The college has hosted Career Discovery Days for more than 10 years and they’ve grown each year. This year, nine Career Discovery Days were scheduled that included 11 different career clusters. The first was held on Oct. 19 and focused on business and information technology. The final two will be held on March 19 and April 23.

In between, Career Discovery Days have focused on science, math and STEM, healthcare, culinary, music and theater, and several other areas. Students learn about different classes and degree programs available at Iowa Central and learn about long-term employment in the areas featured each visit day.

“It’s important to get students exposed to career opportunities early so they can figure out what they do and not do like for their future goals,” said Danelle Balk, a College and Career Transition Counselor at Iowa Central. “Starting earlier, students can figure out their strengths, likes, dislikes, values, etc., to lead them to figuring out their future plans earlier. This could lead them into looking for a job shadow internship experience or even taking a college course.”

Iowa Central used to host just one expansive career day for students to attend, but began moving toward more targeted days based on career clusters. During the covid pandemic, they took a break and did events based on school requests, according to Balk. This school year, Career Discovery Days on campus returned.

Danielle Balk

Students usually attend three or four sessions in different buildings at Iowa Central based on their career clusters. Most sessions are led by Iowa Central staff and a lot of them include hands-on activities.

Balk said Iowa Central serves 19 area schools and all are invited to bring students. So far this year, 15 area schools have participated. One of the barriers, she said, is time and distance from the Iowa Central campus.

The days usually begin around 9 a.m. with one big session for all the students. They are then broken off into smaller groups and attend sessions based on their career clusters for the day. Most days end with lunch at the Triton cafe.

Students in grades 9-12 are welcome to attend the Career Discovery Days, Balk said. She said sophomores and juniors probably benefit the most because students in those grades start to think more about future planning and what they want to do after graduation.

“Students are welcome to attend as many days as they want,” said Balk. “Each day is different with hands-on activities from our program coordinators and speakers from the community. I recommend students come to the career areas that interest them.”

-Submitted photo
Students check out a semitrailer cab used for CDL training at the college during Iowa Central’s Career Discovery Days on the Fort Dodge campus. The career day on Feb. 22 focused on the transportation industry.

Balk said healthcare days are one of the more popular sessions. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) is also another popular day.

“Overall, the feedback from students has been positive,” Balk said. “They enjoy the hands-on activities and learning more about the different potential careers. We hope that students take away knowledge and a better understanding of careers within a field, or they even figure out what they want to do in the future. We want them to be excited about learning even more.”

Balk said Iowa Central typically works over the summer to set the schedule for the upcoming school year. She said the college tries to avoid no-school days for high schools and any longer breaks the schools may have.

She also said Iowa Central staff works closely with counselors from each area school to help with information, registration and anything else the high schools need.

Balk said right now no big changes are on the horizon for Career Discovery Days, but the college will evaluate the experience at the end of the year and determine what to do next. She said, though, Career Discovery Days will definitely continue on campus.

Students who would like to register for any of the remaining Career Discovery Days can contact their high school counselor.