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Every year the Blair County BASICS Committee organizes a career shadowing week for High School juniors all across Blair County.  These job shadows usually take place in November, but due to Covid they were cancelled this year.

This means that next year, juniors and seniors will all have the opportunity to job shadow at various businesses depending on their individual business interests.  This isn’t the most ideal situation but students will try to make the most of it next year.

Junior, Brandon Cherry is excited.

“I’m ready for the opportunity to experience what it is like in the work force.  Especially for a job I’m interested in.”

Although the Blair County BASICS Committee is not sponsoring there’s still other options for students to career shadow.

“Students always have the opportunity to set their own career shadowing experience up if they know someone in their interested career field,” said Mrs. McNelis, Bellwood’s guidance counselor.

Some businesses are also not allowing career shadowing at all, whether its through Blair County BASICS or through your on personal outlet.  Hopefully, in the near future businesses will allow students to come in for job shadowing.

“The hope is that there will be more options available in the fall and that students will get to have a career shadowing experience where they can attend in-person,” Mrs. McNelis explained.

As in everywhere in the world, Covid is the main obstacle.  The chance that Covid could be less prominent by spring is the only hope that students could career shadow.  But if this doesn’t happen, does pushing job shadowing back to next year mean that some students may lose interest?

Junior, Cooper Guyer said, “I know it’s important that we see what a real job is like in the workforce but by next fall I don’t think I’ll be motivated to spend a day at some random workplace.”

For now, students will just have to wait and see.  As well as decide if they want to take their own initiative to find a place to job shadow for themselves.