If there's a high school or college student in your life looking to explore careers, listen up! The Chamber ALX's CareerCon: A Post-Grad Masterclass, might be just the ticket. Presented by sponsor Virginia Tech Innovation Campus, the career day is set for Monday, March 13.
That date just happens to be a professional work day/division day/teacher work day for Alexandria City Public Schools, the first day of spring break for Northern Virginia Community College students as well as those who attend George Mason University and Episcopal High School.
The free career day takes places from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon at Northern Virginia Community College, Alexandria Campus, in the Fine Arts Building.
This new program for high school and undergraduate students serves as a masterclass post-graduation. It's an opportunity to meet pros working in a variety of in-demand career fields and gain skills skipped in class.
One lucky student will win a $2,000 scholarship, for further education, at the closing session. Students must be enrolled in high school or undergraduate studies, attend the entire CareerCon event and use the scholarship within four years.
The cost to attend the career day? It's FREE for students and parents. Registration is required to attend.
For more information and to register, visit: https://thechamberalx.com/event/careercon
Here's a look at the career day schedule:
• 8:30 a.m.: Check in and breakfast
• 9 a.m.: Welcome session
• 9:30 a.m.: Meet and Ask the Pros track sessions (eight breakouts)
• 10:30 a.m.: Learn How To Track Sessions (four-plus breakouts)
• 11:30 a.m.: Closing session and scholarship announcement
• 12 noon: Program concludes
The Meet and Ask the Pros Session will highlight eight industries, featuring professionals actively working in that space. Students will hear the state of the industry, how to become desirable candidates for employment and ask questions of the pros. Breakouts to include:
- Healthcare (hospitals, mental health, private practice)
- Criminal justice, government and law (politics, law, lobbying, enforcement)
- STEM (cybersecurity, IT, engineering)
- Hospitality (restaurants, hotel, events)
- Finance (banking, brokerage, accounting)
- Communications (journalism, digital marketing, graphic design)
- Tradesmanship (automotive, maintenance, construction)
- Entrepreneurship (founders and innovators)
A "Learn How to" session will cover presentations on information often overlooked in the syllabus. Breakouts to include:
- The Job Hunt (resumes, applying, interviewing, salary negotiation, raises, non-competes)
- Completing employee paperwork (W-4, tax, insurance)
- Establishing credit
- Applying for college and graduate school