Employees of Central Hudson’s various departments visited Dutchess BOCES Nov. 14 for the first Career Path Day for that company.
This was part of the Career & Technical Institute’s Career Week. The employees showcased their roles in not just electricity, but welding, mechanics, cybersecurity, web development and communications. “Everybody thinks of Central Hudson and they think it’s just electric,” CTI job placement specialist Sharon Myers said. “Everybody pretty much was here.” Students from CTI’s varied programs such as Automotive Technology to Film & TV Production were engaged in the conversation and asked employees pertinent questions about their roles. 
“They had some really good questions,” Myers said of the students. “It was nice to see that they were interacting.” Myers worked with Central Hudson’s senior human resources coordinator Diane D’Alessandro to make this event possible. She is hopeful students can get internships with the company, potentially leading to future employment. “Hopefully our students can filter in to them and stay in the area,” Myers said. “It’s the first step to a good relationship with them.” Gas mechanic welders Dave Bailin, Sean Noonan and Brandon Devens each spoke about their journeys that lead to Central Hudson. They noted that while it can take up to a year to hear back from the company regarding an application, it is well worth it because of the potential to make a six-figure salary. Bailin told potential hires to come to work with relevant experience and the ability to read engineering blueprints. “You can't just come in and start welding,” Bailin explained. “There's a lot of knowledge and education to it.” Cybersecurity director Jonathan Warren, a BOCES graduate himself, talked about the realities of his role which involves working after hours to deal with IT issues and tackling numerous tasks simultaneously. “Sometimes you’re hopping on and working for the next 12 hours and it doesn't matter what day of the week it is,” Warren said. “The security world has a lot of stresses.” Warren considers BOCES an integral part of his career path because his teachers instilled in him an enthusiasm for learning, which he encouraged students to do as well. “Stay excited about learning; set a personal goal to learn something new every day,” Warren said. “Your career path today may not be what it is in 10 years, but as long as you’re learning something you enjoy, it’s going to make it easier.” Senior Adrian Ashung, who is in BOCES’ Computer Networking and Cybersecuirty program, found the event informative and is considering looking into internships with Central Hudson to gain more experience in his field. “It gave me a lot more knowledge on the different fields,” Ashung said. “This was very helpful.”
