“I hate to say it, because I hated it in high school, but I use math every single day in my business,” Crego told a class of Willard Alternative High School students. “How much does bread cost and how much does ham cost and what can I sell it for?”
As chef of catering at the University of Montana, Crego had lots of good to say about his chosen profession during Thursday's Career Exploration Day. But he also warned students that professional cooking is a high-stress, qualification-driven business. On the plus side, he noted, chefs never go hungry.
“Everything I want to do is pretty much mechanical,” said Roger Standing Rock, a Willard senior. “I think if I want to go for a mechanic's job, I don't think there's anything I'm doing in school that will help with that except getting the diploma.”
But after hearing from Curt Vaile of Curt's Autocare, Standing Rock said he had a better sense of the choice between on-the-job training and attending a vocational mechanic's school. Vaile talked about how he went from toilet cleaner to owner of his own auto repair business.
“It only cost about $2,500 to get the shop set up, but I didn't have it - I had to borrow it,” Vaile told the students. “I was pretty stressed out about that, because I didn't know how I was going to pay it back. But then we cleared $12,000 in our first month.”
While Willard serves all four high school grades, Principal George Sendon said nearly half of his 160 students are headed for college or the job market in the next year. In fact, 20 had finished their credits needed for June graduation last December, and are already out on work-study or internships while waiting for the ceremony.
“A lot of these kids want to get a job and get a car and move out,” Sendon said. “We're trying to show them that's not all it's about. We want them to have a future. This job fair is showing kids what the options are, and how high school graduation is an option-builder for them.”
Missoula's Human Resource Council staff put the fair together. HRC youth counselor Gael Harris said she started with a student survey to find what career topics they wanted to hear about. Then they found volunteers to talk about the top fields, including health care, radio/TV, law enforcement, performing arts, military service and construction.
“We tried to make the presentations just long enough,” Harris said. “You get the idea, get kind of curious, then - zoom.”
Reporter Rob Chaney can be reached at 523-5382 or at rchaney@missoulian.com
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