(Describer) Title: I Can Be Anything I Want to Be, A to Z. The title turns and the background opens to the Career Lab, with kids working at different stations. One pours a green liquid into a beaker.

[upbeat music]

♪

(girl) Chemistry, biology, geology, and physics. Did you know science teachers know about all these fields? They're science experts who share their knowledge, and every school has at least one. That is cool. But this career puts you on the property map and tests your people skills. Real-estate agents help families buy and sell their homes. For most people, that's the largest financial transaction of their lives. Event planners also work with people, but instead of helping families find their dream home, they pull off the perfect party, meeting, or big convention. Like real-estate agents, it's an entrepreneurial career.

[pinging]

[pings]

(Describer) On a screen...

(female) Attention, attention. The Office of the Alphabet has an urgent career request. That's the sound we've been planning to hear.

[pings] (female) Please stand by.

Music to my ears.

[beeping]

(Describer) They go to the screen which shows different letters until it stops on one.

"Y." Yowser, that's a hard one. Yoga instructor? Yard engineer-- transporting engines and cars to the railyard. Yo-yo designer?

(Describer) On the screen...

[pings]

Oh, youth program director! That makes more sense. Seems straightforward. Actually, this one is. Lauren Asquith will break this one down.

(Describer) He presses a button.

She's the youth program director at Five Rivers MetroParks. Hi, Lauren. Hello, Lab Squad kids. Can you tell us what you do day-to-day? A youth program director gets to plan, develop, implement, and then evaluate programs for kids of all ages. Youth program directors get to work on teams as well; you never work all by yourself. Specifically, at Five Rivers MetroParks, my classroom has no walls. I have 16,000 acres of forests, prairies, and wetlands that I explore with kids. Working at the park sounds fun. Where else might a youth program director work? A youth program director might work at a museum, a zoo, an aquarium, a park district, like me, or might work at a YMCA camp or an overnight camp where kids stay for an extended time. Lauren, do you ever work with wild animals? We have a butterfly house with many wild butterflies. We also have live animal ambassadors-- box turtles, a variety of native snakes, as well as a red-tailed hawk and an American kestrel, which we take out and showcase to kids like you so you can get to know animals in your backyard. That sounds awesome. Besides animals, what's your favorite part about your job? My favorite part of the job is working with kids. There's nothing more special than showing a child how to hold a crawdad, catching a butterfly, and realizing all the cool things in nature. We'll let you go now, but we appreciate you sharing this career. Bye, kids. Thanks for talking today. I hope to see you soon!

(Describer) He presses the button.

[pings]

Youth program directors plan fun, educational events so kids can learn and grow. That's so cool! Even more reason to spread the word. With more educators, kids will have a head start on their dream career. Now, this is one career I'm "sold" on.

(Describer) He holds up a "sold" sign.

W-what? Was it something I said?

(Describer) Title: I Can Be Anything I Want To Be, A to Z. Accessibility provided by the US Department of Education.

Accessibility provided by the U.S. Department of Education.