QUINCY (WGEM) – Despite his name, Caleb Williams is not gunning for a quarterback job in the NFL. He wants to get a degree in biology before pursuing a career in dentistry.
But even though the Quincy High School senior has a plan, Wednesday’s “Jobs in the Gym” event gave him a new perspective.
“It’s cool to see how other people have their own plans and, how every job is kinda filled, because, it’s weird to think about, like, I wouldn’t like doing a certain task, like a lawyer. I would not like being a lawyer,” Williams said. “But there are people who will go out (to) be lawyers, or tradesmen, and I think those skills are really useful for our community as a whole.”
For Gena Finley, Quincy Area Vocational Technical Center’s program coordinator, the best part of the job fair is watching students come out of their shell.
“They’re a little bit more comfortable with the process, so we’re watching them go up to employers, and reaching out and shaking their hands and making eye contact and asking really good questions,” Finley explained. “So watching the growth over the past couple of years has been the best.”
Now entering its third year, the event has grown from 17 to 30 employers, and moved from the student’s common area to the gym.
Local businesses present at the event represented dozens of industries, including healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, military, broadcasting and law enforcement, among others.
Juniors and seniors from both Adams and Pike County schools were invited to the event and participated in pushup and pull-up challenges with military recruiters. Students who visited 10 different booths were also entered into a giveaway.
For Williams, the event offered a glimpse of what his summers in college may look like.
“During college I’m thinking maybe (working in) retail, kind of switching it up a little bit, so… Talking to those people gives a good view into what I’m in for in the future,” Williams said.
A future which, for Williams and his classmates, is filled with possibilities.
“There’s so many different opportunities here. There’s 30 different companies and that’s just the ones that came to this event,” Williams remarked. “So it’s really like positive to see how many opportunities there are for us younger people.”
Finley said students who missed this year’s Jobs in the Gym should contact their school counselor for a list of participating local employers.
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