It was a day of career exploration for Mountain Creek Middle School students.

Seventh-grade students participated in job shadow day, eighth-graders learned about professions during career day and ninth-graders got a taste of adulthood as they took part in Reality Town.

“We’ve had career exploration before, but we decided to schedule it all on one day to keep class disruptions to a minimal,” Mountain Creek Middle School counselor David Parker said, who helped organize the Reality Town segment. “We had a lot of moving parts that day and are grateful for those who came for the benefit of our students.”

Reality Town is the event many middle schoolers look forward to, having learned about it from siblings or classmates. The Utah-based company offers careers to ninth-graders along with family scenarios. The students then are given a monthly salary to purchase their housing, transportation, food and other necessities as well as some things they want. The goal is for the students to learn how to budget their money and be financially secure.

“This year, we did it a little differently. We took their cumulative eighth grade GPA and then the first semester of their ninth grade GPA, as a best snapshot of the actual grades that they earned. We then had them use that GPA in a GPA range for different careers, and they got to apply for their jobs within their career range. So, it reflected the hard work students put in. That resulted in stark realization for some students,” Parker said.

Along with a job application, students had a lesson on how to create resumes. 

“We went over the job application process, references, career research, resumes and GPAs so they’d have some understanding of that,” he said, adding that if students dressed up, were studying a second language or had someone volunteer, they got a boost in their salaries. “One of my favorite outfits was a student who wore flippers and snorkel gear as he was a marine biologist.”

When the ninth-graders made it to Reality Town, they learned first-hand how to balance their spending.

“There were required booths they had to go to, like housing, transportation, food, clothes and essentials. All students were assigned at least one child, so they had to go to the Kids Corner for childcare,” he said. “The students learned a lot. Some students had a family of four and they were trying to buy a sports car so our volunteers would question them how they were going to drive their kids. The pet store was popular as they all wanted pets; many of them bought the cheaper goldfish than buying horses. I heard frustration when someone said they bought this new car and the tire blew, and another who randomly learned they broke their arm complained that now they had to spend money for a doctor’s appointment. I even heard someone say they wanted to try to give their Reality Town booklet back because they didn’t want to be an adult.”

Not only did they rely on adult volunteers, but also Jordan Credit Union employees who talked to the students about the importance of saving and spending and shared with them how to set up a bank account. The ninth-graders counted on advice from Herriman High School National Honors Society students, many who had previous years’ experience with Reality Town.

After the day full of lessons, Parker and others follow up with the students.

“We have them write a paper about what they learned so they can reflect on it,” he said. “There definitely was some eye-opening realization on how much childcare is and just having children in general costs. There always is someone who asks if they can sell their children so they can afford an entertainment set or vacation.”

At all the career exploration events, about 100 career professionals came to share with students and about 65 volunteers helped to make them happen.

“I think they all learned an incredible amount. One of my favorite things about Reality Town is just the realization that your choices have consequences, and you can change your choices. It’s a fun, non-threatening way to learn where some decisions may lead before it’s too late and to gauge where your future may be,” he said. “It gives them the chance to say, I want X amount of clothes and I want a big family, but I want to drive this car and go on this vacation. We’re able to help teach students skills, but they’re able to see it more when they’re engaged and learning first-hand.” λ