MCC Offers Teens an Early Start to College & Career Exploration

This Fall, teens can get early exposure to possible careers and earn a college credit with Middlesex Community College’s College for Teens program. Through MCC’s Community Education and Training (CET) division, young students can explore business and health pathways to learn new skills and help prepare them for college.

“MCC’s College for Teens programs help jumpstart college and professional experiences for high school-aged students,” said Audrey Nahabedian, MCC’s Dean of Workforce Education. “Before they have even started college, these students are learning valuable knowledge and skills and developing helpful habits students can use in college and in their future careers.”

In MCC’s Business Career Exploration class, high school students will gain an introduction to business skills and concepts. Topics include different organizations, financial accounting, and understanding simplified financial statements. The course will also provide an opportunity to do career mapping, writing and research to develop a real-world understanding of jobs in the business and accounting fields, as well as how to get them.

Full-time MCC accounting and business professor Vikram Sharma will teach the online course that will run 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays, running September 20 to October 25.

MCC’s Medical Lab Tech Career Exploration introduces students to medical laboratory science. Students can learn more about the college’s Medical Laboratory Technology associate degree program, clinical and laboratory experiences, and all of the career directions the industry offers.

The course will be taught by Suzanne McHale, MCC’s Professor and Program Coordinator of Medical Laboratory Technology. Running 4 to 6 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday, September 27 to October 23, the class will take place on MCC’s Lowell campus. For the last class, students will attend a field trip to a local hospital laboratory to meet and hear from employees.

“It’s never too early to start the college process and part of that is trying to figure out what you want to study,” Nahabedian said. “MCC offers a cost-effective, low-risk way for students to explore their interests, learn about career paths, and jumpstart their futures.”