Program helps students pick careers

      Palo Verde High School is seeking community volunteers to serve in the school's Job Shadowing Program. The program pairs students for one day with professionals who work in careers students might be interested in pursuing.
      "It's a good opportunity for (students) to really determine where their interests lie, or maybe don't lie," said Ralph Lovelidge, counselor at Palo Verde High School. "The more things they are exposed to, the better off they are going to be."
      The program kicked off Nov. 3 when about 30 students joined the ranks of city planners, dentists, interior designers, demolition artists, caterers and lawyers. The professionals were all members of Rotary International.
      Lester Tanaka, a counselor at the Community College of Southern Nevada's West Charleston campus, said job shadowing is an excellent way for students to establish job contacts. He recommends that students find at least three contacts in the same field -- preferably those who have a passion for what they do -- in order to gain a more in-depth perspective. It's also important to stay in touch with these people, he said.
      "When you look at the competitive job market, its essential that students develop a network," Tanaka said.
      According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average American will have four careers and average 2 1/2 years at a job. And for college students, higher education statistics indicate that the average student considers five to seven majors during his college career.
      Tanaka said while job shadowing may not eliminate students from changing majors, it may help them realize early on those subjects in which they are not interested.
      In addition to the Job Shadowing Program, Palo Verde High School offers career classes for 9th and 11th graders designed to give students confidence in both college and the work force.
      The courses focus on a variety of topics, including interviewing, life skills, college planning and college survival. Guest speakers are often invited to the classes to discuss career opportunities in particular fields.
      "We have a career center as well, that we have open for the students after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays and during lunch hours," Lovelidge said. "That gives the students the opportunity to go in on the Internet, and go in on the Web sites and go in on the career information system and work in those realms."
      In the future, the school plans to double the career center as a job placement center for students looking for a summer job or internship.
      "It will open up options," Lovelidge said about the career services available for students at Palo Verde. "Job shadowing, for example, will put them out in the workplace. Some of the career information systems they are exposed to and the career Internet Web sites they are exposed to open up more doors for them as far as accessing different jobs and ideas."
      Lovelidge hopes to recruit enough community volunteers in the near future to continue the Job Shadowing Program for students on a regular basis.
      "My goal is to get at least 100 juniors involved with the job shadowing, and then to get maybe another 150 to 200 next year, and have approximately half the students that leave here have an opportunity to participate in the Job Shadowing Program before they leave in their senior year," he said.
      Those interested in becoming a volunteer for the Job Shadowing Program can call Lovelidge at 799-1450, Ext. 251.