ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. - Despite the lack of sunshine on March 10, several shadows could be seen on the depot - 12 shadows to be exact, part of the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce's job shadowing program.
Students from five local high schools spent the day at Anniston Army Depot to learn educational requirements as well as the duties performed in a variety of career fields including safety, contracting, child development, journalism, engineering, accounting and information technology.
"It's not what I expected," said Heather Leck, a senior at Jacksonville High School who spent the day at the Child Development Center. "I thought you just played with the children all day, but you don't, you actually teach them."
Leck may have seen what a difficult job childcare can be while shadowing workers at the CDC, but it reinforced her desire to work with children.
Josh Dobbins, a junior at Wellborn High School, spent the day in the Directorate of Information Management's support center.
"For everyone who calls in they tell them what to do to solve the problem, which is what I want to do. It's what I do already with my friends and family who call me to get answers to computer problems," said Dobbins, who is planning a future in technology support.
Many of the students were awed by the amount of education required for their chosen field. Some, like Samantha Barnhart, were impressed with technology, from computers and software programs to electronic tools, used daily.
"I found it interesting to see all the technology, all the different software programs, they use to do their jobs," said Barnhart, an aspiring accountant who spent the day with employees in the Directorate of Resource Management.
The program was not only positive for the students, but for the depot employees as well. Each was thrilled to offer encouragement and support to the young men and women who may enter their field in the future.
"I currently have 27 years of service with the government and realize the need to continue to mentor younger individuals, on both high school and college levels, who want to learn about the wonderful world of contracting," said Valerie Bradford, contracting officer with the Directorate of Contracting. "It was my pleasure to mentor a student and I look forward to being shadowed by other students in the future."
The Chamber of Commerce's job shadowing program is a countywide venture. This year, the fifth year of the program, approximately 120 students participated, visiting 80 businesses.
"Across the county, job shadowing has proven to be an effective way to motivate students by showing them how academics are applied to the workplace," said Linda Hearn, business development director of the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce. "It is also a great way for businesses to introduce students to their business or industry."
The depot's participants were Cody Strickland and Derrick Thomas of Alexandria High School; Andrew Boudousquie, Rebekka Griffin, Heather Leck, Tyler Reel and Sam Thomlinson of Jacksonville High School; Rafael Harris of Saks High School; Samantha Barnhart, Tobias Green and Shandrica Pulliam of Weaver High School and Josh Dobbins of Wellborn High School.
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