Firefighting and healthcare proved to be popular choices, but markets and money were not overlooked by the students who attended the Jefferson County Jobs Fair in the Port Townsend High School gymnasium Oct. 25.

Juniors Elias Iardella and Jordan Lang are both leaning toward East Jefferson Fire Rescue, but Iardella also has an eye on the maritime industry, while Lang expressed an affinity for construction.

“I’ve had family members and other people I know go into the fire service, so it’s something I’ve aspired to,” Iardella said. “It’s a job where you can help people and develop useful skill sets.”

TRANSFERRABLE SKILLS

“It sounds like a nice first job,” Lang agreed. “Even at the beginning, you’re learning things that other employers look for, like dedication and how to stay cool under pressure.”

Iardella favors professions where he can build on his skills over time, as he’s already doing as a student in the Port Townsend Maritime Academy, while Lang is a hands-on learner who takes to on-the-job training, a key aspect of his fondness for construction.

“My uncle turned me onto that,” Lang said. “Who wouldn’t want to build million-dollar homes?”

Senior Sebastion Presler also had his curiosity piqued by the firefighters, and wished the Port Townsend Police Department had been present for the jobs fair as well, but he expects he’ll probably enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps.

“I wanted to go for the branch of service that would be the hardest to get into,” said Presler, whose grandfather was a veteran. “If I didn’t do that, I might be going to work for Edensaw. I like hands-on work like building boats. I’ve already done it as part of Kelley Watson’s Maritime (Career and Technical Education) classes.”

Fellow senior Ruthann Patterson came into the jobs fair inclined to continue her lifelong pursuit of music, but visits with booths such as Jefferson Healthcare reminded her of why she’s also drawn to the medical profession.

Patterson has already been working toward becoming a certified nursing assistant, even though a number of the necessary classes are not available before you turn 18, but “music has always been part of my life,” and has helped her cope with challenges.

“Music is an escape,” said Patterson, who nonetheless noted the importance of nurses in her life, since she was born three months premature. “The first person who ever held me was a nurse, and hearing about that later inspired me.”

If Patterson pursues a nursing career, she expects to go overseas, to provide medical care and assistance for populations who are impoverished, most likely as part of a nonprofit.

GETTING AWAY

Juniors Violet Moell and Cedar Elliott are looking to put a little distance between themselves and Port Townsend after they graduate.

“I need to get out,” Elliott said, “anywhere but here. Maybe Seattle, so I could still be close to my family. I want to be relatively close to everything, but not feel stuck.”

“I’ve been thinking about community college and Western Washington University, but I’d still like to be able to come back and visit,” Moell said.

Moell has always wanted to be a teacher, since she connects readily with small children and believes in the importance of education, especially for students who might be struggling in their home lives. But the jobs fair introduced her to the prospect of banking, which appeals to her pragmatic side.

“If I were to go into banking, I could hit the ground running right after high school,” Moell said.

Before the jobs fair, Elliott was interested in becoming a doctor to help people, and thought that specializing in plastic surgery might allow her to express her artistic and creative side, in addition to benefiting those born with conditions such as cleft palate.

DEBT WORRIES

“But I met some of the realtors here, and I think that could be a neat job, too,” Elliott said. “You get to meet a lot of different and interesting people, and the money sounds good. Plus, it’s a lot less student loan debt than going into medicine.”

The Jefferson County Jobs Fair was organized by PTHS counselor Kiley Gard, in conjunction with Judy Alexander from the Local 20/20 of East Jefferson County, and Martha Trollin of Skillmation.