Career Week 2024: 8th Grade Students Peek Into Professions

by: Waylon King and Grace , class of 2029

Waylon and his mom, who is a medical aesthetician.

I am so grateful that I had the amazing opportunity of being able to get an inside peek of the jobs of my choice for 8th grade career week 2024. My name is Waylon King and one of the professions that I shadowed was a medical aesthetician. I actually got to shadow my mom, Michela King, who runs her own aesthetician business. I started shadowing around 11:00am and was shown what her daily schedule looks like. She then showed me what kind of tools she uses to complete procedures and what their purposes are. We then had our first patient, who wanted a chemical peel, I was amazed by how fast the products started reacting. For the rest of the day, I was able to watch the many different procedures an aesthetician completes on a day to day basis. It was a blast to be shown the astonishing and exciting day of a medical aesthetician.

Grace with Deputy General Counsel for the Alabama Secretary of State, Meredith Blackburn.

Career Week was such a great experience for the class of 2029. My name is Grace Sykes and I shadowed the Deputy General Counsel for the Alabama Secretary of State. Her name is Mrs. Meredith Blackburn and is a close family friend of mine. I drove with her to the state capitol at 7:30am and took a small tour of the building. I got to meet the Secretary of State and go in his office. When I got back to Mrs. Blackburn's office, I went right to work. Mrs. Blackburn has many official duties and tasks she had to complete, so I helped her by putting previously used case files away and updating her code books. I had so much fun at the state capitol and would love to have a career as special and exciting as Mrs. Blackburn's.

Saint James middle school students have been shadowing careers during the 8th grade year for many years. Shadowing helps students explore potential career paths early, helping them identify their interests and strengths. It also provides real-world insights into various professions, connecting classroom learning to practical applications. This experience can inspire goal-setting and better decision-making for future education and career planning. Eighth grade career week is something Saint James students look forward to every year! #wearesaintjamesschool