When we were kids, we were often asked "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
That question was the genesis of a podcast that was recently named a finalist in NPR's Student Podcast Challenge.
The voices behind the podcast "The Careers Kids Consider," Upper Arlington middle school students Abigail and Zoey, and their teacher Ms. Cat, spoke to Morning Edition Host Stu Osborne about the project.
Stu Osborne: What made you choose this topic for the podcast?
Zoey: So, it was kind of her (Abigail's) idea, but it got modified a lot. We were just throwing ideas around, a bunch of random stuff. I don't remember any of the random stuff.
Abigail: I think at some point, like the history of dragons was suggested.
Zoey: But then she said something like, hey, what if we do a podcast to help kids find jobs? Something along the lines of that, I think, yeah. And then it all started from there.
Stu Osborne: That's awesome. What were some of the responses you received from your classmates?
Zoey: We interviewed a lot of classmates and most of them want to be vets, lawyers or architects. And then we got like a few pop-ups, like I want to be an entrepreneur or I want to be a soccer player. Yeah, we got a lot of soccer players, actually, but not enough to count the top three.
Stu Osborne: As part of this podcast, you also talked to several adults and you asked them what their jobs are actually like. What did they tell you?
Zoey: One of the first people we knew we wanted to interview was a person with one of the jobs that so many people wanted to be. We could get a vet and she talked a lot about how it's not a lot of work with animals, but also a lot work with the people who own them or train them or make sure they're cared for.
Abigail: I think it was really interesting to interview my mom who's a pediatrician.
Zoey: I thought the story about when she helped a kid and then she saw the kid later on when she had her own kids and just saw how happy and healthy he was. I think that must have been a really emotional moment and we did want to interview some of the easy-access people who also had more work to their job than we thought, like our principal.
Abigail: Oh yeah. I feel like principals are somewhat underappreciated.
Zoey: You always think of that person who's sitting behind the desk and then you're waiting and then you see that kid bursting out of the double doors crying and you know, it's not real. She's actually really nice. Yeah, our principal was really, really nice.
Stu Osborne: Great! I want to bring your teacher into the conversation. Ms. Cat, how rewarding is it for you to see your students succeed in this project on the national level, but just overall the projects that you have them do?
Ms. Cat: In general, it means the world to me because I always knew that they had great things to say and to have them see that other people really want to hear from them. I think it means a world to me, but I also think the world to anybody who's considering a career in being an influencer or a journalist to understand that these careers aren't dying, and they're not just about online gaming or some of these other things that people can have real things to say that other people want to listen to and that can make a difference in the world.
Stu Osborne: And as a journalist myself, I appreciate you saying that. My final question for you Abigail and Zoey is probably one you might expect. What do you want to be when you grow up?
Zoey: I've always had a lot of like decision making in that when I first like heard the question I just thought I want to be a vet because that's what in my experience that's what most little kids want to do at some point in their life. Somebody who works with animals. Going to my mother's work and actually seeing what she does, I changed my mind very quickly. I saw one too many sticks or rocks being released from a dog's stomach. I've kind of always liked singing, but I really started to get into theater, and currently, I doubt this will change, but it probably will, I want to be an actress.
Abigail: I want to be an entrepreneur and I want to start my own bakery, and I'm thinking maybe write a recipe book [or] a kids' novel.
Click here to see the full list of finalists in NPR’s Student Podcast Challenge.
