CareerCon’s annual gathering will take place in the King Street auditorium on Friday, February 16, 2024 at 1:45 p.m. The four components of this event, which debuted only last year, will come in handy when looking for a job or deciding on a career. First, you must register and pick up a pamphlet before the opening session of each breakout room as you will need it for the entire event. All attendees, including parents, college students, teachers, and high school students, will be gathered for this “big welcome” at the opening session. During that time, there will be an overview of the tasks and a brief speech from the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus and the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, who organized this event with the intention of enhancing the connection between students and members of the business community. What follows is two hours and ten minutes of advice, and a chance at an interest-based scholarship.
Track one, also known as “meet the pro’s,” will feature eight breakout rooms covering many different careers. Some careers that will be included this year are Cybersecurity, Healthcare, Finance, Entrepreneurship, Government & Criminal Justice, High Paying Certification Career Paths, and Wellness & Beauty. There will be a mix of professionals in each breakout room specializing in a certain field. This year’s hospitality and tourism breakout room, which will include the ‘Pork Barrels’ owner, is one noteworthy breakout room. Participants are welcome to ask any questions they may have about anything from everyday duties to job applications during this hour. The primary purpose of this task is to help you narrow down your options to the career you think best fits your abilities and skills.
During the next hour, which can be thought of as “how to” or track two, the volunteers will cover topics such as building credit, applying and interviewing for jobs, completing day one employment paperwork, and advice for applying to 4-year and 2-year colleges. This session is very similar to the tasks’ one outline, but it differs in that there will be a job hunting breakout room to assist with finding the difference between resumes and cover letters, navigating Linkedin, an app focused on business and employment, and effectively researching jobs. This is arguably the most significant aspect of CareerCon, as it will assist you in your day-to-day activities.
After learning essential life and work-related information for nearly three hours, the closing session will begin at 4:45. As previously mentioned, all students who attend the entire program are eligible to apply for an “interest-based scholarship,” so commitment through both tasks is encouraged. Students who receive a pamphlet and have their three stickers will be eligible to participate in the draw where the Chamber of ALX will randomly choose a couple of students to split a four thousand dollar scholarship.
“CareerCon is a great opportunity to network and learn from the best,” said James Pondolfino, Director of the Academy of Finance at ACHS, and avid CareerCon supporter.
“The presenters give practical advice that students can use to create a strategy to build and shape their career for a successful future. I like that students get to choose which workshops to attend based on their personal interests,” said Pondolfino.
If you’re still unsure, think about it like this: Investing three hours of your time in this event could serve as an investment in your future success.
