The future is an undeniable fact, so the question of how to spend it comes up plenty in conversation among high schoolers. Poudre School District Futures Lab, now called Career Tech Center, is a way to plan that out.

The center at Poudre High School offers multiple pathways to careers in audio production, aviation, child development and natural resources. 

Terra Thiebaut, Fossil Ridge High School’s work-based learning coordinator, encourages students to sign up if their career interests align with the center’s pathways.

“Absolutely it’s a great decision,” she said. 

Any PSD student can attend classes at the center. Fort Collins High School graduate Ian Villers said the center was useful for him when his friend broke his door. He participated in the Design-Build pathway, which focuses on construction design and building. 

“I already have out my friend, my friend’s brother, broke his door frame, and my friend’s brother, or my friends, got many broken items that I was able to help fix and salvage from it,” he said.

The classes are far more specialized compared to the average class. And, depending on the class, students could get official industry certifications along with professional contacts. 

Tim Hanaur, a former Fossil language arts teacher, is the audio production teacher.  Now he spends his days recording music at work. With his prior experience in the field, he can connect with his students at a deeper level. He spends plenty of time working with other professionals in the field to get his own music ready and licensed for commercial use.

“I think it helps with them maybe seeing me as [a] legitimate professional,” Hanaur said.

Students interested in attending the center should talk to their counselor. Or, they can go to the Career and Tech Center site and talk to the teachers and staff there. The next information session is on Dec. 11, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Foothills Mall.