Career and Technical Education

There was never I time that I could say "I don't know how to do anything." As someone who started tinkering and monetizing my skillset in high school, I think it's so important to encourage students to do the same. Learning a skill can never be taken away from us.

I was in a graphic design program for four years when I was in high school. I met my best friend there, was given responsibileries (Tommy Pickles), and grew a skillset that has served me from "day 1" in the real world.

For 6.5 years (until March 2020) I was a high school graphic design teacher. My students earned certifications in Adobe Software, HTML, and CSS. They could leave my program with up to 11 certifications!!!! At one point my parents and I were peers, as they taught in the same county in career program education as well. My mom opened a credit union at the high school where she taught, and my dad taught web and digital courses, too.

During my teaching career, my biggest accomplishment was probably getting invited to be on the team that wrote the Florida State Standards for the courses I taught. They had pretty much been the same since my high school days.

Even if none of my students ended up touching Photoshop, or using CSS ever again (some of them for sure did), they learned how to understand software, or an industry so they could earn money immediately.

Support your local career education programs, they may be called: CTE, or Vocational, labeled as Academies, they are often "electives", and they are often associated with programs like "Business Professionals of America" or "Skills USA". These programs are often looking for support and are taught by highly talented individuals who are the number one cheerleader for the talent they see in their kiddos.