FERRIDAY, La. &045; The eighth-graders at Ferriday Junior High School didn’t want to talk to the news reporter.

But the sports guy couldn’t answer the questions fast enough.

&uot;I read the sports page,&uot; Atasa Banks made known the second she approached the newspaper’s table at career day. &uot;I like basketball.&uot;

They wanted to know the process behind selecting the sports section’s All-Metro team, they wanted to talk football and they wanted to know how they could get a job that pays to watch sporting events.

The news reporter (the one writing this story) wasn’t the only career day participant who got a brutal look at what tomorrow’s work force wants to do.

&uot;Kids are interested in money,&uot; Attorney Derrick Carson said. &uot;They want to know how long it’s going to take to enter the profession and how much they are going to make.&uot;

Carson was among a group of about 30 presenters from the community who set up booths at the FJHS gym Tuesday.

Students picked the tables that interested them most and asked what they wanted to know.

And the students weren’t the only ones who walked away with a new lesson for the day.

&uot;I’ve learned that a lot of them don’t know what we do,&uot; Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office Line Deputy Orlando Davis said. &uot;I learned a lot from them and had fun explaining it to them.&uot;

The professionals brought whatever hands-on equipment they use on the job, including, for the Ferriday Fire Department, much of the equipment straight off the fire truck.

&uot;I’ve been really impressed with the students and how polite they are,&uot; Delta Bank’s Pam Hall said.

Lynette Turner of Tanner and Company said she’d learned how important career day can be to students.

&uot;This is good experience, to get first hand knowledge of job requirements and to be exposed to this,&uot; she said. &uot;This gives them an opportunity to see what the community offers.&uot;

Other presenters learned that not every student was interested in every job.

&uot;Some of the kids are interested in the jobs and want to know how much money they’ll make,&uot; Tameka Webster of the Ferriday Housing Authority said. &uot;But some are truthful and honest (and say they don’t care.)&uot;