Liberty kicks off the academic school year by collaborating with Kirkwood Community College through the Kirkwood Job Shadow Program. With ninety-seven career choices, students have the opportunity to experience a day in the life of a professional in Kirkwood’s six career exploration categories.
Kayla Strand (she/her), college and career transition counselor, highly encourages all students in grades 10-12 to apply.
“It’s a great way to explore what you might be interested in; the job shadow can also help you figure out what you don’t like,” Strand said.
Like an internship, job shadows help you gain hands-on experience in a specific career, but job shadows are a one-day opportunity only.
“They [Kirkwood] have partnerships with local businesses and industry experts to match students with either a one-on-one job shadow or a ground job shadow. It allows students to sign up for opportunities to explore different careers, industries and fields,“ Strand said.
A lack of long-term commitment encourages busy students to be fully engaged in the activity without taking up much of their daily schedules. When signing up, students must choose two careers: their target and backup career in case their main choice is unavailable.
Job shadows are hosted at various locations and dates may vary. “I would ask students to email me or reach out to me because I can see who gets assigned where and I can ask the other student if they’re willing to communicate with each other,” Strand said.
Career exploration days are assigned to students, so availability must be predetermined by students. They are excused from school for their career days. Some job shadows may only be a few hours long, in which case, they are highly encouraged to attend classes before or after their job shadow.
No documents are required to apply, and the program is free. Upon application, a confirmation email is sent to a parent who must approve the student’s application.
The deadline for round one has passed, but there will be two more opportunities to take up a job shadow throughout the school year.
For more information, please reach out to Kayla Strand at [email protected].
