A deep dive into the marketing and management pathway and its long-term benefits for students

Everett Baumann, Copy Editor, & Niki Karimifard, Staff Writer

Situated in the 400 hall, the marketing and management pathway is one of Northview's most popular pathways offered to students, Work-Based Learning (WBL). WBL is a helpful alternative to Northview's ever-revolving academic carousel of classes and clubs. These programs give students a chance to hold jobs and internships in place of taking academic classes.

WBL is a program designed to benefit students by giving them job opportunities in fields they want to explore. WBL is in all 13 high schools in Fulton County and is a central part of Northview students' schedules. Northview's WBL is co-curricular, meaning that it encourages students to work jobs that align with pathways they take, such as the healthcare pathway. This helps enhance students' studies in the field of their choice.

"I think it's so valuable for [students] to take what they've learned in school and apply it [to] the job," advisor Stephanie McCall said.

Students hold jobs in fields such as banking, psychology, and hospitality. For senior Gauri Shetty, her job at a psychology practice allowed her to confirm her passion for the field of medicine.

"I do mainly administrative work. Filing, billing, talking with insurance companies-- things like that," Shetty said. "I joined to make sure I wanted to go into medicine. This program confirmed it for me."

Holding a job isn't the only benefit for students. WBL also helps with real-life skills, such as filling out a resume and holding mock interviews. This helps prepare students for the real world, and with situations that may arise while on the job.  

"We have monthly meetings for work-based learning where we're given projects to do," Shetty said. 

McCall also runs the marketing and management pathway. By taking this pathway, students learn skills such as financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and accounting. This not only helps them in their jobs but also helps them in real life. Before they live alone, students learn how to balance a checkbook and care for money responsibly.

A benefit of taking the marketing and management pathway is working in the school store and N-Zone, the school coffee shop. Entirely student-run, the store serves students during both A and B lunch, while the coffee shop opens in the morning from 7:50 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. The school store and coffee shop help students who have never previously held jobs to work in a low-stress, manageable environment.

Northview Junior Oluwateniola Akinrinola is a barista at N-Zone and also works in the school store. There, she learns valuable skills, such as customer service, how to give change, how to work with inventory, and at the end of the week, she assists with accounting

"There are many different positions in the school store that you could work which help you prepare for life," Akinrinola said. "Working in the school store helped me learn how to efficiently run a business and handle money."

WBL and the marketing and management pathway will continue to be one of Northview's most popular choices for students. Every year, more students apply for Work-Based Learning, and job training is important as students head off to college. The future is bright for both the program and its students.

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