TALKING TO 8TH GRADERS
How much money do you make? What college did you go to? What don’t you like about your job? Did you have fun in college? Who’s the most famous person you have interviewed? Do you really like your job? Why do you like your job? Those were some of the questions that were asked of me by the 8th grade class at Dawson-Boyd high school. I have been asked the last couple of years to sit on a panel to come visit with the Dawson-Boyd 8th graders about a range of topics. Each student comes prepared with a question to ask each of us on the panel.
The panel consists of five adults, with varying college degrees. A banker, a 4-H leader, a nurse, a teacher and me, the radio guy. The purpose of this get together is to have the 8th graders learn a little bit about the variety of education and career options available. So, teachers Kelly Tufto, Nichole Swenson, Preston Schwegel, and Karen Anderson ask people in the community to come speak to the students. They picked us knowing we all have taken different career paths, and as to how we got to where we are today.
We shared our life lessons/life experiences with them. I found the students to be really interested in what we all had to say. They all asked very good questions. One question that I enjoyed answering was from a boy. He asked me when I was in 8th grade, what did I want to do when I grew up? My answer was to broadcast sports on the radio at the professional level. I wanted to broadcast Minnesota North Star hockey and Gopher football to be exact. My idols were radio broadcasters Al Shaver of the North Stars and Ray Christenson of the Gophers. It took me 30 some years to be able to put a headset on and broadcast sports on the radio. Yes, at the high school level and I love it. I haven’t made it to the professional level, but it is still a dream. I do thank God every day for my job of broadcasting sports on the radio.
My path to a broadcasting career wasn’t normal and I wanted to relay that to the 8th graders. Sometimes things happen during the course of your life that pulls you in another direction but stay working hard and pursue what you love to do. My final advice to them was simple. Life is way more that pursuing money, material things or fame. Money isn’t everything, pursue what you love and want to do. If you like butterflies, somebody in the world will pay you too study butterflies. Work hard. Stay out of debt. Make good choices and be kind to people.