Austin PBS American Graduate

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American Graduate Getting to Work is made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Good evening. I'm Judy Maggio with Austin PBS, and welcome to a special edition of American Graduate. Central Texas has one of the strongest economies in the country.

The demand for skilled workers in diverse industries is growing almost every day. For the last two years, Austin PBS has highlighted local individuals who receive training for high-demand careers that don't require a four-year degree and pay livable wages. It's a win-win for the community, for employers, and for people looking to improve their lives tonight, we'll meet five Central Texans who've all proven there is more than one path to success. Welcome, everyone.

Thanks for being here. I'm gonna put you on the spot first, Savannah. Let's go for it. Tell us about your job, the training involved, and the difference it's made in your life.

Well, I work for a Local 286, which is a plumbing, pipe fitting, and welding combo inion. I currently work for a... It's the biggest small owned company, small owner company. So it's pretty fun working with them.

I started with a small company and now working with a bigger company that still has that same feel. It's really fun. I work with a lot of different men and a lot of different women, but it's a lot of fun being able to put stuff together and see it in action. And I know that you said that you enjoyed putting puzzles together.

As a pipe fitter, you get to figure things out. Sometimes they'll put you in a room and say, "Hey, so the prints aren't gonna match up "with what has to happen, so can you figure this out? "And we'll come back and make sure it's all good." That's always the funest part too, is because don't know what you're gonna end up having to do, and so it's fun going in there, putting stuff together, and watching it come to life and be used. So once we get all the pipes all together, then we gotta fix the HVAC.

Imari is with us. And tell us about your field of expertise and the type of training you underwent to get there. My field is HVAC, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. The training I had to go through was the EPA certifications.

Universal license is what I have, type one, type two, and type three. And I had to learn how to use a lot of different tools. There is hours of training that I had to go through, which was to work with different refrigerants and different tools that we have. And wasn't your grandfather also HVAC?

Yes, my grandfather was in HVAC. He did work at UT. That's neat, carrying on the family tradition. Yes.

Next we have Leticia, and I wanna know more about your career, and this is something I really need at my house. I need you to come to my house and work on my car. Tell us about your job, Leticia. So, I work at Flamingo Automotive, and we specialize in German and Japanese cars.

I do more of the check out and diagnostics. I usually do not actually do work, but I do do the diagnostic, and that's my favorite part, especially because everything is becoming more relied on technology. Now it's not oh I can just here or I can just see what's wrong with the car. You actually have to probe around and figure out what's wrong with it, what caused it not to work, and to me that's exciting.

Sheldon, I know you work in technology, and it was kind of a long road to get to where you are today. Tell us a little bit about your journey. Yes, I work for a company called PolSource, and we're a partner of Salesforce. Salesforce is a huge technology company.

They offer CRM businesses. Basically, CRM is a way for people to manage their company. And as a consultant, my job is to go to a company and talk to them about their business processes, and then tell them and explain to them, or help them have Salesforce, implement Salesforce for them to help them with their business. I've been doing that for the last 2 1/2 years.

It's been really good. I work remote from home, so it's not bad. How I ended up getting my job was I went through Merivis which is a veterans nonprofit. It's a nonprofit that helps veterans get into Salesforce.

And I went through their cohort. And then about eight, nine months afterwards, I found my first job, my first opportunity. So now I'm board member for Merivis, and I help other veterans make that transition from the civilian world, I'm sorry, from the military to the civilian world, and help them get involved with Salesforce and help them establish a career. Alex, you've really reinvented yourself with your training.

Tell us what you're doing now and what you were doing say five years ago. Okay. Yes, I'm a registered nurse in the ICU, intensive care unit. Training for me pretty much started in college.

They give you the foundation to build upon. As I become a nurse, I realize I was putting more onto that foundation. And five years ago, I was actually a laborer at a concrete block plant and doing some heavy-duty lifting. So now you're saving lives.

Yes. Yes, ma'am. How has this career that each of you have embarked on, how are these jobs changed your life? They're all great jobs.

You seemed to be enjoying what you're doing. What difference has it made in your everyday living? Who wants to tackle that first. I'll go first.

Go for it, Sheldon. I just purchased my first home this year, and I wouldn't been able to do that if it wasn't for my job. I also got engaged and I flew my fiance to Rome, Spain, and France. Yeah, it was France.

Just financially, it's changed everything for me because me and him was talking earlier, it's like we were working jobs where you're making eight, $9 an hour and you come home just beat up in the job. Hard labor. Yes. In the job I have now, like I work less hours and I make more pay.

