{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Career High","title":"Blue Collar or White Collar: Exploring Diverse Pathways at Hastings High","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1953,"description":"\nOn Career High by Pega6, host Jeremy Smith sits down with Jeff Linden, Principal of Hastings High School in Hastings, Nebraska, to explore what career-connected learning looks like in a practical, community-driven district. Jeff introduces Hastings as a blue-collar town of about 25,000 that supports three high schools, with Hastings High serving as the flagship campus in a district that includes five elementary schools, a middle school, and the high school.\n\nJeff shares his own leadership journey, from teaching and coaching across multiple Nebraska schools to serving eight years in the Army Reserves, before stepping into the principal role (now in his fourth year at Hastings). From there, he breaks down how Hastings High balances college prep with strong career and technical education, emphasizing that success should not be limited to one “correct” path. While college still matters, Jeff argues that industry careers are booming as baby boomers retire, creating real opportunities for students to earn, advance, and build stable lives—often faster and with less debt.\n\nThe conversation highlights Hastings High’s growing ecosystem of pathways and work-based learning: resume building, job shadowing, job exploration, paid internships, and community partnerships across healthcare, manufacturing, construction, finance, education, and more. Jeff explains how students move through exploration in junior year and into paid internships in senior year, using real experience to confirm what they want, or just as importantly, what they don’t want before spending money on postsecondary training.\n\nKey Moments\n\n06:20 Career Exploration Through Internships\n\n09:25 Career Paths After High School\n\n12:49 Building Education Pathways Early\n\n15:02 \"White-Collar Trade School Model\"\n\n19:20 \"Passion for Free Education\"\n\n21:36 Career Pathways and Local Support\n\n25:55 \"Smarter Approach to College\"\n\n28:41 \"PegasTech: College Alternative Launch\"\n\nWhy You’ll Love This Episode\n\nA grounded, no-hype...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/0HG6UF5XKoF54XdQK1i9GnDgbpW-s6fMDPS0W09yY0k/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8xODQ0/MzM5YTFkMGEyOWE1/MjcyYTAzMjk3MjRh/MWJmOS5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}