Job shadow report
Post high school, I plan to attend college and study all aspects of business. How it works, what's useful, and business language. I believe the two job shadows have given me real world experience in my desired field that not only introduced me to all of the these aspects but also introduced the daily routine of a career in that environment.
Farmers Cooperative
For my first job shadow, I followed Bryan Nispel, the manager of Farmers Grain Cooperative in Caldwell. Because of my business classes I understood that a cooperative is an organization in which its members share the profits and benefits while working together for better prices. I arrived at the site at 8AM and stayed until 3PM. The first thing we did was go on a tour of the entire facility. We walked around the main offices, to the feed mill, and finally walked around the grain elevators. Bryan told me that later in the day I would get to go on an extensive tour of the grain elevator and go all the way up to the top. After the tour, Bryan had me help him test grain from the trucks that arrived. The trucks would drive up a weight scale to be measured. We would take a sample from the grain that the farmers brought and test it using a machine. This machine can detect foreign material and moisture levels. These aspects are what determine the validity and price at which the cooperative will buy the grain. At about 11AM I spent nearly half an hour with the cooperative's accountant. She showed me a program on the computer where she enters the pricing information and creates spreadsheets from it. She told me that it was a federal requirement and that she has to complete these steps everyday. After lunch I toured the grain elevator. Bryan had the head elevator operator show me around. He took me down and showed me the currently empty pits where they store the grain and the shoots and conveyor belts used to transport the grain all over the facility. An auger system is used to bring the grain all the way up to the top, and a conveyor belt is used to distribute the grain to certain tanks. The manlift is how workers get to the top of the massive structures. It's very small and sketchy. It took a couple minutes to get to the top because the speed of the manlifts. I had never been to the top of the grain elevators. At the top there is the distributor, a larger machine that sends the grain to different tanks using the conveyor belts. After seeing this, I took the manlift back to the bottom and ended the grain elevator tour. The rest of the day I continued to help Bryan test samples from trucks going in and out while he taught me different things about the aspects of working there. Although his job is not the one I described in my career report, it was a very informative day. I very much enjoyed shadowing this position and took useful values from it that I will surely use in my future.
SodShop
For my second job shadow, with the help of a few teachers, I was able to shadow the CFO of a company called SodShop. The CFOs name was Randy Appel and he was a graduate of Caldwell High School. CFO stand for Chief Financial Officer, and his duty was to oversee all of the finance and accounting side of the business. This job shadow was held on May 9. I arrived at the company headquarters in Wichita at 8:30 AM and was there until 2:30 PM. first, Randy took me on a tour of the facility. We toured the main offices and then the warehouse in the back of the facility. I was expecting SodShop to employ 30 or 40 people in the office, but I was surprised to find out that there were only about ten in the entire corporate office. When we toured the warehouse, Randy told me what kind of physical items such as different kinds of mulch, different kinds of pallets, many different piles of rocks and boulders, and many different styles and sizes of sod that they had in this inventory. In the warehouse there were just three workers managing the flow of those items and reporting to Randy. After the tour, he took me into his office and showed me more of what he does on a daily basis. He showed me different computer programs such as Quickbooks or Intuit TurboTax that help him manage different numbers. Randy told me that in the past few years, SodShop had expanded its market to areas around Lawrence and Kansas City. I learned while observing Randy that as the CFO he cannot stay focused or on task with one matter all the time. While working on something, he might receive a phone call and have to drop whatever he is doing and be on the phone for an hour. He told me that it is difficult at times to stay focused on just one thing whenever you have a lot of people communicating with you. He also told me a little about himself and how he got to where he is today. He informed me that he had several jobs in accounting and controlling with companies like Godfathers Pizza and a uniform company all based out of Wichita. After lunch, we took a trip outside of Wichita to where the company grows its sod. He informed me that they have over 500 acres of land of which they grow sod and a few other crops for the purpose of crop rotation. One of the company's biggest expenditures comes from the farming equipment used to grow, maintain, and harvest the crops. The machines used to harvest the crop alone cost 1 million dollars each! The sod farm employs 5 people and requires constant attention. When we got back from the the company sod farm, it was time to leave. Randy conveyed to me to just be open to exploring many different career paths and opportunities and enjoy the journey. I'm glad I experienced this company and learned what I did.