It's weird, but definitely appreciate it. (laughs) But it just weird that it happens like that where I was just working all these hours and I wasn't getting paid anything, but now I go home mentally exhausted. Now I'm at home mentally exhausted, instead of like physically exhausted. Yeah, I'm on the same lines as him.

I was working at the concrete block job. As a laborer, a lot of us depended on overtime just to make a living wage. And when they would cut that overtime, it was difficult. And we were living paycheck to paycheck.

Now, I decided to go in the medical field, change lives, make a difference in the community, and also have that financial freedom as well, and spend more time with my family. Exactly. Who else wants to share how having this career, this very good career where you feel good about your work and have a living wage, how's it changed life? It's changing my life because, financially, I'm better off where I'm at now with my certificate.

And it's great because I was working two to three jobs a week trying to make money to pay my rent, to pay bills. But now, I finally found a career where I could just work my 40 hours a week, and I'm okay, I'm good. It's made me happy. I found happiness where I'm at, and I love it, I love my career.

It's great. He says career, not job, but carer. Career, that's important. I know, Leticia, you have a little girl, what a great role model you are for her, right?

Yeah. Yeah, I really appreciate having a career, especially in the automotive industry, because it gives me a chance to grow and learn new things because it's changing every year, new safety requirements, new features that people want, and all that. It's just more and more technology, so I get to grow and I get to keep learning about that, so that way I can work on it and... Yeah, I really like that I can work on cars, and then I've always wanted to help people, so I always try to help them if I can.

Savannah, when you were in high school, and you're only in your mid-20s now, 24 I think you told me, did you ever dream you'd be pipe fitting? Oh, no. I had no idea what I'd be doing. That's actually, it's funny because when I was in my senior in high school, I had no idea what to do.

I knew I didn't wanna go to college because I didn't know what I wanted to do, I didn't wanna waste the money trying to figure out what I wanted to do. And so, when they introduced me to welding, I was like, "I can do this. "This is something I can do." When Tulsa Welding School called up, and I went there for pipe fitting, that opened up another door that I was like, "I didn't know this was out there." I actually enjoy pipe fitting. I enjoy putting puzzles together, and that's exactly what it is.

It's just a giant puzzle that you get to make the pieces, and you can see it work. So when I came back to Austin, I found Local 286, and it was another step that I had to take. I joined the apprenticeship program, and now I'm a full-fledged journeyman, journey worker. There had to be some struggles along the way.

How did you all persevere and get through those struggles and follow your dreams? My main struggles was just talking myself into it. It was just something I had to do, because I couldn't stay at home. You have to grow up, get a job, start making a living, and start working.

And so, it was never really a struggle of I need to find a job. It was just a struggle where to go next or what to do, what to look for, and how to just get your life on the road. Yeah. Yeah, pretty much it's just, for me, it was just being poor can push anybody most of the time.

(laughs) Pretty much, for me, it was like I was hurt and I needed some type of income or a career, and I just go tired of just working dead-end jobs and being promised an opportunity, and then it didn't happen. So for me, it was just like all or nothing. I have my son at the time and bills are piling up, so I had to figure out something. I was fueler in the navy, so I didn't work tech or anything like that.

But I knew before I got out of navy that tech, especially coming back to Austin, that's what it was gonna be. There's a big tech boom going on right now. So for me it was just like, hey, you have to find something. You can't keep going around in circles working these jobs, they're not paying anything, and you need to find a skill that's in high-demand and not everybody can do.

And that's what I had to do. Alex, your job will always be needed, Unfortunately, but fortunately for you. Yes. The hurdles I went through was, I mean my daughter was born in 2008, and then I realize I needed something for the long haul.

Looking to the medical field, they always need medical professionals. So I started going to school. And when I actually got into nursing school, the biggest hurdle I hit is I actually failed my first nursing semester by less than a point. And I was devastated, and then I told myself I'm not gonna give up.

If I give up, that's quitting. So, next semester I reapplied, got back in, and then I pushed myself to study harder, and I also used the resources, the cohort around me, my fellow student nurses as well, and I would go to the tutor, so I can get over the little hump. And how long have you been working as a nurse now? Almost two years.

Two years. - Yes. Were there struggles along the way for you guys? Lots of struggles.

It was just my determination to move on and help my family out. Come home every day, we see bills piling up. And for me, I would come home and my AC wasn't working, so I got tired of that, and I said, "I'm gonna fix this myself one day." And I finally got there, and now I'm helping other people fix their ACs. I saw the need in Texas and got onto my career and help others.

