Students follow Marines at Cherry Point base

[thedrifter]

Updated 02/03/2009 06:02 PM
Students follow Marines at Cherry Point base

By: Andrea Pacetti

CHERRY POINT, N.C. – Craven County high school students got an up-close look at some Marine Corps careers through the National Groundhog Shadow Day Tuesday.

New Bern High School Senior Kevin Battersby was one of them. He said he's known since he entered high school that the Marine Corps was for him.

"I love the lifestyle," Battersby said. "I love the attitude that to do good, get up and go, don't stop."

Tuesday, he was so close to the Marines' firing range, he could smell the gunpowder.

Another 27 students from Havelock High School and New Bern High School participated in the event in various locations around the base. Many of them are members of the Junior ROTC.

"We specifically sought out the specialty group to help these kids be placed in their field of interest," MCAS Community Planner Vanessa Lawrence said.

Those fields ranged from the weather station to the shooting range. Organizers say jobs on military bases may look more attractive to students these days.

"Many students are looking into the stability and the security in these turbulent times. The economy is just horrendous right now," Lawrence said. "People are being let go with no notice, there's definitely security with the military."

Lawrence says the military is always hiring as well. And she knows firsthand the impact job shadowing can have.

"My career, where I am today, started with a National Groundhog Shadow Day," she said.

Battersby said his desire to join the Marines has more to do with the lifestyle than the economy. He says after a day with the Marines, he's more convinced than ever.

Video
http://news14.com/content/local_news/coastal/604464/students-follow-marines-at-cherry-point-base/Default.aspx

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Students Get Chance to Set Sights on Secure Military Jobs While Economy Struggles

By Philip Jones
Reporter
Published: February 3, 2009

Thousands of students here in the east will turn their tassels this May when they graduate from high school or college.

With the economy struggling, they could face an uphill battle to find secure jobs.

But as Nine On Your Side’s Philip Jones explains, some local high school students got an up-close look Tuesday at one employer that’s always hiring—the military:

For Marines at MCAS Cherry Point, target practice is all in a day’s work.

After spending some time shadowing them Tuesday morning, New Bern High School senior Kevin Battersby says there’s no doubt he’s setting his sights on a career in the military.

“I really want this life, you know,” said Battersby, who hopes to attend NC State University this fall. “I like the lifestyle, I love the attitude.”

Kevin and about two dozen other high school students from Craven County got a chance to spend time at Cherry Point through a program called National Groundhog Job Shadow Day.

“It really gives them a better perspective and a rare perspective that most civilians don’t have the opportunity to do,” said Vanessa Lawrence, Cherry Point’s community planner and liaison specialist.

But the students are getting more than just a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on here at Cherry Point on a daily basis.

With an economy that’s in turmoil and so few businesses in the private sector hiring, they’re getting an up-close glimpse at a career field that could offer them some serious job security.

“I think, first of all, that many young people are looking to the stability and the security in these turbulent times,” Lawrence said.

She says a career in the military offers unparalleled job security and job satisfaction – and she would know.

She joined the Navy and served in the Gulf War after she attended National Groundhog Job Shadow Day when she was in high school.

“It did lead me to where I am today,” she said.

And chances are, it’ll lead Kevin to where he’s heading in the future.

“I think it’s an awesome experience,” he said. “I’m definitely glad I got out here to do job shadowing.”

While on base Tuesday, the students checked out a number of different career fields, including the military police, fire and rescue, the base’s weather service and the base hospital, just to name a few.

Video
http://www.wnct.com/nct/news/local/article/students_get_chance_to_set_sights_on_secure_milita ry_jobs_while_economy_str/30740/

Ellie