Career Report
For a while now I have been interested in careers that have to do with the military. I remember when I was a little kid around the age of five to seven I would spend a lot of time at my grandparent’s house. Whenever I was over there, my grandpa would always be watching old WWII documentaries, and I would sometimes watch them with him. Because I was so young, I didn't quite understand what was going on, and it wasn't until I started studying in high school about all of the wars that our country has been associated with that I realized I had a great passion for this. In addition, my uncle works for Spirit Aerosystems building parts for airplanes and drones. Whenever he talks about his work, he talks about it with great enthusiasm. This great enthusiasm is what I strive for in my future career. Also, I grew up with many erector sets, and I was always building different contraptions with given blueprints and even creating some of my own.
As college approaches, I have been told to think about what I want to do for the rest of my life. I then thought to myself, what are some activities and skills that I have enjoyed doing and what are some careers that implement those skills? As I researched and tested myself on Career Cruising about what careers in which I might do well, engineer kept coming up with my ability profiler showing that I excelled in the areas of science and even math. There are many engineering careers that are associated with the military. Some of them are directly in the military and some of the engineering careers were outside of the military yet did business with the government; one company is called Lockheed Martin. I was very fascinated with the work Lockheed Martin did. They manufactured very high tech equipment for the military and for energy use. Further research led me to a career that sounded very exciting and appealing to me, an aerodynamic engineer for Lockheed Martin.
Some of the qualifications for an aerodynamic engineer at Lockheed Martin include a bachelor's degree or higher in the discipline of engineering. Suggested experiences include experiences with aerodynamics, computational fluid dynamics, conceptual design of aircraft, experimental testing, and experience writing and presenting technical data. The only college visit I have attended was the occasional visit to Fort Hays State University where my older brother is studying. Wichita State University is the only college around that has a engineering program that emphasizes aerospace technology. The aerospace engineering program requires 135 semester credit hours for graduation. Since I am a resident of Kansas the cost per credit hour at WSU is $218.16. The cost to complete the engineering program would then cost nearly $30,000 not including room and board, if I decide to live on campus, and book fees. Since this is a very large amount of debt, I plan to apply for as many scholarships and grants as possible.
The average salary of all aerodynamic engineers employed by Lockheed Martin in the contiguous United States is around $85,000 a year. Because over 70% of workers employed by Lockheed Martin are either in California, Texas, and Florida, there is a great possibility that this is where I could potentially work. The cost of living in Texas is below the national average while the the cost of living in California and Florida is very much above the national average. Personally I would like to live in Texas, preferably in a smaller town right outside one of the major cities such as Dallas, Houston, or San Antonio.
To conclude, many influences have arisen in my life to lead me to this conclusion of my future career. The education I need will be very important to the career. Lastly, the location I wish to live in includes a border with an ocean. Nothingless than hard work will allow me to get to this point.
As college approaches, I have been told to think about what I want to do for the rest of my life. I then thought to myself, what are some activities and skills that I have enjoyed doing and what are some careers that implement those skills? As I researched and tested myself on Career Cruising about what careers in which I might do well, engineer kept coming up with my ability profiler showing that I excelled in the areas of science and even math. There are many engineering careers that are associated with the military. Some of them are directly in the military and some of the engineering careers were outside of the military yet did business with the government; one company is called Lockheed Martin. I was very fascinated with the work Lockheed Martin did. They manufactured very high tech equipment for the military and for energy use. Further research led me to a career that sounded very exciting and appealing to me, an aerodynamic engineer for Lockheed Martin.
Some of the qualifications for an aerodynamic engineer at Lockheed Martin include a bachelor's degree or higher in the discipline of engineering. Suggested experiences include experiences with aerodynamics, computational fluid dynamics, conceptual design of aircraft, experimental testing, and experience writing and presenting technical data. The only college visit I have attended was the occasional visit to Fort Hays State University where my older brother is studying. Wichita State University is the only college around that has a engineering program that emphasizes aerospace technology. The aerospace engineering program requires 135 semester credit hours for graduation. Since I am a resident of Kansas the cost per credit hour at WSU is $218.16. The cost to complete the engineering program would then cost nearly $30,000 not including room and board, if I decide to live on campus, and book fees. Since this is a very large amount of debt, I plan to apply for as many scholarships and grants as possible.
