What do you want to be when you grow up?
Who doesn’t enjoy the conversations and curiosity this question elicits from young minds? It’s been a favorite of parents throughout the years, me included.
During the “earlier” years, my own kids expressed interest in a range of occupations – firefighter, teacher, soldier, dancer, farmer, fixer-person. Nothing too out of the ordinary.
However, my daughter did express interest to her kindergarten teacher once about being a “contortionist,” likely influenced by her favorite TV show, “America’s Got Talent.” The jury is still out on her future.
Now with two children in their late teens, one in college and another in high school, conversations about their futures are a bit more pressing. Of course, as a dad, I’d love to extensively discuss the range of options and career paths for kids today. And, unsurprisingly to my children, I’m also eager to leverage my experience and provide a fatherly nudge toward a career in one of the fastest-growing, dynamic, meaningful, versatile and exciting industries, the electric industry. But, unsurprisingly to their dad, the response from my kids on the verge of adulthood is “I don’t know.”
Sometimes, a message is more effective when it comes from someone other than Mom or Dad. So, feel free to share my pitch (which I’ve spent years perfecting) with the young adult in your life about the many job opportunities in the electric industry and at cooperatives.
Interested in a skilled trade and the opportunity to learn on the job? Read about the many apprenticeship opportunities available in the electric industry on page 8 and how you can join the technicians working on the front lines of meeting our nation’s energy needs.
Interested in computers and engineering? Electric cooperatives need workers to design and monitor transmission systems, keep IT networks running smoothy and protect systems from cyber attacks.
Interested in finance and accounting? Our industry needs accountants and administrative professionals to manage the financial well-being and day-to-day operations of electric cooperatives.
Interested in communications and storytelling? There are countless opportunities to tell the cooperative story and engage with co-op members. Maybe having your own column in a magazine is your dream. It’s possible through electric cooperatives. And if I can do it, you can, too.
Electric cooperatives support workforce development, education, on-the-job training, apprenticeships and opportunities to learn. Recently, North Dakota’s electric cooperatives helped make a hands-on electrical trades camp possible for high school students. And each summer, our co-ops send local kids to Washington, D.C., for the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour, which introduces teens to cooperatives and our government in action. Programs like these demonstrate how the cooperative network invests in the future workforce.
And for those aspiring “contortionists,” I’m confident this dad can help find a career path with cooperatives, too!
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Josh Kramer, editor-in-chief of North Dakota Living, is executive vice president and general manager of NDAREC. Contact him at jkramer@ndarec.com.
