The Counselor Chronicle

For students not wanting to attend a 4-year university, you may often be thinking-- “Everything from my counselor is always geared towards those going to college. That’s not me! So what do I do?”

First of all, make an appointment with your counselor to discuss other options--and there are LOTS of other options! So no worries! Secondly, consider attending a Construct Tomorrow event this year!

There are several around the state of Minnesota, so you should be able to find one near-ish to you. Their main goal is to help students learn about various careers in the construction industry.

Here are the first 3 events this year:

• October 13: Eveleth, MN
• October 28: Rochester, MN
• November 18: Mankato, MN

If you are interested in attending a Construct Tomorrow event, you can just show up. Registration is not necessary and the events are open to the public. Which means you can bring a friend, a parent, your neighbor, whomever you want!

• Ready Set FAFSA Events - Free sessions to help understand financial aid.

• Free College Applications - College's waiving or reducing application costs.

• Office of Higher Education Publications - Order your free guides.

Graduating seniors will receive an email and survey at the end of October that will list all the participating Minnesota colleges and universities offering them proactive admission.

Melisa Dogic is a 2018 graduate of BlueSky Online! She is currently working as a Private Flight Attendant for VistaJet out of Minneapolis. Melisa’s family are refugees from Bosnia. She has always had a passion for travel, and now she gets to travel all around the world and get paid for it!

Melisa’s advice to BlueSky Students: Take the risk. Seriously, take it. You will regret not doing so. The answer is only no if you never ask. You can make anything happen if you continue to be motivated and ambitious. One rejection is redirection ALWAYS! You are capable of so many things in life regardless of current circumstances, there are opportunities for growth in life.

Melisa notes that she had big dreams as a kid and is happy to say she’s achieved most of them! Congratulations, Melisa! We are so proud of you.

Education Required: 2 to 3 years

Outlook: 5.6% growth (above average)

Median Wages: $71,240

Job Duties: Engineering technologists and technicians help engineers solve technical problems. They draw sketches and blueprints of engineering designs. They make prototypes or models of the designs. They then test the prototypes to see if the designs perform as expected and meet standards.

Technologists and technicians work in most areas of engineering:

• Aerospace technologists and technicians build, install, and test parts of systems of aircraft.

• Civil technologists and technicians help plan and build roadways and structures.

• Electrical and electronic technicians and technologists design, repair and manufacture equipment.

• Electromechanical technologists and technicians install, test, and repair electronic and computer-controlled mechanical systems.

• Industrial technicians and technologists plan ways to improve production and reduce costs.

• Mechanical technologists and technicians help design, build and inspect machinery and mechanical parts.