UTICA — Students at Thomas R. Proctor High School got a glimpse into the real world during the school’s annual Career Day on Thursday.

Proctor’s Career Day is a product of the Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES School and Business Alliance, which provides students the opportunity to network with area professionals in a variety of fields and to learn about some of the companies and positions in the area. In addition to Career Day, the School and Business Alliance also provides students with job shadowing opportunities, internships and in-class career development.

“[Career Day] allows them to get an idea of the businesses in our area, what fields are hiring,” said Rachel Maiolo, career exploration specialist with Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES School and Business Alliance. “It’s exposure to what’s in our area, the different career fields that we have here. I don’t think a lot of the students know just how expansive the employment opportunities are in our area. We try to cover all of the sectors when we bring people in.”

During this year’s Career Day, dozens of different businesses and organizations were represented, including the Sentinel Media Company, publisher of the Daily Sentinel.

Hundreds of upperclass students at Proctor were able to meet with representatives of the participating businesses and organizations to learn more about what they provide to the region and what it takes to enter the industry.

“I wanted to see all the interesting things, all the different jobs of what you can do, get a chance to learn more,” said Mars Seho, a senior participating in Proctor’s Career Day. “Everything seems so interesting. So much is happening and I really like it.”

As the local high schoolers are dealing with upcoming life decisions to make regarding higher education or career opportunities, some students agree that events like Proctor’s Career Day are beneficial in helping them learn about different industries directly from area professionals.

“Coming here and to actually get to see all the jobs and how it may help me and my future is relevant,” said John-Arif Noti, another senior participating in Proctor’s Career Day.

“It’s a good way for people to find what they’re looking for,” Noti added. “If people are lost in what they want to do in life, it’s good to ask questions here because they can’t go online, it may be harder to find answers and they can find something that they want to do and have a passion in and help them in the real world.”