Exploring Careers and College Majors through Summer Camps, Museums and Tours

“We learn by example and by direct experience because there are real limits to the adequacy of verbal instruction.” – Malcolm Gladwell

Do you learn better when you get to try something? If so, you’re not alone; many of us prefer to learn by doing. So how can high school students learn by example and get direct experience when exploring college majors and career options? Here are several good ways:

Academic Summer Camps
Many colleges now offer academic summer camps for high school students. These programs provide teens with hands-on exposure to different careers and the college majors that support them.

How does this strategy work? For instance, if a student identifies engineering as a major, how might he or she explore over 25 different types of engineering? As an example, the Milwaukee School of Engineering Summer Program helps students understand what is different about the curricular and career requirements for a variety of engineering paths.

For parents, the benefits of these programs include the knowledge that their high school students are better prepared for the transition to college; through summer camps, participants gain insight into college coursework and residence hall life. In addition, parents protect their college tuition investment by supporting college major decision-making as early as possible.

Students benefit from summer camps through:

• Academic and experience-based learning focused on one or more career paths or college majors, leading to more informed and confident decision making.
• Residential experience on a college campus helps make the next step on the educational path more real.
• A supportive environment that enables them to socially engage with instructors and other students who are also seeking career direction, exerting a positive peer influence.
• Increased confidence that comes with exposure and practice. Simulating possible next steps motivates students to set – and work toward – realistic goals.

Parents find that they can be more intentional and efficient in their search for a career summer camp – whether on a college campus or off – if they first clarify what they want a program to achieve for their teen. The websites below provide information on a wide assortment of academic and career-themed camps. Career Vision cannot endorse any programs in particular and encourages parents to check references.

• The Sloan Career Cornerstone Center, supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, lists programs by state.
• The Camp Channel lists all types of camps, including career and college prep.
• The Allen’s Guide provides information on camps, including those that build leadership and community service skills.
• My Summer Camps offers a variety of programs, both in the U.S. and internationally.

Factory Tours
Factory tours are a fun way to investigate jobs, career options and working environments, which is an important component of making better career decisions. For instance, Fair Oaks Farm in northwestern Indiana is a mammoth, state-of-the art, high-tech dairy operation. A tour of this farm is both entertaining and educational; visitors learn about the dairy production process “From Grass to Glass.” Find out why the farm has a nutritionist on staff.

Harley Davidson, the motorcycle manufacturer, hosts factory tours at three different locations. At its Menomonee Falls, WI plant northwest of Milwaukee, you can see how engines and transmissions are manufactured. Learn about assembly processes, machining, and quality control at their Kansas City, MO or York, PA plants.

Here are two great resources for factory tours:

• Factory Tours USA is where you’ll find almost 500 tours in 48 categories, organized by state and searchable by type.
• “Watch It Made in the USA: A Visitor’s Guide to the Best Factory Tours and Company Museums,” a book by Karen Axelrod and Bruce Brumberg, is also a treasure trove of destinations. Check their website and blog as well.

Museums
Many museums offer educational programs and events that help students explore careers related to their interests. One such event, Science Works: Cool Jobs, Hot Careers, encourages youth and families to learn about a variety of jobs directly from those working in science-based professions. Science Works is part of the Museum of Science and Industry’s annual STEM career fair.