By Quincey Reese
Making a career-related decision is a challenging task that all students face at some point in their lives. Even if they do have an idea of the career they want to pursue, giving the final say can still be daunting.
In these cases, it is helpful to have the advice of someone who has already been through the process. This was the aim of Penn-Trafford librarian Paul Conrad when he invited author Brian Hagan and his wife, artist Brandy Sinclair, to speak to students about their particular careers.
Both speakers talked to P-T students Thursday Feb. 23rd in the Media Center. Sinclair spoke first during sixth period, and Hagan finished up the day speaking during seventh period.
Conrad said he met both Hagan and Sinclair at the Monroeville Comic Book Convention about a year ago. He was interested in inviting them to speak to students but was unable to last year due to the school’s undertaken renovations. This year, however, it became a realistic possibility.
Sinclair discussed her career in jewelry, metalworking and two-dimensional design. She gave a brief rundown of the history behind jewelry before giving a demonstration of ancient chain-making and fusing.
She said she wanted the students to see history is not out of their reach and assure them mistakes should not stop them from continuing.
“I wanted to show students that history doesn’t need to stay stuck in museum cases,” Sinclair said. “If you’re willing to learn and get your hands dirty, you can recreate a piece of it for yourself. Also, it’s okay to make mistakes. You can polish the dings away later.”
She continued to say she hoped she could inspire students interested in art to see the job possibility behind such a career.
“I think it’s important for students to hear from self-employed artists and crafts workers, because so many young, aspiring artists are told that they’ll never be able to make a living doing art,” Sinclair said. “You hear about them on the internet, but to meet one and have them show you what they do and answer questions about their lifestyle can open a world of possibilities that they might not have known exists.”
Second to speak was Hagan, who is not only an author and writer but also a gemologist with college education in animation and entertainment technology. So far, he has published one novel entitled “The Horrible Plan of Horace Pickle.”
In his speech, he discussed the difference between self and traditional publishing, writing techniques and other pieces of advice he had for students. Hagan continued to say he mostly wanted students to hear more about writing as an industry and open their minds to actually pursuing the career.
“For most students, it was mostly informational: to expand their understanding of an industry. But for a couple students, I really wanted to tell them that not only is it possible to be an author, here is how to become one,” Hagan said. “I wanted to make the possibility more real to them; that it’s not some mythical job that only other people can get. If I helped them become better writers, that’s just a bonus.”
Conrad explained he invited Hagan and Sinclair to speak at the school because he felt it could be beneficial to students interested in writing and art.
“The school district wants you guys to be able to write well, because in the real world, you have to be able to write. No matter what job you have, you’re going to write something at some time,” Conrad said. “I also thought that what Brandy does was pretty cool and would be neat for students to see.”
He continued to say the experience may help to open students minds to the wide expanse of career options.
“I think it is important for students to go to events like this, because it lets you see that when you go on from high school, whether you go to college or right into the workforce, what all is out there and what you can do with the things that interest you,” Conrad said. “It shows you all the career possibilities, and that there’s a lot out there that goes beyond the basic nature of a subject area.”