Career Coaches: Helping Shape the Future

By: Abby Caudill

For the first time, Culver students have the opportunity to interact with a full-time Career
Coach. A Career Coach helps guide students through the school year in order to target what
they want to do after graduating high school.

“Ms. Ziaja was the career coach until she transferred to the dental program. She did this
role for the Middle/High School for the A.M. schedule,” said Mr. Berndt, principal of CCMHS. “As
a Corporation, we felt it was extremely important to have someone help connect high school
students to career opportunities.”

This year, Mr. Maes has been hired as the CCHMS Career Coach. Mr. Maes graduated
from Ball State with a graduate degree in Educational Leadership and Supervision. He also has
an undergraduate degree in Business Marketing Communications from Saint Joseph College.

“I graduated this past summer with my masters in Educational Leadership and
Supervision,” said Mr. Maes. “I can go on and be a school principal, assistant principal, or some
type of administrative role.”

Mr. Maes had been working at the Culver Community Elementary School for the past
five years as a fifth grade English teacher. However, when this job opened, he immediately took
the chance to try it out.

“When I saw this become available, I was ready to diversify and change up my resume
and add something new to it,” said Mr. Maes. “Plus, I really love to help students and provide
them with different experiences that I wish I would have had as a student.”
Many benefits come with having Mr. Maes as the career coach. For example,
communicating with a career coach can help a student take the necessary steps, to ensure that
they are successful in getting to their goals after graduation like work, enlistment, or college.

Since this is Mr. Maes’s first year, both Mr. Maes and the students have room to learn.
Mr. Maes has learned more on directing each student, and middle or high schoolers are
learning about themselves.

“So far I’ve learned that every single student in this building is so different and that’s
really cool. I think that we need to be more understanding because not everybody is going to
want to go to college, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not successful,” said Mr. Maes.

When Mr. Maes meets with students, he is able to learn more about each individual’s
own interests and personalities or what they are willing to learn in order to get closer to their
dream job, and this is a payoff in Mr. Maes’ eyes.

“You get to see a real turn around for your work that you’re investing. So, as opposed to
when I was in fifth grade, you have to wait to see these results to see how these students turn
out. As well as whether or not they’ve learned everything that you’ve taught them. In this role,
I’m able to see that turn around pretty quick,” said Mr. Maes.

Of course, wherever there are positives, there are also struggles. Two common
struggles can include lack of communication and mindset struggles with some students. These
conflicts can cause some setbacks, but some way or another there is always a resolution.

“It’s really difficult when seniors don’t check their emails. I try to communicate with them,
and they don’t respond back to me, so that’s tough. Also, knowing that I can see so much
potential in these students that they can’t see in themselves. I try to boost that and that’s also really hard because you can’t make somebody feel differently about themselves.” said Mr. Maes.

Being a career coach can have stressful moments. Coaches don’t know if what they’re
doing is right or wrong because each individual has a different response to a presentation or
appointment.

“I’ve put stress on myself when trying to make sure that I’m setting everyone up for
success,” said Mr. Maes. “You never know if you’re giving the right advice, if you’re doing the
right thing, or saying the right thing. I’m constantly overthinking myself once the student leaves
or when I’m done talking to them.”

However, having Mr. Maes as the full-time career coach has taken some of the stress off
of other staff members. For example, Mrs. Trent has been the primary person on directing
students with each decision they make for their future.

“Mr. Maes has been a dream come true. He’s very, very good about helping them find a
path, and then setting them up to go somewhere and job shadow or look more into it,” said Mrs.
Trent. “This takes that off my plate so I can concentrate more on scholarships and other things.”

Sometimes being the career coach can be a lot, but Mr. Maes makes it seem like a
piece of cake. Even if there are things that don’t go to plan, he finds a way through it. Hopefully,
he will remain as the career coach for the years to come.

“I never know what the future has in store. Sometimes I do miss being in a classroom,
but then I stand in the halls and get to work with all these middle and high school students. That
makes a huge difference to me because it’s like my mood and that’s really nice. You get to
impact a larger scale of students everyday, and I love that so much,” said Mr. Maes.