Marketing is one of the many courses in the Career and Technical Education program of Shadow Ridge. The subject is not common in high school course catalogs and students usually wait until college to explore the business aspect of life. Taking this course during high school allows for an early start to learning about money management as well as working with customers. 

Sean Anderson, a junior in his third year of Marketing, enjoys the social aspect of the class but also acknowledges the valuable lessons that occur during the course as well.

“…The first two years of marketing [can be described as] school,” Anderson says. “You learn stuff that may actually [be helpful] down the line like taxes and business laws. The third year is working [at] the student store, which is kind of like a trial version of actually working at a retail store.”

Learning about those things sets one up for the real world and allows for growth in the understanding of how the world works. The benefits of the class, from an educational standpoint, are definitely worthwhile. Students are able to receive six college credits by the end of Marketing II and taking the class gives the student elective credits for graduation requirements as well. 

Working in the student store is also a privilege for students as they enter Marketing II. Interactions with other students happen on a daily basis and those in Marketing learn how to manage money firsthand. 

Noah Yock, a junior also in Marketing II, considers each interaction his favorite part of the course.

“The fact that we are working in the student store [is the most unique part about marketing],” Yock explains. “It gives us a chance to practice working in the semi-stressful environment that the student store is.”

The environment of the class is not like any other. Mrs. McCombs, the instructor for the course, structures the first two years of Marketing as business meetings. Students are not in the regular “lecture” setting and are instead allowed to tell of their ideas whilst learning new material each day. It’s an open environment and the teacher always encourages ideas as well. During the course, students are also informed about pitches and what is most important when presenting them to colleagues. 

Of course, the class may not seem interesting to everyone, but it truly caters to many different people. The life lessons and being able to ease into financial aspects of life are all very useful in the long run as well. 

“Students who have an interest in business practices would definitely be interested in the first two years of Marketing,” Anderson tells. “Those who are wanting to work on speaking skills would do well as there are a lot of presentations. The entire third year at the student store also has you interacting with others constantly.”