BAYLIS, Ill. (WGEM) – On Thursday, a group of John Wood agriculture students polished their resumes for an inaugural career fair at JWCC’s Agricultural Education Center that could determine their future.

“There’s tons of opportunity here,” said JWCC ag. sophomore Ross Thompson.

Whether they wanted to get their hands dirty out in the field or teach agriculture in a classroom, there was something for everyone.

“I’m kind of moving towards the newer technology, you can say, with the drones,” Thompson said. “It’s good experience. It’s just good to know it’s one of the next big things in agriculture.”

 

Thompson said even though he has a clear idea of what he wants to do, this career fair still benefits him.

“I’m just really looking to see what’s out there,” Thompson said. “I don’t want to just settle for one thing.”

Of course, it was a win-win for employers in search of young minds fresh out of school.

Big-name government agencies such as the USDA were present to talk with students about the plethora of career avenues.

“[We have] the engineering side with design work,” said USDA soil conservationist Mitchell Carr. “Or, it could be soil health or soil conservation. [We] do a lot of fieldwork. Go out in the field and meet farmers.”

Other employers were a little less known with jobs that were, in the world of ag., less common. One example was agriculture consulting firm Uncommon Farms.

“We do a lot of things that farmers don’t enjoy doing,” said Brian Long, senior director for insurance solutions. “We found a need where there are lots of services provided that does anything from tax accounting to risk management, crop insurance.”

In total, about 40 employers turned out to the JWCC Ag. Career Fair. The event was also open to area high school students.