NIXA, Mo. -- President Barack Obama outlined his plans for high school seniors. In his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, he said he wants students to be either college bound or job ready.
Hannah Lumley wants to be a welder. She's getting a head start thanks to the vocational programs offered at Nixa High School.
"I feel like we have something that we could go and get training on and have a little background on it. I feel like we know what we are doing," said Lumley.
More than 200 Nixa students take classes at their career center. They might not all go to college, but they are graduating with a skill.
"Public schools typically don't do a good job or have not done a good job at marketing opportunities other than college. That's a shame. We need to reverse things a little bit," said Nixa School District Superintendent Stephen Kleinsmith.
Nixa School District hired a career counselor. Starting next school year, the counselor will help students find a job if they decide not to go to college.
