I was invited to participate as an Externship at the INL externship for high school students. This externship is for local CTE students to learn about the crafts and trades that are done at the INL. For six weeks we went on field trips or tours to different locations of INL to visit with the professionals at those locations. We visited with: welders/fabricators, machinists, inspectors, draftsmen, engineers, firefighters/EMT’s, electricians, controls and instrumentation techs, radiation techs, material scientists, research scientists, robotics radiation techs, carpenters, lineman, equipment operators, and mechanics. We spent part of the day or a whole day with one of these groups. While we were with them they would teach us about their jobs and let us get some hands-on experience with the work or training they were doing. It was to hear their first-hand experiences of where they came from and how they got to the job they were at. It helped the students and me to see the relevance of trades and trade technology in the work force today and the best route to get into these careers.