For Hub City Times

WISCONSIN RAPIDS — Mid-State Technical College gave 282 students from area high schools a chance to explore various careers with CareerView events at its campuses in Marshfield, Stevens Point, and Wisconsin Rapids March 3-17. Students selected four different program areas to explore, participated in facility tours, and interacted with instructors and current students. Attendees also learned about the steps needed for college admissions.

Twenty Mid-State programs were featured, including those in the service, health, technology, business, technical, and industrial disciplines. Hands-on activities included preparing tax returns in accounting, working with high-fidelity mannequins used in the nursing program, learning proper rope-tying techniques and plant identification in the urban forestry technician program, and more. A student life workshop also factored heavily in the event’s reception, with one student commenting that this part was best because it gave “a really good idea of what college life will be like.”

“CareerView is a chance to familiarize prospective students with Mid-State, its programs, and the many benefits of a technical college education,” noted Jackie Esselman, Mid-State’s high school outreach coordinator, adding, “We’re proud to say that CareerView also aligns with the Department of Public Instruction’s Academic and Career Planning initiative, which helps students create and cultivate their own unique and information-based visions for postsecondary success.”