MEXICO — Shannon Santillo was surprised to learn just how many different occupations are out there for someone who wants to work with children.

The Mountain Valley High School sophomore was one of nearly 400 mostly sophomores and eighth-graders who attended the Annual Career Day at the Region 9 School of Applied Technology.

“This is a really good opportunity to learn about different occupations. I want to be a pediatrician, but I learned I could work with children in education, social work and most health care jobs,” she said.

The surprise at the different types of jobs within one large profession, such as in education and health care, struck many of the young people who visited three 40-minute presentations throughout the morning at the vocational school.

Michael Chow, a junior at Dirigo High School, learned that many occupations can be pursued in the military and that all the branches of the military are connected.

He was also surprised to learn that people can sign up for the military reserves, rather than enter the service full-time.

When presenter Charles Swan, principal of Dirigo Elementary School, spoke about the various educational careers available, the students listed a dozen educational careers some would like to follow.

“If you are even remotely interested in teaching, find ways to explore it while you are in high school,” he said.

He spoke of his years of experience teaching in South Korea, and of long-term substituting in various parts of the country before returning home to the Dixfield area.

If someone is interested in teaching, perhaps he or she could take early childhood development at Region 9, he said.

Berta Broomhall, an emergency medical technician with Med-Care, also suggested that anyone interested in getting into the health field or being a paramedic should take the certified nursing assistant program to find out whether the medical field was right for them.

MVHS music teacher, Mike Prescott, dazzled a group of students with his multimedia show on the almost limitless opportunities available in communications, while construction teacher, Lloyd Williams, told students that education is ongoing.

“The education process will never end. Contractors have to learn about lead, radon and other things,” he said.

The need for ongoing education was a theme by many presenters. Elementary /literacy teacher Heather Gray said courses are always needed, Rumford Police Department Detective James Bernard said many departments require police officers to have at least an associate degree or appropriate military experience, and Broomhall said more education is being asked of emergency rescue employees.

The annual Career Day event had been held at Sunday River Ski Resort for many years before moving to Region 9 four years ago, said Region 9 student services coordinator Cheryl Ellis.

Region 9 Director Brenda Gammon was pleased with the number of people offering presentations on various career fields. At least 35 turned out for the day.

“This is important because it opens students eyes to the different career possibilities,” she said.