With his high school career coming to an end, senior Jake Gramke is preparing to go straight into his desired profession, a railroad engineer.

While working on the railroad, Gramke would be in charge of running and directing trains on their track.

“I would be the person who conducts the train and controls what it does,” Gramke said.

Gramke explained that even though he is not going to college, he still has to complete training to have the abillity to work for the railroad.

“You have to go through 16 weeks of training,” Gramke said. “You also have to pass four tests and job shadow.”

Gramke wants to go into this area of work to avoid paying financial loans that would be required to attend college.

“I decided that I wanted to make money right out of high school,” Gramke said. “I’d rather go make money than be in debt and go to college.”

Gramke wants to go into railroad because it has many postitive perks that will help later in life, even when he is not working.

“Railroad has a really good benefits,” Gramke said. “It has things like health insurance and life insurance. It will also keep paying me even when I retire.”