Professionals Give 13-Year-Olds a Look at Possible Careers in the Future : Education: Lecture series at a Simi Valley school follows a survey showing most popular jobs to include FBI agent, animal trainer, candy maker and doctor.

If the 13-year-olds at Hillside Junior High School have their way, hundreds will become FBI agents or animal trainers when they grow up, and insurance agents will cease to exist.

Dozens of the Simi Valley teen-agers will join the ranks of lawyers and doctors, while a surprisingly large number will enter the more savory world of candy making.

“You want to get a job with lots of money,” said Josh Lang, who is debating whether he wants to become a National Hockey League goalie or a pilot. “You can’t live without money. And you have to have a job that you enjoy.”

Using the results of a survey of more than 900 Hillside Junior High students, Colleen Janssen, a Simi Valley parent, has responded to students’ aspirations by launching a lecture series to introduce teen-agers to the professions that interest them.

“I thought it was really important to start giving them options,” said Janssen, 36, whose son is a ninth-grader at Hillside. “Hopefully, that will motivate them.”

The survey last fall listed 90 possible careers. The most popular were FBI agent, police officer, animal trainer, candy maker, veterinarian, clothes designer and doctor.

Insurance agent, air-conditioning mechanic and comedian were among the least popular.

Since more than 120 students picked FBI agent as their No. 1 career choice, Janssen recruited a Ventura County private detective and former FBI agent to talk to students about his life’s work.

The presentation, which was the first lecture in Janssen’s project, was held last fall and attracted about 50 students.

Last month, about 70 students showed up for a lecture on candy making.

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And on Tuesday, about 75 teen-agers and preteens crammed into Hillside’s tiny library to hear a guest speaker from Dream Quest, a Simi Valley special-effects company that has won Academy Awards for the movies “Total Recall” and “The Abyss.” It was the largest crowd yet for the increasingly popular lecture series, Janssen said.

“We’re really encouraged that that many kids would want to give up their lunch to learn about careers,” she said.

Next month, trainers with Moorpark College’s exotic animal program will talk to Hillside students about their profession, and Janssen expects another record crowd.

For many students, the short presentations provide a first-hand look at jobs that might otherwise remain a mystery.

“I think it will help us learn about what we want to be,” said Amorette Klug.

“Yeah, your parents are always asking, ‘What do you want to do?’ ” Ryan Bates chimed in.

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Janssen, who is the east county director for the American Heart Assn., hopes the lectures will encourage students to pursue challenging careers and deter them from dropping out of school.

Simi Valley schools have one of the highest drop-out rates in the county.

“If we are hitting them at seventh to ninth grade, that gives us a chance to hit the kids who may have never addressed the issue of a career,” Janssen said.

Although school officials have not been involved in organizing the lunchtime lectures, they have applauded Janssen’s efforts and support the half-hour presentations.

“It’s just to let the kids know what’s out there,” Assistant Principal Pamela Castro said, adding that “it’s never too early” to be thinking about a career.

For Sonja Hoadley, the kaleidoscope of career options changes every month.

“One month I see something I like better than last month,” the eighth-grader said. This month, Sonja, inspired by Dream Quest’s presentation Tuesday, wants to create special effects for movies.

And what was Sonja’s career choice last month?

“I don’t remember,” she said with a giggle.