The World of Work requirement is something that is mandatory for Howard County high school students. Most of the work takes place in 11th grade English classes, where students create resumes in preparation for Junior Interview Day. Sadly, the World of Work requirement was changed due to Covid-19. Junior Interview Day is usually a big event where the students get interviewed by adult volunteers, but this year, like so many other events, it was cancelled.
In order to maintain proper safety measures, the class of 2021 has been given an alternate virtual assignment to receive their World of Work requirement. Seniors must fill out a Google Form (sent via Canvas) responding to a question about their post-secondary plans. In addition, students will need to upload their 11th grade resumes. Both assignments are to be submitted to the Google Form by Friday, December 4th.
Many seniors were fully prepared for Junior Interview Day and were a bit disappointed that it was cancelled.
“I had my resume ready, and I would say that I was pretty mentally prepared for my interview. Honestly, I was kind of excited and not really that nervous since it wouldn’t be my first interview,” senior Ayo Amodu said. “Because of the coronavirus, these are measures that need to be taken for safety reasons, but I wasn’t too happy about the changes.”
Amodu wasn’t the only student who was disappointed.
“I was fully ready for the interview. I was in the process of reviewing possible questions so that I could be successful in the interview,” senior Aditya Ram said. “I was looking forward to the interview because I was hoping to gain real-world experience through succeeding in a simulated interview. However, I was also relieved since it was one less thing to worry about in these unprecedented times.”
Though there were some who were disappointed that they couldn’t have their big Interview Day, there were also some who didn’t mind the change.
Senior Isiah Silverio said, “I didn’t really have a reaction. I had already had experience [like] this. so it didn’t really affect me. I kind of felt bad for the people who really wanted to have one.”
Despite the ongoing global pandemic, some seniors think that an altered Junior Interview Day should still take place for this year’s juniors.
“I think it is beneficial for everyone to have that experience and that practice. Instead of doing a one-on-one interview in person, the school system should do one online using Google Meet or Zoom. It wouldn’t be the same, but it would give people an idea,” Silverio said.
Other seniors worry about the possibility of having to push back Interview Day for this year’s junior class.
“I think they should [do a virtual Interview this year], because, as a senior, there are already a lot of things to be worried about when it comes to college applications, classes, and other senior things. So, this should be something you should worry about junior year,” Amodu said. “I think that the juniors should have [some type of interview], since it is a realistic simulation of the real-world career industry. The experiences and advice gained from Junior Interview Day can be extremely useful in both college and job interviews.”
Students are a bit disappointed at the fact that they couldn’t have their interview day, but they are very understanding and they know that safety comes first. For now, seniors must focus on turning in their Google Forms by Friday, December 4th. As for this year’s juniors’ World of Work requirement, students will have to wait and see.