Career ideas, educational requirements and experiences surrounding professions students can choose for their future was the deal of the day Friday at North Wilkes Middle school.

Community individuals from all walks of life spoke to the middle school students about their professions during career day.

The students learned about the field itself, the average income, and the education required to work in a particular field.

From 8 - 11:30 a.m., students heard from medical personnel, law enforcement officials, building contractors, makeup artists, hair stylists, small business owners, journalists, educators, funeral home directors and many others. Students were allowed to ask questions of the speakers and were enthusiastic with their questions.

“We’re very appreciative that so many of our community’s business owners and leaders came out to expose our students to the many opportunities that are available to them,” Wesley Wood, North Wilkes Middle principal said. “It’s vitally important that students learn about positions in the workplace that they may have no knowledge of. At a middle school level, a student is just beginning to seriously think about their future and what career path they want to take.

“Choosing a career path is important when it comes to selecting elective courses in high school,” he said. “The student’s interest in a particular field can change several times from elementary school to graduation, but some students pick a field in the middle school level and select class courses that will enable them to prepare for their chosen career. Other students realize the importance of working hard in their regular course of study to enable them to select a college or university that specializes in the field of study they choose.

“Exposure to the many different careers and learning from individuals in those careers can only help our students,” he said. “We are very pleased with the number of participating speakers and the information they provided our students. As I walked into our classes and listened to the speakers and saw the enthusiasm on the students’ faces, I was very excited.”

Each speaker spoke to five different classes. The morning’s events ended with refreshments for the speakers in the media center where all were given a certificate of appreciation and a small gift.