On the afternoon of December 6, 2023, students from SHSID, consisting of both freshman and sophomore students, took part in an educational excursion known as the "Job Shadow Day" event. Under the guidance of their House Mentors and homeroom teachers, the students embarked on an educational excursion to visit prominent companies, universities, and museums in Shanghai. The activity involved a total of 21 different exploration sites, with the primary aim of offering student participants a valuable chance to acquire direct exposure to professional settings, gain practical learning experiences, as well as foster an understanding of job responsibilities, practical skills in expertise, and potential career pathways to pursue across different fields during the initial planning phases. Through engaging in this experiential activity, students were able to develop a deeper insight into the practical aspects related to various orientations. As a result, students were better equipped to formulate more precise and well-informed career strategies for their future, drawing upon logical deliberations. Additionally, all students displayed extraordinary enthusiasm and keen anticipation for the upcoming extra-curricular event due to its exceptional rarity within the context of the standard school curriculum.

The initial strategy aimed to direct students towards three distinct pathways. The first entailed visiting various companies and enterprises, where students were encouraged to actively observe and engage in comprehensive interactions with professionals from diverse industries and job positions. This particular experience allowed students to reflect upon their individualized career aspirations, aligning with their unique characteristics, which could significantly impact their lifelong development. The alternative approach involved guiding students to visit university campuses and research institutes, where they could immerse in a strong academic milieu and engage with professionals in their respective disciplines. This experience enabled students to develop a heightened and intuitive understanding of the distinctive features and demands associated with scientific research. The third route offered students the opportunity to explore museums and other cultural venues, allowing them to step into the halls of history and develop a deep admiration for the extensive cultural heritage within them. The primary goal was to foster students' comprehensive abilities and humanistic attributes while simultaneously enhancing their understanding and admiration for the beauty of the humanities.

The commencement of the Job Shadow Day event was marked by the students' joyous arrival. In order to support students in effectively strategizing their development direction based on personal respective circumstances, enriching their knowledge base, and fostering the essential competencies before entering the workforce, SHSID House mentors and visiting coordinators actively engaged in communication and designed career experiential activities that were both stimulating and challenging, while also offering a variety of options. The enterprises involved spanned various fields so as to meet the specific needs of each student, aligning with the curriculum objectives of the academy. It is expected that students will proficiently identify the practical demands of the current market and its related industries. Participants would be provided the opportunity to fully engage in a profession for a brief period. Additionally, it sought to foster a positive and constructive professional mindset in order to help students confront any potential future challenges.

Despite how quickly time flew by during this event, students had the capacity to derive personal introspection and motivation during these transient instances. Through interacting with professionals in their respective domains, students were provided with the valuable opportunity to resolve any misconceptions they might have held regarding the internal workings of those fields, which allowed them to develop a forward-thinking mindset, while upholding a pragmatic approach and assuming their duties and obligations. This would provide a solid foundation for their future endeavors.

The extraordinary activity had undeniably instilled a sense of hope and left profound impressions in the minds of the students. Lastly, we would like to extend our sincere appreciation and heartfelt gratitude to all enterprises, universities, museum directors, and reception staff who have generously supported and actively participated in this event. Following the event, it is well regarded that students from SHSID will have a significant influence on shaping the future of the world. Students possess a deep understanding of their innate talents and have developed an aptitude for logical reasoning, enabling them to pursue personal growth and fulfilment with confidence.

Student-written reflection summaries of their Job Shadow Day experiences:

The visit to the Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research and Design Institute was insightful and full of unexpected surprises. Firstly, the overall lecture regarding nuclear energy helped clarify some misconceptions: many students may think that the study of nuclear energy and the creation of nuclear weapons are the same topic essentially, but they differ in many aspects. The professor divulged the intricacies of day-to-day work that help tell the story behind the research on nuclear energy, which in turn helped us understand the abstract concepts better. For example, nuclear energy can be used for food production, medical purposes, or archaeological studies. Later, the teachers guided us to view exhibitions of materials regarding nuclear-related technology. The whole event was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and so breathtaking!

9(10) Andrea,

9(4) Elizabeth

We visited the Tofflon Technology Company today. First, we learned about the general situation of the company in their conference hall. The application scenarios of this company's products include synthetic biology, complex preparations, cell and gene therapy, biological products, probiotics, medical aesthetics, diagnosis, chemical preparations, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and so on, with a wide range of uses.

After listening to the lecture, we visited the factory and witnessed various processes such as how to make disposable plastic bottles and cans, how to make isolation devices and put medicinal drugs inside, and how to inspect them.

Upon watching the students listen to the tour guide's introduction of equipment with interest, I believe everyone has gained something of their own today.

9(11) Felicia

Today, the three houses stepped into the Blue Bay Science and Technology Innovation Center and immediately felt the wonderful atmosphere of technology. The exhibition area is full of various high-tech exhibits and fascinating experience projects. The innovation in front of us allowed us to appreciate the wisdom of scientists and be mesmerized by what they created, such as the remarkable 3D naked eye technology, 3D vision that can track the eyes, artificial intelligence to help patients recover, and robotic moxibustion. Every bit of cutting-edge technology has deeply shocked us, letting us personally feel the power of science and technology. The Blue Bay Science and Technology Innovation Center is not only a display place for science and technology but also a source of stimulating creativity. This visit not only informed us better about the development of technology but also inspired us to think about how we might integrate creativity into our future lives.

9(2) Winnie

As a large-scale art museum in Shanghai, we were delighted to be at the Baolong Art Museum on Job Shadow Day. The most impressive activity for me was visiting Tomokazu Matsuyama’s exhibition. This artist's works have a strong personal artistic style and bright colors. His paintings contain many traditional Japanese and Chinese backgrounds paired with distinct character costumes and patterns. The large-scale sculpture "She's on the Other Line" is my favorite work. On the front of it is a woman holding a phone and a bag; but with the change of lighting, the different forms of this woman are also revealed, which is very creative.

10(10) Ziyin

Written by Ms. Lin Chen, 10(7) David Wang

Pictures by Teachers

Supervised by Ms. Mengli Wang