The fourth annual Warren County College Fair took place Wednesday at Warren Area High School. Students from Warren, Sheffield, Youngsville, Eisenhower, Warren County Career Center and Tidioute Community Charter School took part.

Students milled among more than 50 tables picking the brains of representatives of various institutions of higher education as well as military recruiters.

The fair was the first of three events intended to provide the students, and their parents, with the tools and information they need to select a path for their future, according to Jesse DeLoof, school to work coordinator at Warren Forest Higher Education Council.

The event is a collaboration between the school district and the council.

Times Observer photo by Lorri Drumm Approximately 270 juniors and seniors who attend high schools in Warren County attended the fourth annual college fair at Warren Area High School on Wednesday. The event is a collaboration between the school district and the Warren Forest Higher Education Council.

The school hosted Financial Aid Night Wednesday evening. A FAFSA workshop is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 30 in order to help students and parents consider the financial aspect of continuing education.

“It’s time to figure this out,” DeLoof said of the students preparing for their future. “These events get them rolling.”

As two buses of students from Youngsville High School rolled in, the students wasted no time heading toward those options that, for various reasons interested them most.

Amber Evans, a junior from Youngsville, took time to fill out a card requesting more information from Geneva College in Beaver Falls.

Rebecca Bryant, manning the Geneva College table spoke to Evans of the challenges of balancing sports and academics. Bryant said the subject comes up often as student athletes plan their future.

Times Observer photo by Lorri Drumm Approximately 270 juniors and seniors who attend high schools in Warren County attended the fourth annual college fair at Warren Area High School on Wednesday. The event is a collaboration between the school district and the Warren Forest Higher Education Council.

“Athletically-gifted students don’t want to leave behind the sport they love,” Bryant explained.

Evans said she hopes to continue playing volleyball at the college level. She had another motive for spending time at the Geneva College table. “I want to go to a Christian college,” she said. “I want to go into youth ministry.”

Another Youngsville junior, Kasey Farnsworth, was specifically looking to talk to colleges where she could pursue a major in biology. Farnsworth spent some time shooting her list of questions at Jason Andracki, representing Allegheny College in Meadville.

Andracki told Farnsworth of the many ways to combine majors at Allegheny. He suggested a great way to find out more and get a feel for a college is a personal visit to an open house event.

Not every student has a field of study or a career path in mind, in fact, according to Amanda Magdic, associate director of admissions at California University of Pennsylvania, it’s common for juniors and even seniors to be undecided.

“Four out of five students will say they know what they want to study,” Magdic said. “There’s a strong likelihood they may change their path once they’re on campus.”

Jacob Redick, a senior at Youngsville, is one of those undecided students who took some time to speak with Magdic.

“I’m still trying to figure out my career path,” Redick said. While he and his friends asked about job placement rates and housing, a big concern for them was the cost of a college education and related expenses.

“Affordability is probably the biggest concern for many students,” Magdic said.

That concern can lead some students to consider options such as a technical school.

Liza Schaef, admissions representative from Precision Manufacturing Institute in Meadville told students of the immediate need for skilled workers in various trades.

“Students need to be aware that there are good jobs in the trades for people with the proper skill set,” Schaef said. “A four-year school can be a great option but there are short-term options that can provide hands-on technical skills employers are looking for.”

“It’s important to help students understand their different options,” Schaef. “The earlier they think about it, the better.”

Statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics show that an investment in some type of higher education increases the chance of landing a good job.

Among people age 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more education, the unemployment rate was 2.1 percent in April 2018, according to the bureau.

For people with some college or an associate degree, the unemployment rate was 3.5 percent.

Among workers age 25 and older who graduated high school but did not attend college, the unemployment rate was 4.3 percent.

For workers with less than a high school diploma, the unemployment rate was 5.9 percent.