By By Lisa Tindell – news reporter
Dreams of being a fireman, nurse, ballerina or a professional athlete are common among 5- to 8-year-olds. However those dreams have changed somewhat over the past 12 years for most of those children. New hopes of being engineers and doctors, pharmacists, among other professions have replaced the childhood dreams of many 2007 graduates.
Graduation ceremonies for seniors at T.R. Miller High School, W.S. Neal High School and Flomaton High School will be held Friday at the respective schools.
Some of those childhood dreams may not be a bad idea with many of the new dreams being right on target for what the future holds in the world of careers and occupations.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, service-related jobs will see the fastest growth of any industry between now and 2014. Health-care professions are expected to be among the fastest growing occupations of all service job predictions.
Cannon said not all students know what they want to be as they head off to higher education.
Cannon said many students complete an interest inventory survey with the results helping counselors to advise students on their best course of education.
Students have expressed interest in many areas of study at W.S. Neal High School, said guidance counselor Gwynne Shell.
Shell said this year's group of seniors has produced an unusual number of male students who want to enter health-related fields.
Shell said indications are that most of the young women who plan to pursue college degrees will be going into education, with some preferring medical professions.
The students at T.R. Miller High School have similar aspirations, with a large number of students going into the health field.
Edge also said engineering is a goal of many students.
Edge said a survey of students indicates 55 percent of students plan to attend a four-year college, while 23 percent plan to attend a two-year college or vocational/technical institution.
Bobby Freeman, a graduating senior at W.S. Neal High School, said he plans to be a physical therapist or an orthopedic surgeon.
In a different direction, Stephen Neal, a senior at T.R. Miller High School, says he plans to pursue an education and career in advertising.
No matter what type of degree, diploma or certificate students pursue after high school graduation, a college education is never a mistake.