by Nathan Alexander

By participating in Ms. Cunnigan's Modern Living class at Westerville North High School in Columbus, Ohio, I've had a chance to learn about all kinds of subjects - cooking, sewing, budgeting, housing, child development, problem solving and even careers. It's given me a well-rounded look at the skills I need to make it on my own in the real world - something I've set my mind to do immediately after high school graduation this summer.

While cooking and sewing may not have had me sitting on the edge of my seat, careers - especially manufacturing careers - sure did. Ms. Cunnigan introduced us to "What's Up In Factories?", and we learned about the many different kinds of jobs that are available and the benefits of working in this field.

Whenever I think about what I'll be doing after high school, I think about what I'll be doing but don't give a lot of thought to how what I do will be impacted by my co-workers or vice versa. When our Modern Living class toured Honda Manufacturing of America in Marysville, I saw just how much each employee depends on one another to get his or her job done. Likewise, I learned that every step in the process of manufacturing cars is dependent on the previous and next step. The unity of the process was really interesting, because you can't just go to work and do your job. You're part of a larger picture and your presence or absence affects the whole group and the whole process. It can mean the difference between moving more or fewer cars through production on a given day.

It was also encouraging to learn that manufacturers, such as Honda, provide a clean work environment and encourage employee input. Some of us thought we'd see a factory that was dark and dirty with bored employees doing boring jobs. But, we saw a clean, organized operation and found out that employees are awarded points for developing ideas that help get the job done better or faster. After they earn a certain number of points, they can turn them in for a bike, a car or vacation. The pay and benefits packages offered were also appealing.

The "What's Up In Factories?" experience reinforced my interest in the field. In June, I'm planning to join the U.S. Marine Corps as an aircraft mechanic. I hope to work for McDonnell Douglas some day - but, I wouldn't mind working for Honda either. Manufacturing really makes it for me.

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Nathan Alexander, 18, is a senior at Westerville North High School in Columbus, Ohio. He was among 30 of the school's students who visited Honda Manufacturing of America in Marysville as part of "What's Up In Factories?"