Dawson County High juniors and seniors caught a glimpse of various occupational options last week during the high school's annual career day.

Hosted by the Dawson County Rotary Club, more than 30 volunteers showed up early Feb. 16 to speak to classes about their jobs and to answer questions.

Representation from numerous vocations filled the school's hallways -from accountants to small business owners to community servicemen.

Rotarian Jane Graves spoke to seniors about how her career has been ever-changing. In addition to working in the oil industry for more than 10 years, she was also a Mary Kay Cosmetics director for 20 years.

She gave students the advice to "find your niche, be true to yourself and go for your dreams."

Lava Hair Studio owner Karen Covington asked students: "What's a goal that comes from your heart?"

She shared how she got into hairstyling and why it is meaningful to her, explaining that doing something you find important is necessary to being content.

Accountant Carol Tyger advised all students to "intern or work in the field you think you want to go into" for numerous reasons, including building up their resumé for future job applications.

Whereas some upperclassmen admitted they were still unsure what they wanted to do, others said they already knew.

Senior Jake Baudin originally thought about being a lawyer, but recently decided he wanted to be a fiber optic welder instead.

"I was looking up careers that are going to be skyrocketing in the near future and supposedly this area is going to become a new silicon valley and when that happens there will be a really high demand for fiber optic welders," Baudin said.

He admits the higher salary and time spent training were factors in his decision.

"I will probably go to school for about four years for this ... and I really don't want to go to school for eight years to be a lawyer," Baudin said.

Senior Amber Clark already knows she wants to become an elementary school teacher and eventually a school principal.

"I love interacting with little kids. It's a lot of fun for me because I get a lot out of it seeing people grow and knowing I was a part of that," Clark said.

"I want to be a principal because I feel like it is something to work up to. It's a goal. I don't want to just become a teacher and have nothing to work toward."

Clark, who is attending Berry College in the fall, believes she is skilled for the job because she likes administrative duties and is "kind of bossy," she said with a smirk.

For the students who are still unsure of what occupation they want to pursue after graduation, career day helps them get a taste of the different fields.

"It is nice to see all the aspects of careers that are out there and what you could do," Baudin said. "It's nice to hear people's stories; it gives a real life perspective."