Eight or nine months a year, we really, really need-- There we go. - Air conditioning. And the things is what you're hearing from everybody is determination, sticking with it. And everyone up here had failures and always tell people like I had to psyche myself out when it came to life because people take failures hard.

No one likes to fail. But I start psyching myself out. As long as you take the failures as wins also, then you never lose, because you're always learning from a failure. You fail, oh, I know that's not the answer, that's not correct.

So everyone up here has failed, but the thing is they stuck with it, and as you can see-- Learn from the failure. - Exactly. Time to move on. We're successful now, so yeah.

How can we make skilled trades like all of you are involved in now and then are doing so well, how could we make this more attractive to young people or the people that are just in those dead-end jobs or they're frustrated and they aren't making enough money to support their family? What are some ways we can show them that these jobs are out there and they need to, it's worth the training and it's worth the dedication and the determination that you spoke of? I think it starts with high school. In high school, I feel like they always push.

You need to get a four-year degree. You need to get a four-year degree. Every successful person gets a four-year degree. And that's not true.

I think starting in high school or even middle school, just showing that there are other career paths besides just getting a bachelor's degree is a good idea. Yeah, our union is actually working with a lot of other unions. I went to speak with some high schoolers awhile ago. It was a career fair type deal.

We pulled them out of school and said, "Hey, we're gonna go talk to the plumbers, "the pipe fitters, the electricians, "the HVAC, the woodworkers. "You all are all gonna "walk around, talk to these people, "and then you all are gonna have lunch." And it actually made a big difference in those guys' lives and those girls' lives, because we actually got a lot of people coming to apply as an apprentice. We heard from the electricians that a lot of people were accepted into their apprenticeships. So it really has to deal with talking to high schoolers and the younger ones that, hey, there's something else out there other than a four-year degree.

There is something that you can get your hand dirty, learn, and make a good wage When it comes to tech, man, just go to a tech company and look what they offer. I'm 40, so I'm a little bit older. So the first time I went to... It was at WeWork as a matter of fact.

I went in there, and they had like beer on tap. People riding around a hoverboard, playing video games. - Sounds good to me. And I'm just like, "What is going on?

"Aren't we supposed to be working?" But it's like a lot of these tech companies, they offer these things, new amenities, because they know they're trying to attract the best talent. They'll throw video games, they'll throw yoga, Facebook, they'll do your laundry for you, stuff like that. And the thing is when I was growing up, I looked at computers and tech as, "Oh, nerdy." but I tell people all the time the nerds run the world now, and they're the coolest people. Indeed they do.

Yeah, they're the coolest people. So it's like getting kids interested into tech, which I think nowadays is not as hard because of social media. And then like my son, in his seventh grade class, I was helping him with JavaScript. So, people see the future.

It's like, hey, just getting out of high school, you're gonna have to know some type of code, because all the jobs are gonna go to that eventually. Like you say, your job is all technology. They talk about having all these things in cars, majority of cars now is just computers. -

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Yeah. So that to me should influence people to get into some type of tech really because tech is all around us, and it's constantly changing. Right now it's all about AI. That's the next big thing.

So, talking to kids about AI, you might wanna do this. I think that can push them. What got you the most excited about switching gears and trying this new career? What was something that are just made you happy and floated your boat so to speak?

I think it was the hands-on part, because I'm a hands-on learner. And the fact that I would be able to put something together or go in and rip something out, it was really fun, because it's not... It's a physical, it's a workout all day, and so it's fun. It's happy.

You're having a good time with the guys you're working with, especially if it's a good crew, and just have light and joking and putting work in, and that's always fun as long as you're with the right crew, but you always get that one person. And you're like, "Okay, we're gonna get this day work. "Let's hurry up and get this done." (all laughs) Who else has some memorable moments, exciting moments? Well, for me, just like you were saying, it was the nervousness of a new, because it was a totally new career for me.

I went I've seen all these people in suits and they're all business, and I didn't know anything about business or anything like that. And especially me being a black man, there was not that man black men there too, so it was very intimidating. But what gets me excited about my job is me being a veteran. At my job, I was the very fist veteran they hire.

They've hired nine more now and a few more black people. (all laughs) Just being that person that kinda sets the standard and opens the door for other people, that's what gets me excited. Because like I said, it was all the same faces at my company at one point in time. Now there's diversity, and the thing is they've acknowledged it.

They said, "Hey, we're gonna get more people more diverse." So just being able to have a job, perform it well and say, "Hey, we need, "this guy is kicking butt, "let's get some more veterans in here." That's been, to me, the best part. The thing that excites me about my job is of course I'm an ICU nurse and then we do see death, but we do run into those situations where we're actually having to perform CPR and trying to bring back somebody's life. And the things that excites me is when we bring them back to life and get to see them walk out the door. You're like, "Man, we just made a difference in this guy "or female, you know." Difference ain't the word.

yeah, I know. We make the difference, you save lives. Yes. Wow.

