Some Lone Peak Elementary students might find themselves rubbing the quarter Drew Pearson handed out, remembering how he once counted 4,000 of them from his car wash change machine before switching to mobile phone tap payments.

Or perhaps they're thinking about how he keeps hot water flowing through the tubes year-round to stop it from freezing when the temperature drops to 32 degrees.

“It’s important to provide quality service people expect and to expect to meet challenges in any job,” said the Classy Chassy car wash owner in Cottonwood Heights to the students during their career day. “There may always be rude people and malfunctions in a job, but it’s how you approach it and respond to it that counts.”

Pearson was one of hundreds of professionals who visited local elementary schools this past year for career day presentations. Speakers shared details about their educational paths, how school subjects apply to their work, the pros and cons of their careers and some of the exciting parts of their jobs. Career fields ranged from water quality and veterinary science to law enforcement, public transit, music and fitness.

Entrepreneur Cody Coonradt, who develops healthcare software, encouraged students to examine the products they use and ask themselves what's missing, and how they might fill that gap.

“When looking at product management, we need to determine what we’re going to build and how we’re going to build it and what we’re going to charge, not just what it will look like,” he said. “While developing it, we also need to look at ‘are we going the right direction? Do we have the right people? Do we have enough money?’ Do not follow your passion, but rather, follow your curiosity. Passion comes from experience, but curiosity is infinite. Be patient.”

Third-grader Enzo Van Wangower said he learned the importance of staying curious.

“If I’m curious and it’s fun, I should try to do it,” he said.

His classmate Duyen Huynh added: “You’ll never know what you can do to help people, like he is with doctors and health care.”

At Glacier Hills Elementary, around 25 professionals participated. Among them was BMW sales manager Ben Beer, who motivated students to aim high now so they’re ready later.

“Try to be the best at everything you do right now and you’ll be ready to do it when you have a job,” he said.

He also answered students’ questions about car manufacturing — how one factory may produce engines and transmissions while another focuses on dashboards. He said white has long been the most popular car color, however, new designs inspired by the aurora borealis are growing in popularity.

At Midvale Elementary, school nurse Tara Aka showed students how to take their blood pressure, wrap their arms with ace bandages and listen to their heartbeats.

“As a nurse, I earned my bachelor’s degree, learned a lot of math and science and got to learn how cool the body is and how it works,” she told them. “Nurses are needed in operating rooms to helicopters on emergencies. It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s rewarding to help someone in need.”

In a nearby classroom, Mac McCann of Wildworks explained how it takes 30 images to make just one minute of animation. He said how he often records himself moving to use as a reference for character motion.

“To be an animator, you have to make things look believable,” he told students. “We can always get better. If you like to draw a lot, this could be a good career for you – taking the things you draw and bringing them to life.”

Teacher Jill Oaks emphasized career days are important for expanding students’ understanding of the working world.

“They’re learning about the community, whether it’s a chef at Outback Steakhouse or a Coke distributor; they’re learning that people in IT not only help set up a computer, but they solve problems,” she said. “We want our students to actively listen, learn the importance of reading, writing, math and things they’re learning and how it applies to their futures. They can also learn why they need to be responsible and on time, skills that will help them the rest of their lives. We’ll be writing thank-you notes about the impact these people have made to have our students think big and start developing skills now to reach their dreams.”

During Lone Peak’s career day, car wash owner Drew Pearson calls students up to test their strength, lifting 4,000 quarters, so they could gain knowledge of one of the skills required in his career. (Julie Slama/City Journals)