SCHUYLERVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A two-day VR event at Schuylerville Middle School is helping students start thinking about their futures early. From medical work to trades, 8th-graders got to “try on” careers in a whole new way.
About 100 8th-graders spent two days testing out careers using VR headsets — from medical to trade jobs. Each simulation is about five minutes and walks students through real-life tasks such as assisting a knee surgery, fixing a power line, demolishing a bridge, and responding as an EMT.
8th-grader Harrison Griffiths chose the operating room experience. He said the experience felt real, “It’s insane. It’s like if you’re right there doing it, it’s like you can’t even tell that you’re not like there in a way.”
Katie Elsworth, the Principal of Schuylerville Middle School said that the technology is helping students to be able to experience what it’s like to partake in different career paths. She went on to say, “We have a student that’s interested in studying to become a doctor and they got to perform surgery on a knee today, which is quite remarkable. We have students that are going to go into building and contracting and so it was great. They have an amazing array of opportunities through using these VR headsets.”
Technology Teacher Mark Beldon helped bring the program in through the Department of Labor to get students thinking ahead. He went on to say, “I try to explain to them how fast their next four years are going to go. We’ve all been there. We were 8th-graders and we thought high school was so far away and next thing you know, you graduate. So, before that sneaks up on them, we’d like to give them a chance to think about some different options.”
The school says they hope this VR career day becomes an annual event — giving future 8th-graders the same hands-on experience.
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
