Ada —  

Eighth-grade students from all over Pontotoc County converged on East Central University Wednesday for a program designed to aid them in their future careers.

The program — My Future, My Career, My Responsibility — was the brainchild of Oklahoma State Sen. Susan Paddack, according to Jenny Cypert, director of business and industry services at Pontotoc Technology Center. Cypert also was instrumental in bringing the event to ECU.

“The whole purpose of this day is not so much to figure out exactly what ‘I’m going to do,’ but to figure out that ‘I have a goal, and I’m going to do something,’ ” Cypert said. 

Students were given assessment tests to determine what their interests were as far as a future career. Cypert said it is very important for students to have an idea of a chosen career before they enter ninth grade.

“They need to start thinking about what high school curriculum to take and they will be doing that starting in ninth grade,” Cypert said. “They need to understand grades matter and that ninth-grade classes matter. So they need to take classes, then work toward their future goal _ whatever that future goal is. We understand they’re  going to change their mind 14 times but if they have set a goal, then they have a plan.”

Paddack was one of several speakers aiding students. She asked which students wanted a nice car, a nice home and a job they loved going to each day. All students raised their hands.

“Well guess what? It starts right here, right now,” Paddack said. “Your teachers, your community, your business leaders have all come together to make this happen today and the number-one reason is because you’re special ... Your future is vitally important to our community and to our state.”

Monica Neal, senior vice president of corporate services for People’s Electric Cooperative, spoke of the importance of presenting one’s self when seeking employment.

She said it’s important to learn “soft skills” which include saying things like ‘yes ma’am’ and ‘no sir,’ ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’  She also said looking a potential employer in the eye when speaking and shaking hands are important skills to acquire.

“The kind of things that aren’t in the textbooks, but all of us notice, and all of us want you to know,” Neal said. 

Neal warned posting certain things on the Internet, at places such as Facebook, can doom a career. She said even when Facebook pages are set to private, employers have no trouble getting to a person’s page, past or present.

“We don’t want to see things like lots of nudity, or lots of skin, or you in your bathroom mirror in a bikini while taking a photo with your phone,” she said. “Remember that nothing is private, nothing is permanently deleted and if you wouldn’t want your parents or grandparents to see it, don’t post it out there.”

Students were also treated to a stage play of sorts where two employment-seekers were interviewed by potential employers. The first job seeker, “Scott,” played by Heath Holt, was well-mannered and dressed for success. The second job-seeker, “Lacee,” played by Lacee Elliott, was late, indifferent and dressed for a long stretch of unemployment.

The skit emphasized the correct way to interview for a job and the wrong way.

Afterward, students were taken to separate locations for discussion and grouped together in which fields they were most interested in such as architecture, public safety, communications, veterinarian medicine, finance, etc.

Cypert said 18 area business professionals were a big part of teaching the students.

“So these 18 people that came to talk, they’re just going to give them a snippet of why it’s important to take English if you want to be an author, or why it’s important to take a business class even if you want to be a veterinarian, or why it’s important to take chemistry if you want to be a doctor,” Cypert said.

Students were also treated to snacks, beverages and pizza, courtesy of several area businesses.