I mean it's pretty stressful at times, but just to get to see someone else there and just bring them back is very, very exciting. What excited me was that, you know, my trade is hard work, and I worked my whole pregnancy, you know, working on cars. And then what was even more exciting to me was that I was able to keep breastfeeding. They were so supportive of me taking my breaks to pump.

And with that, I was able to donate 11,000 ounces to the Mothers Milk Bank of Austin. Wow - Good for you. I always tell people, you know, it's just amazing how they were supportive and they didn't make like weird comments about me taking pumping breaks like in the living room that we have there, and it's just an example for women that wanna be in the male-dominated field, because sometimes I see them and they say, oh, but what am I gonna do whenever I wanna have a child. Do I just stop working?

And it's like I mean kept working. You can keep working if that's your choice. That was a very special moment for me there at Flamingo. Imari, do you have a special moment, something exciting from your job you wanna share?

My special moment is when someone calls me and their AC isn't working and they're hot. (all laughs) And I go in and I fix their system, and they're sitting right there by the vent, and they feel that cold air come in in the summer time, and see their faces smile that's what I get satisfied from, to see them comfortable and being happy. In Texas, that's pretty close up there saving people's lives too, man. It gets hot now here man.

(all laughing) You know, people are frightened about change. Nobody likes it. What advice would you give to people who have thought about maybe changing to a career like you all have, but they feel tied down by family obligations, or maybe they think they are not ready to switch gears, or they're too young or too old to take on a challenge. I'd love for each of you, and I'll just go ahead and put you on the spot first again, Savannah.

What advice would you have for those people who, they wanna leave, the wanna switch careers, but they just, they can't take that first step? Take the step. It's big step, I know, but in the end, the rewards are awesome. The work that you will be doing will make you feel so much better at the end of the day because you know that you accomplished something, that you built something, and that people are gonna look at that and be like, "Wow." And you will look at it and be like, "Wow, I can't believe I've built that and put that in." But yeah, just take that step.

Advice, Imari. I feel as when you're ready, you're ready. The certificate might say it may take a year, but it's fine if it takes you two, three years to finish that certificate. Because at the end, when you graduate, you're gonna feel amazing, and you're gonna feel like you've done something and you have done something, and that's something to be proud of.

Great. Leticia? You know, when I decided to go to school for automotive technician, I was the only one working in my household, so I had to maintain my mom, and I have a newborn, but I just thought I really wanna be able to have a career and do something that I love. I don't wanna be somewhere where I just feel like I'm just surviving the eight hours to go home.

So I was just like, "I need to get this schooling done." And it was a struggle because I'd work during the day, go to school at night. I would leave home at seven, come back at 10, but it was worth it. For me, it's just, like we talked about earlier, perseverance and actually wanting something different. Everyone's scared, everyone's fearful of something new.

But like if you think about it, the master at one point in time was student. So it's like everyone starts off not knowing anything. Everyone starts from the beginning. And if you spend your whole life thinking about, "Oh man, what if I should do that?" To me that's just mental torture.

So even if you take a chance and fail, you can still say, "I failed taking the chance "of something that I wanted to do." And then you can live your life being comfortable that hey it just didn't work out. But if you never do it, you're gonna sit there your whole life wondering what if, what if, what if. And no one should live like that. So just take the chance, especially if you want something different, especially if it's for your family.

You can't be scared when it comes to that. You have to. Yes, I took my chance when I was a laborer. I mean if it's a financial issue, talk to your employer and see if there's tuition reimbursement, or like my last job, they helped me out with my scheduling.

My school classes were at certain times. I say, "Hey, I might need to get off a little bit early." They helped me out with that, so I suggest find out who your support system is, and definitely utilize them. If it's childcare, go to the college and see if they offer daycare. I know the college I went to did.

Wonderful words of wisdom from all of you. And Alex, Sheldon, Leticia, Imari, and Savannah, thank you so much for sharing a little slice of your life and the difference this career training and your jobs have made in each of your lives. And I think that you've been so much an inspiration to anybody who's watching this evening. So thank you very much.

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Thank you. We hope tonight's special edition of American Graduate gave you a look at some great career options and that our guests and their stories have inspired you. For more information on the American Graduate Program, go to austinpbs.org/americangraduate. From all of at Austin PBS, thanks so much for watching.

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