By: Talon Nadvornik
Dickinson High School Senior
I learned about Work-Based Learning from a previous participant, Josh White. Once I found out about it, I asked if they had any accounting positions, which they did not at the time. However, the instructor, Mr. Kovash, reached out to me, stating that he found an opening that is related to Accounting, and I accepted immediately. Now, for the past 4 months, I have been working at Shane White Plumbing as a work-based learning intern. Shane White Plumbing is a plumbing company that does plumbing installations and repairs. It is located only in Dickinson, North Dakota; however, they do jobs located in many different areas.
My duties at Shane White Plumbing are much different than you might think, rather than doing plumbing work, I was in the office. While in the office, I was taught many necessary skills for running a business such as reconciling accounts, writing checks, and much more to do with the money going in and out of the business. These skills also helped me later on in one of the classes I was taking, Personal Finance, as we learned about similar skills.
The hardest part about my experience in Work-Based Learning was setting a routine. Some days I had tons of work to do, while other days I had small amounts of work. The reason for this was because of the monthly statements that we received. Although it was a challenge, I enjoyed it. I was able to set a routine for myself and make it work for me.
Although there were some difficulties along the way, I believe that it gave me a true idea of what running a business is like. If you want a true experience in a job that interests you, then Work-Based Learning is the perfect opportunity for you. It will allow you to get a hands-on experience of what skills the job truly takes.