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For high school students nearing the end of their senior year, the world will soon be their oyster. But, as with the bivalved mollusk, no pearl can be obtained without first learning to crack open the shell.

Fortunately for local high school and home school students, Kenai Peninsula College annually organizes Career Day for them to learn -- from presenters speaking about the fields they work in -- what career they may want to choose as an occupation, and how and where to get the information, skills or education to make it happen.

"We start by giving them a questionnaire," said Krista Timlin, KPC's career and community engagement programs manager.

The questionnaire prepares the more than 250 students to ask things such as "What is a typical day like?," "What kind of things should I do to prepare to enter your field of work?," and "Are opportunities available for advancement or promotions within your field?"

"We also give them information of which occupations will be in demand," Timlin said.

This information -- obtained from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development's Research and Analysis Section -- provides students with a list of what these in-demand jobs are, what they pay on average, how many openings there were in these occupations in recent years, and how many openings there are expected to be, projected to 2014.

With this information in hand, the students were then allowed to choose four sessions, from the more than 60 offered. There were also representatives from all branches of the armed forces, Alaska Vocational Technical Center, Alaska Job Corps, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Youth Restoration Corps, and Boy Scouts of America.

"We also provide them with information about the college, so they can learn about what degrees and certificates are offered here," Timlin said.

As the students made their selections, it became clear which occupations were the most popular.

"The sessions with the highest attendance was Paramedic and EMT, which had 59 attendees," Timlin said.

However, the Photography and Art Careers sessions was almost equally well attended, according to Timlin. She said, "We had 58 attendees in there."

Certified Nursing and Nursing Careers also drew 41 attendees, followed by the Psychologist and Mental Health session which drew 40 attendees. Veterinarian and Veterinary Technician, Civil and Environmental Engineer, Law Enforcement Investigation and Patrol, Troopers Wildlife Enforcement, and Pharmacist also drew large numbers of students.

Most of the other sessions averaged 20 to 25 students, and at the other end of the spectrum, the Banking and Loan Officer Careers session only had two attendees.

"We didn't get a lot in that one," Timlin said.

Both presenters and attendees seemed to gain from the Career Day experience. David Wartinbee, who presented the Medical and Biological Scientist session, said he enjoyed being able to discuss with students occupations in the field they may not be aware of.

"I try to point out that there are other avenues besides just being a physician. There's folks doing microbiology, toxicology, pathology and genetics, just to name a few, and these fields are huge," he said.

Sadie Arneson, a junior at Cook Inlet Academy, said she also found Career Day helpful.

"I still have one more year of high school and have no idea what I want to do yet, but of the sessions I went to, I liked History (Careers). It was really interesting and the information on jobs available was helpful," she said.

For anyone that missed the Career Day event, the KPC Career and Community Engagement Center provides information for free to students and the general public. For more information, contact Timlin at 262-0377.

Joseph Robertia can be reached at joseph.robertia@peninsulaclarion.com.