Take Our Kids To Work Day: What does my parent do everyday?

What happens when you invite eight grade nine students into your workplace? Lots of laughter, learning and an insider’s view of BlueCat.

On Wednesday November 4^th, BlueCat participated in The Learning Partnership’s annual Take Our Kids To Work™ day.

Each of the eight students who participated has a parent who works at BlueCat. We were proud to welcome them to the place where we spend our days.

“You need to set goals and focus on achieving them and never give up. Tenacity and perseverance can definitely open up many career doors.”

We filled the day with opportunity and visibility into what it takes to run a fast growing, ever changing global technology company. It was a great way to provide them with an understanding of what their parents do  at work.

Upon arrival, the students were asked what they hoped to learn during the day. Most questions centered on the theme of “understanding what my dad/mom does all day.”

The day kicked off with our CEO, Michael Harris, giving an overview of what a CEO does and his career journey that led him to his current role. The key theme from his discussion: you need to set goals and focus on achieving them and never give up. Tenacity and perseverance can definitely open up many career doors!

The students then had a chance to meet many of the BlueCat leaders while participating in a challenge to check off their passport.

The leaders answered questions about why they chose the career they had and what educational background and skills they look for when hiring for their teams.

The day closed off with the student’s favorite part of the day –  “speed dating.” Each student was paired with employees who had five minutes to answer questions about what they do and why they chose their particular career path. They also gave advice to the students about planning a career.

When asked at the end of the day what they had learned, the students were all surprised that it took so many different types of people to run a business. They were also struck with the fact that what you think you are going to do at age 14 for a career can change dramatically when you actually start your career.

In true grade nine fashion there was a lot of appreciation for the food that was prepared by the BlueCat chef. It seems that lunch will always be a favorite subject no matter what age you are!

Thanks to everyone who participated in this important day. We hope everyone – adults and students alike – found it enlightening and memorable. We look forward to welcoming the next bunch of grade nine students again next year.