Students see, hear career options at forum

Jerome Stanford went to business school at Indiana University, took on $60,000 in student loan debt and landed a job with a financial services company that took him all over the world.

But when the recession hit in 2008, his life changed in an instant.

He was laid off from his job, which paid him about $50,000 a year, only to see HSBC and other banks hire people for the same position for half that amount. After applying for various jobs and being scheduled for interviews only to fall short, and with a child on the way, Stanford had a conversation with his father, who worked in construction and was a part of the carpenters union for 40 years before his retirement three years ago.

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“He said, ‘you are the product of the union,’” Stanford said. “’You’ve always had healthcare.’ Dad always had a job, even if he didn’t he could always do side work until he got a job.”

Stanford decided to switch careers. He went to IvyTech Community College, which cost him a total of $400 through the carpenters union and became a journeyman carpenter, which paid more than his job as an international trader. Even when he switched jobs, the pay was the same across the board when it came to being a carpenter.

He shared his story at Endress and Hauser Inc. at the annual Parent and Student Career Forum on Thursday. He is now the business representative of the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters. He told students that while they may not be sure of what they want to do with their lives at this moment, it is never too late to make a change.

“Don’t be scared to make changes,” Stanford said. “The first time you accept something it might not be a good fit. Keep digging and find what’s right for you. There’s a lot of good experiences in college, but the building trades helped me really well and the skill-set followed me for the rest of my life. Sit back, evaluate, make sure it’s something you want to do for the rest of your life.”

Stanford was one of three speakers at the forum, which a mix of about 100 parent and students attended. Phil Kenney, President of F.A. Wilhelm Construction, spoke about the benefits of going into trades and discussed common misconceptions. Ideas about construction and skilled trades having no diversity, poor benefits, constant travel and low wages are simply untrue, he said. He also talked about the growing need for construction workers as more and more current workers reach retirement age.

“People are retiring faster than we’re replacing them,” Kenney said. “We’re losing a lot of skill sets. People don’t often know how to work with plaster or how to work with wood for carpentry.”

Students and their parents could ask questions of and network with industry professionals and education representatives from FedEx Express, NSK Precision America, F.A. Wilhelm, Central Nine and more.

“I’m trying to figure it out,” Whiteland High School junior Logan Beers said of his future. “There’s a lot of people here, they’re all friendly. They all know what they’re talking about. I’m learning a lot.”

Center Grove High School sophomore Christian Ruiz is also undecided about what career he wants to pursue but said the forum was interesting and showed him a variety of career options.

“I’m kind of all over the place,” Ruiz said. “I had an idea of something science-related like marine biology, but I’m losing interest in that. I think (the people here) are really friendly. There are interesting jobs and great information.”

Central Nine construction trades teacher Frank Wormann said the most satisfying part of going into construction is seeing the finished product.

“The best thing is you get to see what you did,” Wormann said. “For our students, we build a four-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom house valued at $250,000. It’s pretty impressive to have 15 to 18-year-olds do this. It’s a two-year project, a great project. People are very impressed. We have community members backing us, they’re donating $15,000 in materials to help us. They’re working with our kids while doing that. It’s a great opportunity for the kids.”