Future Me!

FUTURE ME!

ask your friends

When you need to know in middle school,

Jim Solomon, Sydney Gaines

FUTURE ME!

Hi, I’m Jayden. I’m starting my video channel. Join me for my very first video,“ADayintheLifeofJayden.”

Hey grandpa!

I’m making a video! ‘A Day in the Life of Jayden.’

The rest of my life? I’m only in the sixth grade, Grandpa!

Well, when I was your age, I already knew what I was going to do with my life. I wanted to be a successful journalist.

A journalist? What’s a journalist?

Oh, that sounds pretty cool... oh man, I’m running late. Gotta go catch the bus. Bye, see you later, Grandpa!

Let’s see what’s for breakfast, I’m hungry. I love pancakes and eggs and bacon.

Hey, let’s go see grandpa. He’s a fountain of useless information-he knows a little bit about everything.

Jayden.Morning,What’s with the video camera?

A Day in the Life of Jayden, huh? Fascinating... well, since it’s a day in the life of Jayden, what do you plan on doing with the rest of your life?

Someone who interviews other people and tells their stories.

Bye, kiddo! Have a great day at school. Hey, think about what you want to be when you grow up at school today. Have an answer for me when you get home.

Hmm, interviewing people... I can do that! Maybe I’ll interview my friends and ask what they wanna be when they grow up?

Oh, hey Jordan! Say hi to my video!

Have you ever thought about what you wanna be when you grow up?

Of course I have! I wanna be a truck driver. I love big trucks and traveling around the country. I think it would be such a sweet job. I hear you can make big bucks, too.

Hey Jayden.

Well,

you heard it here first, folks! Truck drivers are rolling in cash!

Welcome to first period. Pre-algebra... not my best class but my teacher is really cool. Hey, there’s Cali!

Hi Cali!

Can I ask you something? Do you know what you wanna be when you grow up?

You do?

Oh, for sure.

Heywhat’sJayden, up?

Alright class! Time to started...get

You bet! I want to be a nurse. I love caring for people and making them feel better when they’re sick. I help my mom take care of my nana every day.

Huh?! I thought nurses only poked people with HUGE needles! I never thought about it that way...

Do you know what you’re going to be when you grow up?

It’s time to build something cool in my Tech Ed class. The cardboard tower I created last week was AMAZING!!! This is my table partner, Yelitza.

What are we building today?

We’re creating a floor plan for a super cool building that we get to make later. This is gonna be so fun.

I sure do.

I love working with my hands, so I’m thinking about being a welder. I have a cousin who works in a welder’s guild and he said he’d introduce me when I am old enough. Can you imagine it... Being on top of a building looking down on the rest of the city. Everyone would look like ants!

Oh, I couldn’t do that! I’m afraid of heights so I’d end up yaking all everything!over

Well, well, well... look who’s in class today. Jonathan. He’s my nemesis. Every time he gets called on first to answer a question, he turns around and mocks me. I do the same thing to him when I answer Ms. Ryan’s questions correctly, but my mocking face is so much better.

So... Jonathan... Feelingtoday?smart

Because I know all the answers, too.

I suppose knowalreadyyou what you want to be when you grow up?

Yeahyeah.yeah

I’m always feeling smart! I don’t even know why Ms. Ryan calls on anyone other than me.

Who wouldn’t know by now? I’m going to be the best teacher in the world. I mean, I can’t keep all this brain power to myself, can I?

Can anyone answer the question on the board?

Do I look as silly as I feel in these gym clothes? I can’t believe I have to wear this... oh, there’s Kaley.

Hey Kaley... are we today?running

No, I think we start health today. Ugh...

I would rather run laps than go to health class!

I know, right?

Do you know what you wanna do after you graduate high school?

Oh That’sreally?kinda cool.

20

I’m thinking about being an electrician. I hear I can learn those skills in only a few months instead of years.

Me?

A teacher?!

No way, I want to play with the big boy toys.

Yes, I want to drive dump trucks, bulldozers, and graders on construction sites. I’ve always loved them. Can you imagine controlling something that can push mountains of dirt around? How cool would that be?

Hey, everyone. Let’s hop right into the topic for today: the forming of the Roman empire...

ROMAN EMPIRE

I am so happy that my history teacher makes this class interesting! I call him ‘Mr. Flair’--that’s not his actual name, but it’s what I call him because his lessons always have extra pizzazz. It makes the class fly by!

So Joel, do you plan on being a teacher like Mr. Flair when you grow up? Huh?

Big boy toys?

How cool would what be, Joel? The Roman expansion?

No sir, sorry about that.

Nope, mom packed me leftover spaghetti... I wanted a sandwich.

