>>Narrator: How do I know which path is best for me?

Is it possible to take on these challenges and obstacles?

Where do I even start?

What should I do with my life?

Sometimes, the only way to find out is to go see what's possible Since 2001, we've been sharing the stories of people who ventured out and explored different career paths and different possibilities for their futures.

This is one of those stories.

This is Roadtrip Nation.

>> Jupiter: What's the future of work?

No, I mean, what is it?

What's gonna happen to work in the future?

But also, what are we talking about when we say future of work?

What does it mean for you?

For me?

Because we all know that the world of work is changing and evolving rapidly, right?

So, what are we gonna do about that?

We've all got a lot of questions.

And that's why we decided to do what Roadtrip Nation does best.

Hit the road and meet with the skilled workers who are out there rolling with these changes and building the future right now.

So that we could bring all of their stories and insights to you.

>> [MUSIC] >> Jupiter: So if you're like us, you might be freaking out a little bit right now.

And to be fair, there's a lot of doom and gloom out there about the future of work.

The world is changing.

You're behind everyone else.

Everything's becoming automated.

There's too much competition.

College is too expensive.

College is necessary.

Wait, how am I supposed to feel about college again?

Plus, we don't even know what jobs are going to exist ten years from now, right?

So it's like how am I supposed to prepare myself for that?

Okay, now I'm freaking myself out even more.

Do I need to go back to school?

Should I learn how to code?

I don't even know how to drive this thing.

>> Jupiter: Breath.

Because when it comes to tackling the future of skilled work, all we have to do is shift our thinking.

>> [MUSIC] >> Jupiter: Hello everyone, my name is Jupiter F Stone.

I'm an artist, a producer, a creator, a storyteller, a rapper.

You can catch me on the Interwebs.

And I'm wondering how all these different little skills can add up to a fulfilling career?

Basically, I'm trying to figure out my future too.

I'm right there with you.

So I'm gonna be here throughout this film as your host, your guide, your DJ, if you will, sharing different stories and advice that I think can help us figure out this whole future of work thing together.

Now, where will these stories and advice come from?

To start with, I want you to meet an amazing group of four people from all different walks of life, Rasheed, Erin, Ian, and Christine.

They hit the road in this big green RV and did interviews all over the country with people who have found their place in skilled work.

From people in the medical field, technicians working in clean energy, even someone who climbs hundreds of feet into the air to hang upside down and weld bridges.

The team is thinking through some big questions, probably some of the same ones that are on your mind right now.

And the conversations that they had out there can help us right here find out how we can all shift our thinking and best prepare for the future of skilled work.

So check this out.

>> [MUSIC] >> Erin: I'm about to go on an adventure of a lifetime.

We're taking a RV, and we're gonna talk to a lot of people about skill jobs.

>> [MUSIC] >> Christine: When I first saw, and met Rasheed and then Erin, I was like, it's starting to get real.

>> Ian: It looked like a whole lot of space, and then you add three other phenomenal people things start to get really tight really quickly.

>> [APPLAUSE] >> Rasheed: It was surreal, I was like, okay, I'm doing this, here we are.

>> Ian: We're here because we wanna learn and grow and develop in our profession and a lot of personal growth.

>> Rasheed: I'm Rasheed.

I am 33 years old.

I've worked a lot of jobs, and the main jobs that I've had I think have always been some type of service base, I've always been dealing with clients.

And I think that's what helped me get into the IT field.

But I miss that rush I had when I was being creative.

And I think that's just something I'm constantly chasing.

>> Erin: My name is Erin Doyle.

I'm 25 years old.

I'm all about collecting, [LAUGH] skills.

I kind of call myself Jack of all trades a little bit, because I've got random things that I'm good at and I don't really know how they all fit together yet.

But maybe I can find something that actually utilizes all those skills at the same time.

>> Christine: My name is Christine.

I'm 32.

I'm originally from Chicago, and I'm currently working as a wildland firefighter.

Firefighting is rewarding, but I feel like the knowledge that I have could be used for more and funnel in a way that would be more fulfilling.

