Saturday’s Youth Jobs Skills Fair at Issaquah High School gave middle and high-school students plenty of career options to think about.

Caryn Cissna with the Issaquah Community Network, which organized the event, said 190 youths registered, but not quite all of them were there — perhaps because the sun was shining brightly outside.

But minds were shining brightly inside, as students were presented with a plethora of speakers, mentors and breakout sessions. Matt Bott, CEO with the Issaquah Chamber of Commerce gave a presentation on making a good first impression. He said it takes eight-seconds for someone to size you up. The students thought it was important to be interesting, honest, utilize good social skills, be willing to compromise, be interactive and open minded.

Bott agreed those were all good answers, but also told them to smile, greet the potential employer with a firm handshake, make eye contact and to be professionally dressed and groomed.

Nate Perea, also with the Issaquah Chamber was speaking to the students about the importance of networking. IHS junior Lydia Mull had actually had some networking experience, even though she may not have known she was networking at the time. Her summer employer last summer, and also this coming summer, is an acquaintance of Mull’s mother.

Career mentor Jeff Hart is a chef at Seattle’s Hard Rock Cafe. He was talking to Sam Hagen, a freshman at IHS, Morgan Frame, a sophomore at Liberty High School and Maddie Ryan, a sophomore at Skyline High School about a career in the culinary arts. Hart said he started out as a dishwasher and worked his way up. After earning his associate’s degree he attended the Culinary Institute of America in New York. Hagen, Ryan and Frame all said they cook at home.

Sam Hagen’s older brother, Alex, a junior at IHS said it didn’t surprise him that his brother was at the culinary arts conversation, “Since he watches the Food Network all the time.”

Alex Hagen was deep in conversation with city council member Fred Butler, about a possible career in the military.

“I’m interested in being a writer, or the military, or a doctor,” Alex said. Butler pointed out a military career could also lead to medical school.

A nurse for over 20 years, Gordy Fields has worked for Swedish Hospital for most of his career. He was leading the group interested in the field of health care. Fields said the average age of nurses in the Swedish Network is 55. He said nurses are in demand, but most medical offices or hospitals want experienced nurses, which leaves the ones fresh out of school at a disadvantage. He wants more medical groups to be willing to train; he was taken under another nurse’s wing when he was starting out he said.

“It does take money to train, but ultimately they (employers) retain them,” he said. “One-to-one interaction with people is what is needed.”

Jyotsna Kuramkote, a student at Maywood Middle School said she learned a lot about becoming a doctor at the fair. She wants to be an anesthesiologist. Vidhi Singh from Skyline High asked about volunteer opportunities at a hospital. Fields said each hospital is different, but he urged her to contact hospital volunteer coordinators. Singh wants to be a cardiovascular surgeon. Fields said it’s good to get on-the-job training as a nurse because then you discover if, for example, you can handle blood.

“Where you learn is at the bedside,” he said.

Mentors were also on hand for accounting, aerospace, architecture, counseling, engineering, drama, fashion merchandising, firefighting, human services, music, parks and rec, software development and many more career options.