Emily Harding, 17, from Sarasota High School, ask a question during the tourism and hospitality track panel Thursday, April 17 during the State of Jobs conference at Sarasota County Technology Institute. About 450 high school students that took part in Thursday's events. (Staff photo by Rachel S. O'Hara)
By MICHAEL POLLICK, staff writer
Let high school students use their smart phones on an all-day field trip and you’re likely to get a Twitter and Instagram stew with large chunks of creativity seasoned lightly with sarcasm.
That’s what happened Thursday, as 400 high school students descended upon the Sarasota County Technical Institute for an inaugural “State of Jobs” conference, an event that was the brainstorm of the Sarasota Young Professionals Group.
A YPG-created session today will be aimed at those already in the workforce — young professionals and people interested in making career changes.
Dozens of break-out sessions Thursday were designed to let workers-to-be ask questions and learn more about career paths available from Sarasota County employers in health care, manufacturing, engineering, technology, architecture, construction, hospitality, tourism, finance and law.
Organizers encouraged attendees to use their phones, the modern equivalent of note paper. The event even had its own Twitter hash-tag: #Stateofjobs.
CLICK HERE to see a Storify of social media posts from the event
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CLICK HERE to see the photo gallery from the event
But kids being kids, someone created another — #teamdon, in honor of Donal O’Shea, the charismatic president of New College of Florida who was on an education panel.
“You are all going to live to 100, with any luck,” O’Shea told the group.
Attendee Marlon Barreta showed leadership skills in tweeting, “Hey everyone clap when Don is talking so they will stop asking questions #teamdon.”
Some tweets had more to do with what was for lunch than the wisdom on hand.
Michael Sanchez, known as @SanchezMikesb19 on Twitter, included a photo of a still-untouched box lunch with the comment, “Who said #TeamDon doesn’t get seconds #stateofjobs.”
O’Shea became the star of the show, posing for photos with dozens of students as the education meeting broke up into smaller sessions.
The tweets came so fast and furious that that #stateof jobs became the No. 3 most popular Twitter tag of the day nationally, said Chris Laney of BoostDFM, a digital marketing agency and one of the event’s coordinators.
But not everyone appreciated the remarks pushed into the Twitterverse.
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“I had individuals coming up to me saying, ‘They are tweeting and not listening,’” said Laney. “I said ‘No, no, they are listening intently, because they are looking for the right thing to say on Twitter.”
There was plenty to listen to at the education session alone.
“You are going to have about eight different careers in your lifetime,” said Larry Thompson, president of Ringling College of Art and Design. “Of those, four or five don’t even exist yet.”
“You will be learning for the rest of your lives,” said Daisy Volovich, vice president, State College of Florida.
That doesn’t surprise Riley Johnson, a 16-year-old junior at Suncoast Polytechnical High School.
He’s focused on learning as much about computer design as he can, starting with the basics.
“I got AutoCAD certified a couple of weeks ago,” Johnson said, adding he also plans to get certified in three other, more contemporary design programs — all before he graduates high school next year.
Marissa Rossnagle, a Young Professionals spokeswoman, said the event was intended to engage students in a conversation about staying in Southwest Florida to work.
Adam Routh, an 18-year-old senior at Riverview High School, said he plans a career in physical therapy, which will require six years of schooling.
He plans to start with a job in massage therapy coupled with community college courses, and then transfer credits to a school like the University of Central Florida, which has a highly-regarded physical therapy program.
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