>> Ian: My name is Ian Simoy.

I am 31 years old I live in New York City, but I come from the island of Guam.

I think about the problems that we face as a society right now.

I think what could be possible, if more people had the resources and skills to take on different challenges in the world.

>> [MUSIC] >> Jupiter: So skilled work, what is that anyway?

Well, skilled work is really just any kind of work that requires specific skills or training.

And we're not necessarily talking about super high tech jobs that require advanced degrees.

But we are talking about jobs that require you to acquire new knowledge and training beyond what you'd get in high school.

And that could mean anything from a certification, or a community college program, or something that you pick up through an apprenticeship.

The skills you need could be technical skills, like how to operate specific tools and equipment.

They could also be what we like to call human skills, things like problem solving, networking, or being creative, the skills that help you adapt and learn those technical skills.

Now, for most skilled jobs, you'll need a combo of both.

And oftentimes, your unique combination of skills come together in totally unexpected ways.

Like with our first interview, now, we figured if we're gonna talk about the future of work, we'd better talk to someone working in one of the oldest jobs on Earth, Pastor Barry.

I know, I know, stick with me though, because Pastor Barry is a boss.

He's helping his people tackle this rapidly changing world of work.

And he's actually created a blueprint for how we can all build our next career path.

So let's hear a little bit more about Roadtriper Rasheed, and check out his conversation with Pastor Barry.

>> [MUSIC] >> Rasheed: I'm Rasheed.

I am 33 years old.

I'm from Silver Spring, Maryland, and I live in the DC area.

So the area I grew up on, most of us are all first-generation, a lot of our parents are immigrants.

If you talk to anyone, and like I said foreign background, they're going to tell you their parents want you to be engineer, doctor, lawyer, anything that making good money to take care of your family.

So I got into IT.

I was like, all right, I gotta get this big boy job, PTO, Insurance.

At 25, 26 things are changing, so I got the big boy job that you're supposed to get.

But during that time I just wasn't into it.

I was just seeing my value kind of drop.

My 30th birthday, I was at work and I was like, I'm not feeling this.

I started writing my little letter and I hit send, left work early, just walked off, I'm gone.

Now our generation is kinda taking a different turn and learning how to take more risk and try different things.

We have to constantly change just like technology.

You always have to get a new update, right?

It's hard to get out.

It's so hard to get out of being stagnant.

I don't know what door's gonna open up after this.

Some people just wanna chill, be cool.

You know what I mean, I can't.

>> [MUSIC] >> Rasheed: Driving to Detroit, I just kind of felt like okay, I'm somewhat home, because Detroit has a really deep history, especially with the black community.

So definitely appreciate coming there and just kind of feeling that connection with it.

Then we went to go see Pastor Barry at Church of the Messiah.

>> Barry: My name is Barry Randolph and I am the priest and pastor of Church of the Messiah in Detroit, Michigan.

>> Rasheed: Hi, Pastor Barry, how you doing today.

>> Barry: Great.

>> Rasheed: I'm Rasheed, I'm 33 years old, from the Maryland-Washington DC area, I freelance in IT, and I am a curator and creative.

>> Barry: Welcome to Detroit.

>> Rasheed: Thank you, appreciate you, so happy to be here.

So Pastor Barry, what is more of your background?

So besides just your ministry that kind of pushed you towards talking to the young people?

I see a lot of entrepreneurship and stuff like that.

Is there a background from your past that helped you kind of push that a little bit more to kind of see that's a focus that young people might want to do and help them engage in that.

>> Barry: Yeah, so one of the things that I used to do was always I either own the company or manage the company, I never planned on being a minister.

Everywhere I've ever been, I've always wind up being a boss.

That was just my natural tendency.

So all I see is potential in young people, so that was something that I learned in the secular world.

I just brought it into the church, I'm also a community activist.

And the work that we do at Church of the Messiah is to eradicate poverty, helping to bring people out of poverty.

So we do that primarily through our housing corporation, we have a business incubator.

We are the Internet provider, so, we're the competition to Comcast and AT&T and our Internet is free.