Let’s do it! I love PB&J. My brother’s allergic to peanuts so I never get to have it.

Ugh, I’m starving... Why does lunch always come so late in the day? I brought lunch today, but I’m not digging what I have. Maybe I can trade with Cameron. His mom always makes the best lunches.

I want to be an engineer. Haven’t you ever wondered who creates all the hi-tech stuff? Wouldn’t it be cool to create the next best thing?

YES!

Hey anythingCameron, good on the menu today?

Well, guess what? Today’s your lucky day! I just so happen to have a PB&J sandwich with your name on it. Wanna trade?

Any clue what you want to be when you grow up? I’ve been asking everyone all day.

So, you want to create flying cars and teleporters?

Whew, I made it to English right before the bell. Sorry I had to turn off the camera. I thought I was gonna be late to class!

That was a close one, Jayden.

I know, right?

The cafeteria is on the other side of the building, so I had to bob and weave through the hallways just to get here!

You’re right, Steven, that would’ve been awful. Hey, you’re a smart guy...

WANTED

Well, good thing you weren’t late! Mr. Cox would’ve given you detention. Then you would’ve had to hang out with all the other bad kids.

Uh, thanks?

DETENTION

Do you happen to know what you want to be when you grow up?

I’ve seen a lot of ads about Cybersecurity on the internet lately, so I think I want to do that. Can you imagine it...

SUPER-SPY STOPPER!

I’d get to protect secrets.America’s Man, that sounds so cool!

Heck yeah.

This is going to sound crazy, but I love to read. I know, I know. It’s not necessarily a hobby that cool people like me enjoy! But reading is actually a lot more fun than what people think. Let’s meet my library buddy, Avery. She likes to read, too.

Well, it’s going amazing now that it’s almost over! Last period is always so LONG.

Yes. I don’t want anyone telling me what to do. I want to be my own boss, the big cheese, the CEO of my own corporation.

Hey Avery, how’s your day going?

I’ve been asking everyone today what they want to be when they grow up. Do you have a clue?

Holy cow, you’re going to be the best at that!

Myoffices!

RING!!!!

Thanks man!

RING!!!!

BIG CHEESE CORPORATION

Ahh, what a long day! I hope you’ve enjoyed getting the inside scoop on everyone’s life plans. I know grandpa’s gonna ask me what I want to be when I grow up as soon as I get home since I didn’t have an answer for him this morning. Hmm, what do you think I should be?

Oh man, so much for sneaking in. There he is, guarding the front door to make sure he gets his answer before I dive into “wasting time playing video games.” His favorite thing to say is... You can’t make money playing games. So not true, but try explaining that to someone that thinks solitaire is hard.

So, Jayden, have you decided what you want to be when you grow up?

Wow, your friends really seem to have it all together. Did you know that even though they all want to do different things in the future, every single one of them can go to the same place to get their start?

The community college in town can be the steppingstone for each of their careers, and it can even help them figure out what they want to be if they don’t know yet. And it’s ok not to know. Even if your plan is to be a blogger, blabber, or whatever it’s called when people watch you play games on the internet.

I talked to my friends at school, and they have it all figured out.

Thanks Grandpa.

FUTURE YOU

What do you want to be when you grow up?

A day in the life of Jayden... I may want to rethink the title now that I’ve filmed it. Maybe the video should be called, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Thanks for reading about my day. Here are a couple more things you should know.

What is community college?

It’s simple, community college is collegeforeveryone. A college for learners of all ages, backgrounds, beliefs, and abilities. Community colleges offer affordable high-quality degrees and services that meet the needs of their immediate communities.

About Germanna

Germanna Community College, top-ranked in Virginia and the country, serves the greater Fredericksburg community and online learners everywhere. Germanna opened its doors in 1970 and now serves 13,000 learners each year.

ARTIST, STORY WRITER

Jim Solomon

Talented graphic designer for Germanna Community College

EDITOR, STORY WRITER

Sydney Gaines

Super amazing Communications Editor for Germanna Community College

I dedicate this to my daughter, Shelby, for all her help on making this possible. Love you Bee....

Dad

FUTURE ME!

Ugh, I can’t believe Grandpa asked me what I want to be when I grow up again. He asks me that question all the time, and I never know the answer. Well today, I’m asking my friends what they want to be when they grow up. Maybe that’ll give me some ideas. I have a lot of friends, what can I say? So I know I’ll get lots of different answers. And hey, maybe I’ll even learn about a career field that I’ve never heard of. So, come along on this journey as I discover and see, the perfect career path for future me.

Ages 8-12

Cover art and design 2022

by Jim Solomon

Made possible by Germanna Community College