How Middle School Career Day Prepares Teens for Real-World Financial Decisions

Seventh and eighth graders at Perrysburg Junior High School recently participated in an interactive Career Day, organized by high school students in the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) program. This annual event featured 38 presenters from diverse fields including public safety, finance, construction, environmental science, and technical arts.

Interactive Career Exploration

Students rotated through different rooms, engaging with professionals who shared insights about their careers. One student, TJ Alexander, found the firefighter presentation particularly memorable, noting they "taught us how to use everything they use." The event aimed to expose students to potential career paths and opportunities available during high school.

Real-World Financial Simulation

A key highlight was the finance career class, where students participated in a "game of life" simulation. DECA member Abigail Lee guided them through budgeting exercises, assigning each student an "adult life" scenario with variables like spouse, children, and income.

Students learned to allocate funds for essentials:

• Basic utilities: cell phones, water, gas, electric, and trash
• Better utilities: basic utilities plus internet
• Best plan: all utilities plus subscriptions

They also worked with mortgage loan officer Jackie Nelson to determine affordable vehicle options based on simulated incomes, with some discovering they'd need to rely on public transportation.

Student-Led Initiative

DECA seniors Carter Schaetzke and Austin Schlieman organized the event over six weeks, drawing inspiration from their own Career Day experiences. "The more interactive and engaging the sessions were, the more we remembered it," Austin explained. Their project will be presented at the Ohio DECA Career Development Conference later this month.

The simulation revealed eye-opening realities for participants, with many concluding that "kids are expensive" and gaining new appreciation for actual living costs. As one organizer noted, "They're learning when they're running out of money that they can't be spending all of the money."