We have our own employment office.

We have a doctor's office and an attorney's office, and we help to change the trajectory of people's lives.

So in churches you have people who go to church who are in the medical field people who are doctors.

But you also have people who are educators, you have entrepreneurs, you have people in the skilled trades, you have people who know how to cook, people who know how to sew.

But we never stop and think how can I use my skill set to change my community and neighborhood.

And what we found out in our congregation is we have eight social workers.

And we had four people in law enforcement, we have two medical doctors, and a scientist.

So we decided to open a doctor's office.

That's why we have our business incubation center, because we have so many entrepreneurs.

We started working with the skilled trades because we have people in the church who knew how to do that.

We don't look to galvanize and bring that power together to say how we're going to rebuild our community and neighborhood, it's actually already there >> Rasheed: Do you think a lot of this building the confidence and the mental of, you know, I've noticed in my personal, you can lose your confidence really quick with ideas and projects.

Do you believe these organizations and these products you're helping is kind of helping that mental aspect to kind of keep people focused and help them to continue that drive?

>> Barry: One thing that we found is our young people are brilliant, what they need to see opportunity to be able to bring that brilliance out.

It's covered up with all other types of issues that don't allow them to actually be themselves.

There is a system in place that is not set up for the greatness of inner city young people.

It is not set up or designed to be able to do that, as a matter of fact, it is designed to bring them to their own destruction.

The system does not work, don't keep trying to work in a system that does not work, create a new system that makes the old system obsolete.

Imagine if you can start off learning everything you need is within yourself and in your community.

Use your background of what it is you've always been able to do, and you just bring that into the forefront.

It's one of those things were we need more places that would invest in the people to stop and say, who are you?

See my thing is, you can't just come in here and we just have church, after a while I keep seeing you, it's going to be one of those things.

Who are you?

And when I ask, who are you, I don't want you to say, I'm the manager of whatever, whatever, whatever, no, it really is going to be who are you?

And when we get off into that, and you say, well, you know, I really am a screenwriter.

I just manage whatever or I'm an actor, or I'm a builder, or whatever that is we get to that and give you the opportunity to do it.

I must admit, well over 90% of the time, our young people take it.

They take that advantage, and they actually do it.

And I think the only thing they lack is opportunity, to me a spiritual malpractice.

If we cannot make a difference where it's needed most I'm about to get in trouble, so here I go.

[LAUGH] Because once I start talking about this it's almost like Barry, kind of don't get on the soapbox.

I don't want to get on soapbox.

But if we all got together, put down denomination and religion, and talk about what we have in common, but we concentrate more on what's different about us and not what we have in common.

And if we would just concentrate on that and do it and talk about our responsibility towards making a difference in the world, we can do this.

And that's what we're teaching our young people and God did not create the mess of this world man created that.

God did not create racism, man created racism, God did not create poverty, man created poverty.

So don't complain to God, God is like you got more than enough, get up off your knees, hustle, and do what it is that you're supposed to do.

Stop complaining, you are empowered, you can do this and that's what we're teaching our young people >> Ian: Pastor Barry, one of the things that you mentioned previously was that the people in your community already have gifts.

>> Barry: Already.

>> Ian: I am curious what advice you would give to young people who, may have those gifts but might not have tapped into them yet or haven't discovered them yet.

And what would you tell them as they explore the best ways to use their gifts.

>> Barry: Muhammad Ali said something I thought was so profound, he said when the mission is right, the odds don't matter.

So don't pay attention to the odds.

It is the mission that is the most important thing that we're called to do to make a difference.

We have everything there is what we need in order to beat the odds, so we got to concentrate on the mission and not the odds.

And when people stop and say, that's insurmountable, you can't do that.

No, you can't do that.

The person who says I can and the person who says I can't are both right, just where's your mentality?

Which side are you on?

I can do it, or I can't do it, but chances are you're right if that is really your belief, so we have a lot of community challenges, but it's not the challenge.

It's the people who are standing up against the challenge.

>> [MUSIC] >> Ian: This idea of being in community with other people, the work that pastor Barry is doing is so incredible.

