On December 2 the students of Mount Saint Agnes Academy were made aware of the variety of careers and job opportunities available to them.

This experience was provided by the Guidance Department, headed up by Miss Bonnie Exell, who creatively organised the day so that students could get a good feel for the different career opportunities available in the community.

While students in grades ten through 12 participated in presentations on campus, the grade nine students job-shadowed by going to work with their parents

As students approach the end of their high school careers, choosing a fulfilling and rewarding career becomes all the more important.

By attending just one career presentation (and students attended at least four), students came to understand that in one particular field there may be many different jobs available.

For example, in the presentation given by the Bermuda Hospitals Board, a variety of job opportunities surfaced, including those for doctors and nurses but also the ones that people rarely think of in the areas of accountancy, maintenance, food preparation, plant maintenance and landscaping.

Interesting responses to Career Day were provided by a range of students.

When the grade nine students, who spent the day with their parents, were asked to comment upon their day, Xana Lima, who went to Argus Insurance, said: "I had to do a lot of filing. It was nice to see how they do things. I did not know how much work was involved. It was a good day to learn about the different things that employees at Argus do."

Shelby Camara also went to Argus where she started her day at 8.30 a.m.

She counted claims and separated them into groups.

She also helped her friend Xana with her work. She had to attend a meeting after which she dealt with paperwork.

Dylan Simons went to Belco where he felt his day was very interesting: "I learnt a lot of things about two-stroke engines and got a few hours of hands-on experience fixing an engine."

Going to Ettrick Animal Hospital afforded Kaelyn Castle with a "very valuable day".

She felt she came away with a better knowledge of animals.

Back on campus, the grade ten through 12 students attended a wide offering of presentations, including those given by Bank of Bermuda, PartnerRe, Trott and Duncan, HWP and Bermuda Realty.

While presentations took over the morning, after a pleasant lunch in the school's auditorium, round table discussions took place where each student could visit and chat with a dentist, an author, a hair stylist, a musician, an interior designer, an event planner, a butcher, a Bermuda Regiment representative, and a veterinarian's assistant (to name a few).

Every 15 minutes students would move to a different table, increasing their knowledge in these fields.

Ciara Correia, in grade 12, said she found the hospitality presentation very interesting, especially since the lady who presented was very welcoming and made her presentation "fun".

Jasmine DeBraga, another grade 12 student, was really impressed also by the Fairmont hospitality presentation.

She said: "It was a very professional presentation. It was not only interesting, but it involved a wide variety of fields to choose from."

Grade 11 student Elijah Dublin went to the Belco presentation and felt that the career opportunities there held something for him in the future. This was the second Career Day at MSA, and according to the students, it was a successful one.

Keeping this in mind, 2010 may hold the promise of an even bigger and better one!