BEATRICE - High school students from Tri County, Southern and Diller-Odell attended a 'Career Exploration Day' inside the 4-H building at the Gage County Fairgrounds in Beatrice Friday.

The event was open for freshmen and sophomore students from the three area schools. A little more than 80 students heard from over 20 area employers.

Businesses and organizations in the areas of education, medical care, communications, agriculture, transportation, business and several more were present to answer questions and talk to students about potential career paths.

Jacie Milius, the 4-H Youth Development Extension Coordinator in Gage County, says the event Friday was a simulation for students to figure out what kind of education is needed for the type of job they're interested in.

"They have the ability to go and meet with different employers representing different career clusters," Milius said. "They can talk to education leaders from two-year and four-year institutions, as well as the military representative, about the different options in their future."

Overall, Milius said the Career Exploration Day was well received, and many students found the event to be beneficial.

"A lot of them have found the day moderately helpful," she said. "It sounds like several of them have scheduled job shadowing with some of the employers we had here today, so it's pretty awesome to hear that feedback from them."