Because you see the many different challenges they're boldly taking on.

It's inspiring as much as you'd like to think that you can do it on your own.

There's a community of people that continue to support us indirectly and directly on the journeys that we're on.

>> Rasheed: He's really passionate about his community itself and helping it.

One thing that really stood out to me as someone who is a creative and considered himself an entrepreneur and just someone who tried to do multiple projects.

He had a center for his youth, and one thing he does is helping and pushing their ideas and their dreams and their vision.

And I was just in an awe, it kind of put a spark in me.

You're able to do all the things you need to do and still have your passion at the same time.

People want to go to work and still have a life and to take care of the families, and things like that.

So, I want to see if I can incorporate that somehow into my life, work around bringing more people together.

And, you know, it's feasible.

It was a beautiful experience.

>> [MUSIC] >> Jupiter: Now that is the way to kick off a documentary interview series.

What a great first interview with Pastor Barry, Pastor Barry, Pastor Barry.

Thank you, Pastor Barry.

[SOUND] Now see, I wanted to press play on this interview first because I feel like that mindset of I can do it is the key to tackling the future of work.

I mean that's it, it's that simple.

We have to start there, and we can't be afraid of change or afraid of the future.

That's why I love the idea of thinking of our skills as assets or even as a calling.

It's not just some boring work you need to do to climb a ladder or make more money.

Learning new skills is what can empower you and help you make a change in your community.

So once you realize that and you get into that positive, I can do it, I can do this, I can tackle it, I can take on anything in the future mindset, then you're ready.

>> [MUSIC] >> Jupiter: But what does it really look like to be a part of the skilled workforce of the future?

Well, let me show you cuz we got a day in the life.

>> [MUSIC] >> Jupiter: I only have to do it one time.

[LAUGH] We're hearing a lot about clean energy these days.

But what does the day to day look like for the skilled workers in these fields?

We talked to a wind turbine technician to find out.

>> Andrea: So a typical day or week in wind, you'll usually meet at the office and then go just get your supplies and go straight out to the tower.

So you're technically outside but you're also inside because usually when you're working on the towers, you're on the inside of it.

But sometimes you'll have to go up all the way on top to go into our hub or something like that.

So a lot of the components in the turbine are basically just big car parts.

Then you can go anywhere from being a maintenance technician, and that's like greasing, torquing, cleaning, just making sure that the regular maintenance is done on it like a vehicle.

Like you'd get an oil change, your tires rotated, stuff like that.

Then there's the troubleshooting technicians, if something breaks, they go fix it.

Then you have blade teams, a lot of blades will get hit by lightning or they'll just get worn over time.

They come and they fix them on the outside, hang down and like fix those.

Then you have your large corrective, you have your travel managers, you've got your leads, there's so many opportunities.

I started wind exactly a month after I graduated high school, and I went straight through the trade school program and then straight to work.

The most interesting part about it that really caught my eye with wind is that just it was different, not a whole lot of people I knew were doing it and I wanted to be different.

And I found out that it was only seven months in a trade school and I was like, yeah, I'm going to do that.

And seven months went by super quick, and then I ended up right where I wanted and needed to be.

So my first time going in a wind turbine was actually kind of frightening.

Because that's your make it or break it point, you really don't know if you can do the job until you get up.

So I was super scared, I was like, no, what's going to happen if I can't make it up?

And I think that motivated me even more to get up.

I went to the top for the first time and like looked at the view.

I don't even know how to describe how the feeling is from looking up top.

I loved it up there, it's just a relief, everything, you get to see miles.

One of the biggest myths for the wind turbines is that the stairs going up is a spiral staircase going up, and it's not, it's straight up.

Another one is that it's on the outside.

It's not, which that makes a humongous difference.

It's on the inside and it's straight up, and going up there's decks.

So you can't see straight down unless you look straight down the ladder, and that makes a huge difference.

So people that say they're scared of heights, I always tell them, so was I, I was very scared of heights.

And you get in there and even at the top you feel like you're on the ground cuz you can't see outside at all until you're on the tippy top.

