Bowling Green High School students prepare for work after graduation

BOWLING GREEN Ky.- For some, the end of high school means the start of college. For others, it means the start of a career.

Bowling Green High School students went to M&L Electric to hear from professionals in trade work, and to put their skills to the test. The day included the students getting hands on experience with various pieces of equipment. President and chief executive officer of the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce Ron Bunch said jobs in this field are in need of people right away.

“At the Chamber, we run the numbers on open jobs once a month, and currently we have about 6,000 open jobs in the 10-county region. Those jobs fall into six major sectors of our economy. This helps students to be exposed to the multitude of careers that are out there,” said Bunch.

Bowling Green High School student Kendall Pearson said this job shadowing helped him realize that college isn’t the only path to take, and he’ll be ready to make an impact in society right away.

“Some have this idea that they don’t know if they want to come to college or if you want to go straight into the workforce. I started in an industrial maintenance program, and it helped me realize that college isn’t for everybody and I’m one of those people,” said Pearson.

Students like Pearson are raring to get into the workforce right away, and he said this event just emphasized that drive even more.

“It’s enforced what I originally wanted to do. I’ve always thought about going to college, but I’ve come to the realization that it’s not for me. Going stuff like this is,” said Pearson.