For many high schoolers and young adults, a traditional four-year college is not their best option.
Career and technical education has come a long way since it was primarily shop class with plenty of sparks.
Today's CTE students have a wide variety of classes and fields to choose from.
“This is a place where you come and you can get the job skills that you need. As soon as you graduate you can go to work,” Riverside High School junior Brittani Rucker said.
The Carver Career and Technical Center offers several different career paths. They include dog grooming, which give hands-on experience in pet care and pampering of man's best friend.
But pooches aren't the only ones getting the spa treatment, Carver's cosmetology class prepares students for jobs in several different aspect of that service career.
“It's honestly opened my eyes toward a different career path for me. I honestly just believed that you had to go to college, but this is definitely a very good route for me,” Sissonville High School junior Elizabeth Kingry said.
But whether it's a doggie or human salon, job prospects in both of those specialties are pretty good.
“College kind of stresses me out but here it's kind of fun but it's also hard working. With the education I'm getting here I really do plan on working on clients and eventually opening my own salon,” Kingry said.
If you've been involved in a fender bender, one of Carver's body shop students may be the one putting your ride back together.
“I like it because it gets me out of school. I mean, I'm not a big fan of school. Hands on is what I'm good at, so I mean body work, working on vehicles is what I love. It's class for me,” Riverside High School junior Zachary Mullins said.
Some of the newer careers on the course list line up right beside some of the more traditional CTE classes. Welding and metal work, plumbing, HVAC repair and electrical work are all possibilities students can explore. But whether you enjoy banging out dents, making a room brighter or learning the ins and outs of greenhouse gardening, choosing a CTE path can be a rewarding financial experience.
“When I get out of here and get certified, that's what I want to do is open my own business, open my own body shop. So, I mean this is basically my life, what I want to do,” Riverside High School student Zachary Mullins said.
“We get students prepared for the real world by simulated workplace. They come in here, they clock in, it logs their hours that they need to complete the class. They have job titles here. They are drug tested and they have hands-on experience before they get into the workplace,” Yusef Alqutub with Carver CTE Center said.
With courses designed for both secondary and adult students, Carver and other CTE centers offer a chance to change the direction of your life and remind you that it's never too late to learn a new trade.
“The technical field to me, it's in more high of a demand now. Because now everybody's going the four-year of Riverside straight to college and they're getting higher degrees. Now the technical field's getting more demand because everybody's going to college. So for me, it was a chance to get here and get out and get to work,” Riverside High School senior Braiden Dunlap said.
This story wraps up our assignment education series for now. We've spent the past several months exploring many different aspects of public school education and the possible ways it can be improved.