Any bad day I've had at work, if I'm getting frustrated or just upset, I've had a long week and I just need a breather, I'll go on top and that's like an instant emotional change.

I wish I could go back to that first day of taking that in for the first time, because that was like nothing else.

>> Jupiter: What if you have skills, you just don't know how to put them to use?

Or maybe you have so many skills you can't imagine picking just one path into the future.

I mean that's the boat I'm in.

I mean, not to brag or anything.

I just like so many things and I want to do so many things.

And Roadtripper Erin is right here in this boat with me.

So let's check in with Erin and check out the team's conversation with welder Kyle Tripp.

>> [MUSIC] >> Erin: My name is Erin Doyle, I was home schooled up until high school.

So we could kind of choose what we wanted to learn about, and I would get to go to work with my dad even though it was a school day.

Carpentry, painting, and welding and different things like that.

It was just such a normal part of my life, that when I learned that other people didn't know how to fix their own faucets I was just really confused.

[LAUGH] What do you mean you don't know how to change an outlet?

I've known how to do that since I was five.

So it's just normal, it's just like, yeah, this is a part of my life, this is going to be something that I do.

I'm all about collecting skills, [LAUGH] like Jack of all trades a little bit because I've got random things that I'm good at and I don't really know how they all fit together yet.

But maybe I can find something that actually utilizes all those skills at the same time.

I think that skilled jobs really run the world, because they make everything function.

I went to college for baking and pastry, so I actually have a baking and pastry degree.

And so I worked in a couple different bake shops but I didn't love it as my job, I like it a little bit more as my hobby.

[LAUGH] So I switched things up and I went to work for the Philadelphia Zoo.

My other part time thing was a photographer at a baby studio, and unfortunately I lost those jobs because of COVID.

What I'm hoping to get out of the road trip would be a bit more exposure to what things are out there.

I'm kind of just trying to get back into the groove of things a little bit.

Try and figure out where I want to go now after COVID has affected everything.

So I'm still kind of trying to find that, honestly.

[LAUGH] But I don't wanna just let life keep passing me by >> [MUSIC] >> Kyle: Hey, my name is Kyle Tripp, I'm 28 years old, and I'm an apprentice for Local 25 Union Ironworkers.

>> [MUSIC] >> Erin: Hi, my name is Erin, I'm 25.

I've had a lot of different stuff in my background, including welding actually, but I'm kind of not doing anything specific right now.

[LAUGH] COVID kind of mess all that up.

I'm trying to figure out where to go next.

>> Kyle: Okay, awesome.

Well nice to meet all you.

After I graduated high school, didn't really know what I wanted to end up in.

And so I figured I'll just join the workforce and kind of narrow in on maybe what I like by trying different things.

So I've worked at concert venues, gyms, the zoo, a bunch of different places.

And it was all right, but nothing that I really could see a future in and nothing that was really paying the bills.

>> Erin: Right.

>> Kyle: And I didn't have, you know, a degree or anything.

Felt like I was kind of getting a little bit older, felt like I was getting a little late on life.

And then I had caught wind of a program called Women Who Weld.

It's a nonprofit and it's all for empowering unemployed women in the area.

Got right in there, I loved it.

Six week intensive workshop, she makes sure you transition right into the field of welding after giving you the skill that you can now take anywhere.

In Women Who Weld, I saw a slide of an ironworker, specifically, hanging upside down a couple hundred feet in the air welding something, so I was like, yeah, that looks pretty cool.

>> Erin: [LAUGH] >> Kyle: I like a thrill.

So having that skill in itself has been literally life changing.

I have so much passion for this, and no one can take that away from me now.

I wasn't thinking about welding four years ago, I'll tell you that much.

And here I am, and it's gonna be something I'll probably do for the rest of my life.

>> [MUSIC] >> Kyle: This world is gonna have quite a shortage of welders coming up, and really like all trades.

So, I'm definitely an advocate for promoting trades in itself.

I wish it was kind of sold to me more when I was younger.

Now, I'm sitting here, like dang, I could have been doing this for the last ten years.

