By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
The day was overcast and balmy, perfect for career day on Pelican Island. Students from the region came down to learn and experience more about what it would mean to serve in the United States military or work in any of the trades that are present in marine communities.
Galveston’s Naval Museum hosted just over 100 students, and the weather was in a cooperative mood—not too hot and not too cold. The wind level was high enough to be noticed but didn’t blow any of the students off their feet.
What got the students off their feet was the pull-up challenge set up by the Marine recruiters. Many students grabbed the bar, and some completed upwards of 20 pull-ups. Skyler, from Hitchcock High School, was one who made several crosses of his chin over the bar.
Skyler comes from a military family and has had his sights set on enlisting in the Army, but with some nudges, he is leaning toward the challenge of becoming a United States Marine. He is a junior in high school, so there is time to decide.
The Army recruiters had young people going down on the ground and doing push-ups. It was all part of learning and experiencing what military life is like. There was encouragement and coaching from the recruiters.
The students started their morning with a briefing and were organized into groups that rotated from one career recruiter to another with a ship’s horn indicating time to switch. The military was represented by Army Navy, Air Force, Marines, and as the Air Force recruiter said, “We are recruiting for Space Force,”
The US military wouldn’t be complete without the United States Coast Guard. They were on hand with a helicopter and boat for giving young people a tour of the equipment along with a recruitment speech.
The Merchant Marines during war time, are a part of the military. They were also represented at the Naval Museum Career Day.
Beyond service to their country via the US military, each student spent time learning about the many trades that have highly sought-after jobs with pay that tops the six- figure range without a four-year degree.
For instance, the electrical trades start a person out at $17 an hour while he or she is in training. This salary is also offered with other trades. Young people can come out of college and start earning a good paycheck while training for a career with an even better pay-check.
There are many careers in the maritime industry, such as firefighting, tugboat operators, welding, millwrights, carpenters and professional pile drivers. All these careers are open to women, and there were about an equal number of women as men at the career fair.
For those not interested in working near the coast, there were recruiters for other trades at Pelican Island.
Opening the museum for high school students to learn more about careers was the brainchild of museum board member, David Anderson. He started working on the idea in December and kept plugging away, reaching out to schools and ROTC programs. He built a plan for the day with plenty of options for the students. The museum staff engaged in helping create an educational, immersive and all-around enjoyable day for the students.
“This day was about educating young people on the options they have,” Anderson said.
Each table/station was staffed with a professional who spoke to the students about the benefits of their program. The students listened intently and asked questions.
As the students were finishing their tour of the museum’s two ships, they were given a chance to view a Coast Guard helicopter taking off from the island. The rotors stirred up wind, and eyes watched the orange and white mechanical bird begin to hover over the island and then move into the airspace until it was no longer in sight.
The museum staff and volunteers were very pleased with the day and hope to conduct another one next year. All the while the students were learning about careers, visitors to the museum roamed in and out of the ships and expressed enjoyment with the added benefit of the young people and the recruiters.