The average salary of all aerodynamic engineers employed by Lockheed Martin in the contiguous United States is around $85,000 a year. Because over 70% of workers employed by Lockheed Martin are either in California, Texas, and Florida, there is a great possibility that this is where I could potentially work. The cost of living in Texas is below the national average while the the cost of living in California and Florida is very much above the national average. Personally I would like to live in Texas, preferably in a smaller town right outside one of the major cities such as Dallas, Houston, or San Antonio.
To conclude, many influences have arisen in my life to lead me to this conclusion of my future career. The education I need will be very important to the career. Lastly, the location I wish to live in includes a border with an ocean. Nothingless than hard work will allow me to get to this point.
Reflective ESSAY
Decisions, Decisions
Making choices is a big part of life. These choices range from small, everyday choices to large life decisions. The choices I have made up until today have been key in the development of who I am. The decision I would like to talk about in this essay is one that, in fact, gave me a better life with more options. This is, of course, my decision to go to school in Caldwell. Previously, I attended elementary in the Anthony/Harper school district. Going there was a lot different than here at Caldwell. I have always lived in Caldwell, but since my parents worked in that area at the time, they thought it would be more convenient for me to go to school over there. I didn’t particularly like the large classes of fifty kids, attitudes of other students, and opportunities to participate in different activities. Along with these factors, I didn’t feel that the teachers payed attention to everybody as they do here. The main reason my parents gave me the option to start attending school in Caldwell in the fifth grade was because my dad decided to go back to school and he was going to be at home a lot more. With a place to go after school, I was then given the option to attend Caldwell. I wasn’t totally blind going into school at Caldwell. All my life I had played recreation sports here and knew most of the kids my age. My first day of fifth grade was certainly a life changing moment. For once I felt as if I belonged somewhere. I felt happier my first year here than all my years in Anthony.
When middle school and high school eventually came, I was able to participate in extracurricular school activities. I had never thought about this before but had I stayed in Anthony, I wouldn’t have had the opportunities that I have here regarding sports and clubs. Being able to participate in activities teaches valuable life lessons early on and is unique in the case of guaranteed acceptance regarding small schools. The individual I could have become by staying in my former school district is one that I deeply fear. The bad influences included drugs, bullying, and no life lessons from extracurricular activities at the Anthony/Harper school district. I would have been a totally different individual if I had chosen to stay.
By choosing to attend school at Caldwell (with the help of the teachers, principals, and the community), I have continued to grow as a human. I am beyond grateful for their guidance and caring nature. I will never forget what all they have done for me.
Making choices is a big part of life. These choices range from small, everyday choices to large life decisions. The choices I have made up until today have been key in the development of who I am. The decision I would like to talk about in this essay is one that, in fact, gave me a better life with more options. This is, of course, my decision to go to school in Caldwell. Previously, I attended elementary in the Anthony/Harper school district. Going there was a lot different than here at Caldwell. I have always lived in Caldwell, but since my parents worked in that area at the time, they thought it would be more convenient for me to go to school over there. I didn’t particularly like the large classes of fifty kids, attitudes of other students, and opportunities to participate in different activities. Along with these factors, I didn’t feel that the teachers payed attention to everybody as they do here. The main reason my parents gave me the option to start attending school in Caldwell in the fifth grade was because my dad decided to go back to school and he was going to be at home a lot more. With a place to go after school, I was then given the option to attend Caldwell. I wasn’t totally blind going into school at Caldwell. All my life I had played recreation sports here and knew most of the kids my age. My first day of fifth grade was certainly a life changing moment. For once I felt as if I belonged somewhere. I felt happier my first year here than all my years in Anthony.
When middle school and high school eventually came, I was able to participate in extracurricular school activities. I had never thought about this before but had I stayed in Anthony, I wouldn’t have had the opportunities that I have here regarding sports and clubs. Being able to participate in activities teaches valuable life lessons early on and is unique in the case of guaranteed acceptance regarding small schools. The individual I could have become by staying in my former school district is one that I deeply fear. The bad influences included drugs, bullying, and no life lessons from extracurricular activities at the Anthony/Harper school district. I would have been a totally different individual if I had chosen to stay.
By choosing to attend school at Caldwell (with the help of the teachers, principals, and the community), I have continued to grow as a human. I am beyond grateful for their guidance and caring nature. I will never forget what all they have done for me.