On Friday, November 4th, BitWizards, Beast Code, and HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital opened their doors to ten Okaloosa County School District educators and their +1 (a student) for Educate the Educator +1 (EtE+1). The goal of the event was to enhance Okaloosa County educator and student knowledge of local industry sectors and to introduce attendees to local employers at their facilities.
Attendees began their day at Career Source Okaloosa-Walton in Fort Walton Beach, where Nathan Sparks, Executive Director of One Okaloosa, provided an overview of local industry and job possibilities in our area. Then, Superintendent Marcus Chambers provided some motivation as he shared his journey to his job as the leader of our school district. Michele Burns, Executive Director of Career Source Okaloosa-Walton, offered tips and tricks for a job hunt, and HSU Educational Foundation CEO, Amanda Negron, shared ways to find and create opportunities when meeting new people.
After light refreshments provided by Florida Power & Light and an opportunity to network with each other and the guest speakers, the teachers and students from our secondary schools in our District’s Central and South zones boarded a school bus and traveled to their first destination, BitWizards. Known for their App Development, Cloud Infrastructure, and Managed IT Services, the wizards explained their day-to-day jobs and the culture of their work environment. COO Louis Erikson, Jr. explained that they prefer applicants who have a degree in the career field they are applying for. Students asked about the certifications they earn when they complete a CTE course in school, and Erikson said that they are a great start to mastering the content needed to be successful in the IT or Development world.
As a graduate of Okaloosa County Schools, BitWizards CEO, Vince Mayfield, clearly believes in the power of growing our own students into the workforce of tomorrow. “Okaloosa County Teachers are educating our future Leaders, entrepreneurs, skilled workforce, and community members. At Bit-Wizards, one of our core values is being a Lifelong Learner. We know that investing in education pays dividends at work and in life by creating opportunities. Hosting Educate the Educators + 1 is our way of giving back and helping OCSD Teachers and students understand the business needs, skills, and opportunities in today's market. Armed with that knowledge students can find their passion and make life choices while teachers, mentor, educate, and develop curriculum that enlightens and prepares students.” Vince Mayfield, CEO Bit-Wizards and 1984 Graduate of Choctaw High School
Beast Code was next on the tour, sharing their expertise in the world of code. This local business builds a digital twin of platforms allowing people to experience their job in a simulated environment. They integrate game-based logic for employees to familiarize themselves and understand real-world operations, allowing for many opportunities to train and practice their craft.
The final stop on the tour was the HSA Fort Walton-Destin Hospital. They provided lunch and highlighted the wide variety of career opportunities available as well as the many benefits available to their employees. From surgeons and nurses to custodians, food service, and maintenance, the Hospital has something for everyone, and not every job requires a college degree.
Luke Moreland, a Senior at Niceville High School, reflected on the experience and felt honored to be invited to attend. “They mentioned that there are 30,000 students in the school district, and only ten of us are here.” Luke shared that he originally planned on going to college for Aerospace Engineering, but after his experience at BitWizards may lean more toward computer engineering. Luke’s Web Programming teacher, Carrie Foxhall added, “visiting the businesses opens [the students’] minds to other possible career fields. As participants, we have a responsibility to take what we learned today to share with other teachers and students at our school.”
Superintendent Chambers explained that “one of our goals in the Okaloosa County School District is to prepare students for college, the military, and the workforce, so this was a great opportunity for our students and teachers to see companies in our community who offer opportunities for students after high school. Companies like Beast Code, BitWizards, and the HCA Florida Hospital are great places for our students to work. We appreciate them opening their doors and enthusiastically sharing what they do!” Educate the Educator +1 is an organic program that will continue to evolve. This program has been around for six years and has also occurred in the county’s north end. We live in a beautiful area and would love our students to find a career here on the Emerald Coast.