Middle Schoolers Begin to Consider Career Paths

Whisconier Middle School (WMS) guidance counselor Alex Boianghu said the Seventh Grade Career Fair, which featured 20 presenters this year, provided students with insight on what courses they might want to take after they enter Brookfield High School (BHS).

“In seventh and eighth grade you have to start thinking about course selection,” he said in an interview May 6 during the two-hour event.

“The earlier you start thinking about a career, the better,” Boianghu added. “The high school has so many options for courses that the kids can really start tracking themselves if they know what career area they want to pursue.”

WMS seventh grade guidance counselor Alison Fitzpatrick coordinates the Career Fair, which has been held annually since 2008.

This year’s event again had groups of students rotating through four 30-minute presentations.

Presenters included a dentist, fireman, police officer, auto mechanic, residential developer, nurse, forensic scientist and Peace Corps volunteer and provided information on the educational requirements for the job, the duties it entails, the personality qualities and the salaries.

“The kids love it,” Boianghu said. “They love to sit and listen to people talk about their careers.”

Seventh grade student Patrick Clancy said he was impressed with the information provided by Brookfield resident Craig Worster, a patrol officer with the Ridgefield Police Department.

“He told us a lot about his personal traits,” he said. “He showed us his badge and his equipment.”

Standing in the WMS cafeteria, Worster showed the students his two-way radio, gloves, pepper spray and handcuffs.

He told them that the minimum requirement for being a police officer in Connecticut is a high school diploma and being 21 years of age.

“I would say the minimum should be that you have some college,” Worster said. “It should be that you have some kind of training in college criminal justice program.”

“When you come into a profession such as ours, you have to have more than the basic knowledge of the job,” he added.

Brookfield Police Chief Robin Montgomery said earlier this year that over the years more police officers have entered the profession with at least a college bachelor’s degree.

Worster said a candidate has to pass a battery of tests, .

He said people entering the profession need to be able to handle “stressful” situations.

Worster said his annual salary is currently $82,000, and that a career as a police officer can later lead to work in such fields as private security, homeland security, forensic science and the statewide narcotics task force.

Veterinarian Andrew Rappaport, who has an office in Bedford, N.Y., said it is difficult to enter the field since there are only 28 schools in the country that are dedicated to veterinary medicine.

He said veterinarians have to complete a four-year program after they earn their bachelor’s degree.

However, Rappaport said the profession provides opportunities to help people and their animals during their most stressful times.

“The people that go into the health-related fields are usually compassionate people,” Rappaport said. “Many people in those fields find them to be emotionally rewarding.”