I'm not sure the numbers, but it's insane, almost our infrastructure could collapse if people do not start joining the trades.

>> Rasheed: We can only have so many communication degrees.

>> Kyle: Right, right, right, it's a huge need.

>> Erin: I hear a lot of what you're saying echoed in things that I've thought before about myself, so I was kind of interested.

I have a lot of things that I've learned just randomly throughout my life that I don't think of as really being that important.

The other day, I fixed the steps on the RV.

I took the motor apart, and put it back together, and I'm like, yeah, whatever.

And they're all like no, that's super cool.

So do you feel that that plays into the shortage of people, because I also feel like it plays into the woman kind of thing, because it's like it's not something I'm supposed to do.

I'm not supposed to get my hands dirty, society is like no, you're not supposed to do that, so, do you think that that is part of why it's harder for women to get into it?

>> Kyle: I don't think that's why it's harder for women to get into it, but it might be a deterrent.

I know from experience.

I definitely had nerves coming into this and joining.

There's less than 1% of females in this trade >> Erin: Wow, really?

>> Kyle: So, yeah, you're definitely a minority there, and that was super nerve wracking.

I mean, I definitely relate to what you're saying, I was like I don't know anything, and I'm walking in here, but don't overthink it, don't think of that number of being less than 1%.

It's a family, a sisterhood, brotherhood, we're all one, so, it didn't matter that I was a female showing up to work.

We're all there to get the job done, and everyone's got each other's backs, and then you work through it.

You get more comfortable, you have more confidence, so you know what you're doing and I'm like, okay, I'm doing this.

We're building entire structures, it's like I'm playing a very important role in this.

So you got to show up, it's not you don't just drag in, and like sit at your desk, and watch the clock, wait for the day to end.

You're moving, you're getting it done, you're working, you're in it, and it's very, very gratifying to see a whole skyscraper or a whole bridge built after you're done with it.

You can drive by it for the rest of your life and say I built that.

[LAUGH] >> Erin: That sounds so awesome.

I feel like I connected with Kyle.

I've been around construction and all that for so long.

So, it was really fun to be able to talk to women who have found a career path for that, because that's something that has been a bit of conflict within myself like, this isn't something I'm supposed to be good at.

>> Rasheed: There's welders, there's plumbers, there's all these different type of skills and trade jobs that can give you a good living.

Those are jobs that anyone's capable of doing.

Show the kids you don't have to go to college, maybe become another skilled trade option, because school is not for everyone.

>> Ian: I think one of the things that I learned is that a lot can happen to change your life in six months.

They took a six month apprenticeship program, they are now in careers that could allow them to support themselves and their families, and contribute to their communities.

>> Erin: They're great to talk to and get more inspiration from, you can go you can do it, it doesn't matter how old you are.

Doesn't matter if you're a woman or man, or non binary, or whatever, you just go out and you do the thing that you like to do.

>> [MUSIC] >> Jupiter: Kyle you can go ahead and hang upside down and build the future with me that way, I'm not hanging upside down from no buildings.

But from what it sounds like, anyone can be a welder, you just got to apply yourself.

There's another key to tackling the future of skilled jobs.

Don't put yourself in a box.

Don't be scared to try something or change because you feel like you don't fit in, or you feel like the world is evolving without you.

Because the thing is, the thing that scares people the most about the future is also the thing that's the most exciting.

We get to create it.

We can help drive change and shape what careers are like in the future with the choices that we make today, right now, in the work that we do.

So, don't box yourself in.

Go after the stuff you like, go learn the things that you think are cool.

I think you're cool, you're super cool.

Let's be cool together in an inhabitable future.

[LAUGH] But what does it really look like to be a part of the skilled workforce of the future?

Well, let me show you with a day in the life.

What does the day to day look like for a machinist working in advanced manufacturing?

We talk to Steve Seon to find out.

>> Steve: I'll come in, clock in, and then I just power up my machine.

A lot of what we make with the CNC are components that go out into the machines out on the shop floor for production.

A fixture plate is something that you can use to hold work pieces in.

