Think Carefully about a Career Field

For many years growing up I worked in my family’s construction business in the Ohio/Kentucky/Indiana area whenever school or college was out of session. This was a priceless introduction into the world of work, and it taught me good work habits as well as many timeless lessons. The work was physically taxing, and much of the time was carried out in difficult weather conditions. I still remember the sub-floor we set when it was 2 degrees below zero, or all the roofs were shingled when it was so hot we had to sit on the packaging for the shingles! There were other moments that were just plain scary – like setting trusses on a three story apartment building without a crane! (We used a motorized winch with a basket on a tall ladder. My father later bought a crane, but that’s another story.)

One day while driving to a job my father told me that picking a career field is one of the most important decisions that I would ever make; therefore, it is very important that I spend some time and think carefully about what “line of work” I would enter.

My father and his two younger brothers continued the family construction business until just a few years ago. By this time my father was 80 years old and doing more office work but he still did his share of “on the job” work, such as running the crane (a “cream puff job” in his words). While visiting over a Christmas vacation and driving to the store one day, I asked him why he got into the construction business. Interestingly, he said that he felt like he had to because it was the only career that was available to him… which makes his advice to me as a teenager even more meaningful.

Recently the Lake Wales High School Young Leaders group visited City Hall. As part of my presentation to the group about how their city works, I passed on my father’s advice – that choosing a line of work is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make, and therefore it should be made very carefully. But going a bit further, I told them that they should not be afraid to ask adults what they do for a living, what they like about their job, and how they got started in that field. I believe that most adults would share this information with a student.

I am proud to say that the City of Lake Wales has been proactive in this regard, providing police and fire cadet programs, and participating in school career days. The City will again be a participant in the upcoming career day at Lake Wales High School on March 11, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce.

These are valuable opportunities, as it takes many different types of career fields to carry out all the operations of the City. While many of these career fields require a college diploma, most do not. A high school diploma or GED, and specialized training are the requirements for most city career fields. For example, police officer and firefighter jobs require a high school diploma and further schooling for the appropriate state certifications. Another excellent field to enter is utility work. Many high school graduates enter this field and then see a clear and attractive career path. State licenses in water and wastewater plant operations, and system operation, are available with special coursework without a college degree… and the opening of the downtown branch of Polk Community College makes a college degree more available than ever before.

Bottom line, the message I want to convey here is this:

I want every high school student in Lake Wales to feel that each career field utilized by a city is open and available to them, and they are cordially invited to call city hall and learn more about that career.

I encourage any interested high school student in Lake Wales to call the City’s Human Resources Department (678-4182, extension 233) to make arrangements to check out a career field utilized by cities. The Polk Works’ Young Leaders program at the Austin Center (455-1014) is also an excellent resource.

Here is one more event that was not mentioned in last week’s column:

• Lake Wales Arts Center Gala: Friday evening, February 13, at the Arts Center on State Road 60 at 11th Street. Tickets are available at the door.