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Spend Time as a "Shadow"
by Silvana Clark
Ask most teens what they want to be when they grow up and you’ll get either a blank stare or the reply, “a doctor like the ones on Greys Anatomy”. Teens today gain their awareness of various professions from the glorified images on television and movies. At the moment, there is a rise in interest in forensics due to the popularity of several shows depicting that career. Colleges report seeing an increase in the number of students wanting careers in interior design because of shows such as Trading Spaces.
Rather than having teens pick a career based on a TV show, encourage him/her to try a few job shadows. Never heard of job shadowing? Don’t worry. It simply means spending time observing someone at their job. Students “shadow” a professional for a few hours, learning about specific occupations. Spending the afternoon with a veterinarian, mechanic or graphic designer helps students gain an awareness of career possibilities. Whether a homeschool project or a summer activity, job shadowing provides youth with a first-hand glimpse into the working world.
Our daughter Sondra experienced job shadowing on a large scale when she was 13. Since we were on a year long trip around the US in an RV, it was a perfect time for her to job shadow people around the country as part of her homeschool experience. Sondra ended up shadowing over 45 people in different careers. 25 of those careers are described in her fifth book, “Cool Careers in Recreation”. (Hara Publishing) Her experiences included spending time with Shamu’s trainer at SeaWorld, working with a shoe designer at NIKE and helping construct a giant model at LegoLand. Sondra wrote about her experiences and then interviewed each professional. The book gives a first-hand look at working in jobs ranging from security guard at a major baseball stadium to running a sports program for inner city youth. She even job shadowed a full time fitness instructor at a church. Yes, some mega-churches hire fitness instructors to help keep members in good shape. There’s a ministry most youth don’t consider!
Here are some tips to help teens participate in job shadowing:
Ask teens to identify their interests and talents. Are they musically inclined? Do they have strong leadership skills? Find a job shadow that correlates with their interest and skills.
Begin by asking if your teen can shadow a family friend. Can they observe your dentist for a few hours? Does a neighbor work at a florist? Ask if your teen can watch her create floral displays. Many teens look up to youth leaders. Try to arrange a few teens to spend a day with a youth leader doing the behind-the-scenes work. They might be surprised at the amount of paperwork a youth leader does.
Make sure teens arrive on time! Job shadowing is like a mini-internship. You want to make a positive impression.
Remind teens to keep all comments positive. Even though they may realize they don’t want to work as a museum curator, it’s best to avoid saying, “This seems like a boring job”.
Have teens write a thank-you note afterwards!
A job shadow experience helps youth learn basic skills needed to apply for internships or jobs. Shaking hands, eye contact and answering in full sentences are skills needed in the workplace. Susan Fee, a counselor and the author of “Help! My Roommate is Driving Me Crazy”, sees college students who feel overwhelmed with choices of classes that could lead to a career. She says, “Students who have never been exposed to the real world enter the job market at a disadvantage. Job shadowing is a perfect way for them to learn how to communicate with professionals, observe how everyday conflicts are negotiated, and ask questions.”
Job shadows aren’t always easy. On one occasion, Sondra had to clean slime and “crud” from aquarium tanks. Another time she fainted while watching a vet perform a hysterectomy on a cat! While job shadowing at a camp for special needs children, Sondra found herself wiping drool from a teenager’s mouth. All these experiences helped expose her to the wide range of job possibilities open to her. Many youth have very limited ideas about various careers. Participating in a real-world job shadow provides insight you can’t find in a book. While job shadowing Shamu’s trainer all day, Sondra learned a degree in psychology was helpful to getting a job at SeaWorld. She also learned they were looking to hire male college graduates!
To give an idea about job shadowing, here’s what Sondra wrote about one of her experiences:
As I arrived for this job shadow, I passed parking spots with signs saying “Reserved for Michael Jordan” and “Reserved for Tiger Woods”. This was no ordinary parking lot! I was at the world headquarters of Nike, in Beaverton, Oregon. My job shadow was with Jeff Henderson, who designs shoes for Nike. Jeff gave me a tour of the “campus” that has a huge pond in the middle, along with a child care center, a swimming pool, and of course, several basketball courts. One of the big buildings had a huge sign that said, “Michael Jordan Building”. I think Michael Jordan has quite an influence at Nike!
Jeff showed me the step by step process needed to get a shoe in a store so you can buy it. Jeff’s job is to think of a new style of shoe, then sketch it out and then work with the design department. The shoe is evaluated for comfort, design, color, appearance, etc. Jeff showed me a bunch of prototype shoes that were rejected! Jeff’s desk was full of sketches of innovative designs. He even had miniature models of all the shoes. The thing I noticed most about spending the day with Jeff was how much he loved his job. He had a huge smile and was super enthusiastic about what he does. If you like coming up with ideas and then making detailed drawings, this job might be for you. Besides, you might meet Michael Jordan!
As you can see, that type of job experience can never be duplicated by reading a book. There’s actually a National Job Shadow Day held in connection with Ground Hog Shadow Day each February. In 2006, over 1 million students will participate in job shadows with over 100,000 businesses. Curriculum and teaching guides are available to help students get the most from their job shadow experiences. Ed Grocholski, spokesperson for the National Job Shadow Coalition, states, “Young people often have an idea of what they want to do as an adult, but don’t always understand the level of education and experience needed to do it. The value of job shadowing is it gets teens thinking seriously about how education can ultimately help them achieve their goals.”
A job shadow experience helps teens gain first-hand experience about various careers. They’ll come home with a realistic look at the education and training needed to pursue their dream job. Who knows? You may be living with Shamu’s next trainer!
For information on National Job Shadow Day, contact: www.jobshadow.org
Sondra’s book, Cool Careers in Recreation is available on www.amazon.com or from her website at www.sondraclark.com
About the author:
Silvana and her daughter Sondra both present motivational speeches to conferences and schools around the country. Silvana is the author of 10 books and over 200 magazine articles. www.silvanaclark.com www.sondraclark.com
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