High school is a place where you are meant to learn and prepare for your future career, but what do you do if the school you attend doesn’t supply you with the classes needed to prepare you?  

June Robinson, a junior at Rolla High School, suggests ways to take special classes. Robinson is part of the fashion design class that is offered at the highschool.

 “I think students can get prepared by taking classes that are offered at the high school or RTI, but if their career classes aren’t offered I suppose they would just look into college clubs and out of school activities,” stated Robinson.

Rolla High School provides many elective classes such as fashion design, childhood development, various drama-based classes, and a new class for future teachers. Junior Alivea Hall recently got her certification as an esthetician, which is an eyelash technician. It took a lot of time, money, and effort to get the certification.

“I think classes like these are vital for giving kids the opportunity to expand on their interests and gain new hobbies and skills,” said Hall.

RHS has many students who do activities outside of school to help prepare for their future career. 

“So actually, a couple months ago, I had seen some ads about it [cosmetology school], and it was a little bit further away in Illinois, I looked around in Missouri to see if there’s anything here and there wasn’t. So, I had to go all the way to Chicago just to get something because our school doesn’t offer anything like that,” stated Hall.

Hall ended up spending one thousand dollars on the certification and getting supplies.

“So I’m already over $1,000 into this stuff. I have some girls that are actually paying me to do their eyelashes now. Plus you have to buy your massage table to lay down your equipment, your chairs, your lashes. So I’m pretty deep into it,” said Hall.

Keep in mind that RHS does provide many different classes to help with your future. The school has classes such as Fashion Design, where you learn everything there is to know about the fashion industry. Students who take this class will also become acquainted with fashion terms, forecasting, and theories of fashion change.

Another class is Early Childhood Careers I and II, where you learn the primary knowledge and skills needed for a future career in early childhood development, you will get hands-on experience with the children, teaching and course planning. 

There are many more classes at RHS that provide assistance in preparing for one’s future career. We are very lucky to work with and be able to send students over to the Rolla Technical Institute and Center, which provides students hands-on experience with many varieties of work spaces. Some of the classes that are offered at RTI are Masonry, Veterinary Science, Construction trades, Heating and Air Conditioning, and Electrical and Plumbing. 

There are many varieties of future careers, and many different classes to take to get prepared for those types of jobs. At the end of the day, let your drive push you and go for what makes you happy.

“I also want to say that for anyone who’s thinking about doing [Cosmetology and Esthetician classes], they should 100% go into it. It’s more like if you’re into creating something every day and making people smile and be happy. And being your own boss, you know, setting your own clients. It’s gonna be fun. It’s about making connections,” stated Hall.