joel said that training to become a pilot is very extensive. You must have a 4 year college degree and then you may enter the Navy flight school which is 2 years long. But the training doesn't end there, after you enlist there is constant training.
I would consider pursuing this career, I think the flying, comradery, and flexible schedule make this job very cool. I just don't know If I would be able to be brave enough to deploy/fight for our country.
Next career day, I would love to shadow someone in another field, so I can explore some more options.
Overall, career day was very informative and very fun.
At lunch I conducted an interview, and Joel explained that there is not really a typical day in the navy. He did say that there is a lot more training than there is flying, but that one day you could be flying for 14 hours and the next you could be prepping for flight. One thing we talked about was the flight presentations, everytime Joel or any other pilot wants to fly they must give a 30-60 minute presentation about the purpose, safety, and course of the flight. I found this to be a bit of a bummer, but he explained that safety is the number one priority. Also during the interview, I asked him about collaboration, work ethic, and leadership skills in his job. He said they were all very important and that he collaborates a ton. I asked him what he thought makes a great leader and he replied "a good listener makes a good leader." This made me feel really happy about what I am learning in school because it is directly preparing me for the workplace. Joel said that training to become a pilot is very extensive. You must have a 4 year college degree and then you may enter the Navy flight school which is 2 years long. But the training doesn't end there, after you enlist there is constant training.
I would consider pursuing this career, I think the flying, comradery, and flexible schedule make this job very cool. I just don't know If I would be able to be brave enough to deploy/fight for our country.
Next career day, I would love to shadow someone in another field, so I can explore some more options.
Overall, career day was very informative and very fun.