Career Choice Factors
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The student’s support sytem made up of parents, relatives, siblings, peers, teachers, and
counselors may be the most environmental factor.
Industry provided many opportunities for the students of GHS in the local area. In
an interview with the researcher, Mr. Kenneth Heines, president of KLH Industries in
Germantown, stated that he wished there would be a more ongoing effort to motivate,
educate, and direct students in the direction of the machine trades. He felt that students
were not being told on an equal basis, by career counselors, the success stories of those in
the trade at present; compared to those that pursued a traditional four year college
profession. Some of his employees had at one time floundered in a previous career.
Eventually frustration took these students down the path of investigating the technical
trades more thoroughly. With the education they received at the technical college, along
with the support of business, they then attained a much better quality of life than before
(K.L. Heines, personal communications, May, 2002).
Educational opportunities for high school seniors at Germantown High School
include the Wisconsin State College system, many private colleges, and three technical
colleges, including Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC), Waukesha County
Technical College (WCTC), and Moraine Park Technical College (MPTC). There is a
rich diversity of jobs available, from manufacturing, service, health, military, and the full
gamut of professional positions. MATC is the technical college that students from
Germantown High School would most likely attend upon graduation. MATC boasts a
curriculum that offers 150 associate degrees, and that students could benefit from career
planning, counseling, and employment development through career counseling at
(Milwaukee Area Technical College, 2002). The students at Germantown High School