Career days are a fun way for schoolchildren to imagine what they might do for a living when they're adults. But they only come once a year and frequently only feature whatever local businesspeople can be rounded up from the neighborhood. 

But what if kids could get inspired by watching thoughtful interviews with people spanning a large variety of careers, accessible on demand? That's the idea behind Yourcareerday.com, founded by Ypsilanti resident Brian S. Banks and based at the Back Office Studio in downtown Ypsilanti. His website and YouTube channel now feature dozens of interviews he's conducted with people in careers ranging from barber to COO to shoe designer.

Banks, who served as an academic advisor at the University of Michigan for many years before retiring in 2022, says the idea grew out of speaking engagements for his book, "How to Make it to the NBA: A More Realistic Approach." He knew many young people aspired to play ball in the NBA, but the statistics are against them, even if they're excellent players in high school.

"I wanted kids to see there were other careers associated with basketball," he says, noting that young people who don't go on to play ball professionally could work in marketing or other fields for their favorite sports team.

"There are a lot of people stunting the dreams of kids, and I want to show them something that might inspire them," he says.

He noticed during a career day talk in Detroit that there was a big difference between that event and the ones his children attended.

"I thought about the difference in career day, where they were just pulling people from the neighborhood, versus in Ann Arbor where my kids went to school," Banks says. "It's not the kids' fault, because they can't just get up and move. So I started interviewing people and posting it to the web. Now anyone can get online and see what [these careers] are like."

Banks began by interviewing his own friends and acquaintances, but then they began suggesting other interviewees for the series. He has paid for the entire series out of pocket, but after retiring, he created a 501(c)3 nonprofit so he can apply for grants and accept donations. 

The series doesn't focus exclusively on Black professionals, but many of them are represented in the videos.

"A lot of times, young people of color don't see anybody who looks like them and don't think those jobs or careers are for them," Banks says. "I want them to know there are plenty of people who look like you who are doing great things."

For more information, visit the Your Career Day website or watch the entire list of videos on the Your Career Day YouTube channel.

Sarah Rigg is a freelance writer and editor in Ypsilanti Township and the project manager of On the Ground Ypsilanti. She joined Concentrate as a news writer in early 2017 and is an occasional contributor to other Issue Media Group publications. You may reach her at sarahrigg1@gmail.com.

Photo courtesy of Brian Banks.