Elan McClain, a senior student at Armuchee High School, is participating in an internship to take a break from normal schoolwork to get out and gain some life skills, experience, and earn money. His internship is based on Work-Based Learning. Work-based learning is where instead of sitting in a classroom all day at school students go out and work or you help around the school to gain real life experiences and skills. Elan said, “I go and work at Chick-fil-A and I have been a part of this great program for two years now. Elan talked about how much he loves participating in his internship. “I would definitely recommend it; it’s been super beneficial to me. The biggest thing I would say to any students who are considering it is it can be massively helpful as long as you have the self control to work on school work in the extra time it gives you. So just make sure you don’t let the extra time be unproductive.”
Elan works at Chick-fil-A to build his communication skills and earn money all while obtaining more free time to focus on his challenging school work. Elan said a lot about the positives and negatives of being a part of the course. “I don’t really learn anything in the class when it comes to curriculum but it really helps me learn better and excel in my other classes.” Even though Work-Based Learning has it’s downsides, it still benefits Elan’s learning in his other classes more than learning in the classroom. “I really enjoy the ability to leave school and go home to work on school work in my freetime. It gives me more flexibility in my schedule so I have time to pursue other things like finding a college, having a job, and other things to help me thrive in the future.”
Elan has big plans for his future and his internship is helping him reach those goals.“My plans for college are to go to Georgia Tech so I can become a software engineer. The Work-Based Learning best helps me reach those goals because I get the chance to talk to all different kinds of people everyday which prepares me for when I will have to answer questions while applying for college.” Elan has the opportunity to work in multiple positions at his job that may prove benefit him for the rest life.
Elan has more free time to focus on all of his schoolwork because of his participation in the program. He said “Because of Work-Based Learning, I can also have the time to learn important life skills I need for having a job and I have learned how to manage my schedule” Elan also talked about how much his internship has helped him in all of his other classes “It has helped me stay on top of a rigorous course load and have a job at the same time.” The Work-Based Learning internship has helped Elan be a lot less stressed when it comes to his schoolwork in his other classes. Elan also has the benefits of still being able to see his friends even though he is not at school. “I get to work at Chick-fil-A with my friend Tyler Buckenham which helps make work even more fun and enjoyable.” All students that are interested in internships can apply in March.
