By Taylor Barnhill - bio | email | Twitter
COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) - Most of our "Be There" stories are families in the area but sometimes its nice to see what other people in the community are doing for children.
News Leader Nine caught up with a pair of men who are teaching parents and students how to prepare for the future, and make plans that stick.
Reginald Beaty, and his partner Tony Owens, have made a career out of helping students plan for theirs, "They won't get that practical experience until they get there but they can start preparing prior to."
They share tips about planning for college and finding out more about potential jobs.
"If you give them the opportunity to have internships or job shadows they can make more informed decisions about what majors they want to what they really want to do in life," Beaty, who is the President of the Foundation for Educational Success, said.
Tony Owens added, "Also concentrating on finding an internship and finding ways to explore opportunities for them to go into the field they've identified."
Even if the job is bagging groceries or flipping burgers, Beaty says it's important to prepare your child for the interview process, "Just simple things like knowing how the basic handshake goes and understanding what small talk is."
And your children should learn more advanced steps for getting a job.
"It may be different dress. You don't dress like you're going to a ball game when you go to an internship. It's not just about the dress, it's about the behavior. They need to understand the behavior and the culture of the workplace and what questions to ask and how to carry themselves," Beaty told News Leader Nine.
When they speak to kids, Owens also tries to stress the importance of staying on track with their future plans, "We make sure they're not just talking about it but having a written plan. Having that process re-enforces the plan and they can look back on it. Once they go through that process, we can ensure kids leave high school with a written and deliberate plan for the rest of their lives."
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