I Found My Dream Career at Milton Hershey School
By Conner Darnofall, MHS Senior
I know what I want to do when I grow up because I went to Milton Hershey School. By helping me get as much experience and connections as possible, MHS helped me find my interests and determine my path for after graduation. Through the Career and Technical Education (CTE) program, I was exposed to different careers when I was in Middle Division.
During this time, I was drawn to the hands-on pathways and the ones that involved math, science, and technology. Once I got to high school, I got to choose four pathways that I wanted to explore and was able to take an introductory path in each. I chose Carpentry/Construction, Automotive Technology, Engineering & Design, and Computer Science & Innovation—ultimately, in the long term, I chose Automotive Technology. This was a hard decision for me, because I wasn’t choosing which pathway would better prepare me for my career—I was choosing which one I was more interested in. Every CTE pathway at MHS will give you the skills you need to succeed, you just to have to figure out which career excites you the most.
I don’t just get to learn in the classroom, though. I’ve gotten to meet people who work in manufacturing plants with The Hershey Company to learn about careers that exist for people who are trained in automotive technology. I’ve gotten to go on college visits that are specifically tailored to the skills I want to have after graduating from MHS.
When I go to college, I know what I want to study and what classes I would enjoy taking. Since MHS has allowed me to take multiple college courses, I can skip some of the entry-level classes that a first-year student would be required to take. MHS took my interests and helped me figure out what my dream job is, and they’ve given me the skillset to achieve it.