LIBERTY LAKE — Navigating the job market as a high school graduate can be difficult, but military branches and local companies held a trades day in Liberty Lake to talk to kids about their future careers.
Finding the right career can be a difficult choice, especially for high schoolers looking to take the next step into adulthood. The trades day at The Hub in Liberty Lake was all about helping kids find the right path for their future, with private businesses and military branches on hand.
The Washington Army National Guard emphasized the variety of career options available to match students’ interests.
“Best case scenario, we can find something that the guard relates to. If you’re interested in social media, you can be a public affairs officer in the United States Military. Or if you’re into outdoorsy stuff, almost every job relates to that,” said Sgt. Noel Gonzales of the Washington Army National Guard.
One of the biggest focuses of military trades day was giving kids a hands-on opportunity to handle some of the equipment they might use in the military. The Army National Guard made it clear that there are many opportunities to pursue several different careers.
“It gets boring just hearing someone talk all the time. So when you come out here and you get to see an M-240 machine gun, and you can get behind it and look down the iron sights, you might think, ‘actually, this is kind of cool!'” said Sgt. Noel Gonzales.
Local companies also had their own booths at trades day, including local contract manufacturing company Altek. The Liberty Lake-based company says students can get their start in engineering there without having to go to college first.
“You can just start at the ground level at our company, and if you show a good attitude, you’re willing to be on time and you’re willing to learn, you can move your way up through the company. Other options are you can go to a trade school and learn machining,” said Tony and Chris Marzetta, program managers at Altek.
Program managers Tony and Chris Marzetta say the manufacturing industry is an option not many kids are aware of for a potential career.
Altek also partners with Minds-I, an engineering school in Liberty Lake that gives people a chance to try robotics and programming.
“Kids will go, ‘oh I really like drones’ and then you have a conversation with them and in five minutes you can explain the hundred different things involved career-wise just to make that drone that aren’t using that drone to do inspections or deliver something,” said Levi Wilson, general manager of product development at Minds-I.
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