That's something I have to constantly think about when I'm programming parts from start to finish.

Are there any sides to this part that I could hold on to when it's done?

Is there gonna be enough material to hold on to, stuff like that?

So what they used to do was make a lot the components by hand, an old fashioned way, where things might not be as precise and they would have to kind of go around that, and make do with what they got.

But because we're able to make things with a lot more precision and accuracy, things are running a lot smoother out there.

And it's one of those things that I take pride in now, because it's work that I do that's impactful out on the shop floor.

In school, all I really remembered studying about manufacturing was you think manufacturing, you think sweatshops, but unfortunately they didn't tell you that modern manufacturing is a lot better now.

In terms of safety and how clean the shops are, and just some of the work that they do is just kind of mind blowing.

That was a thing that really drove me into this industry was seeing all these CNC machines work and how amazing it was to watch them make the parts and stuff like that.

My experience with going to college was applying, because I thought I had to.

Had I known beforehand in high school that there were trade school options that actually help you develop skills that you can utilize at your job or outside of work, that's something that I would much rather prefer.

A friend of mine offered me this opportunity at a manufacturing career internship program.

At the time, I thought I might as well just give it a shot and see where it takes me.

And it was one of the most life changing things I've ever gone through.

>> Jupiter: All right, so we're talking about jobs of the future, right?

But what kind of future do you envision?

Let's all take a break from thinking about jobs just for a second here and put our imagination to work.

What do you want to see changed?

What kind of problems do you want to solve?

And what skills do you need to get there?

Okay, okay, now let's bring work back in.

How could your work shape and change the future?

Roadtripper Ian has big dreams for the kind of impact he wants to make on our future.

So to figure out how to reach that level of impact, he talked to head grower at AeroFarms, Steven Jeanty.

Check out what he learned.

>> Ian: My name is Ian Simoy.

I am 31 years old.

I live in New York City, but I come from the Island of Guam.

My family is a major influence in the things that I do, my grandfather was a farmer.

And he taught people how to plant and how to harvest food.

And my grandmother was an educator.

I went down a pretty conventional path in many ways.

I went to college and I was the first in my family to go to graduate school.

I'm a teacher, I'm an educator.

My brothers didn't follow that same path.

One of my brothers went to college but didn't finish his degree, and he's still paying off student loans, and my other brother joined the military.

When I was in high school there were two paths, college or you go to the military, I think that there have to be more options.

One of the things that I appreciate about being from an island is that it kind of nurtures your creativity.

Nurtures your wonder around what's possible.

And so I look out into the ocean and I think to myself, wow, what's out there?

As you get older, you start to get a little bit more experienced, in some cases a little bit more jaded about the world and what's possible.

And I think that one of the things that I'm most excited about in terms of going on this trip is that we all could use a little bit of an exercise in creativity, an exercise of the imagination.

I'm really looking forward to leaning into that during this trip.

I think about the problems that we face as a society right now.

I think what could be possible if more people had the resources and skills to take on different challenges in the world?

What if we could think about new ways to build and design systems that might better allow people to make the kind of impact that they wanna have in the world.

>> Steven: Welcome guys, my name is Steven Jeanty, I am the head grower for this farm, this field is the future of farming.

When do you think about traditional soil farming, there's a lot of stuff and hoping [LAUGH] that goes into it.

I hope it rains.

I hope bugs from that area doesn't come in.

I hope pollen from that area doesn't come in, right?

Even something like a greenhouse, right?

That uses the sun.

The sun goes down at some point.

We supply lighting, CO2, nutrients, all the time here, so the plants are growing at a faster rate than it would outside.

We're growing thousands of pounds of food that might have taken acres.

Like this is the future, and I feel like I have an in on the ground floor to learn as much as I can from it.

>> Rasheed: Could you tell us a little more about your background itself?

Where you're originally from to kind of get to this level?

>> Steven: I'm Haitian, my father is Haitian, and my grandfather was a farmer in Haiti.

I was following the traditional route of going to college trying to figure out what I want to do.

So, I flunked out of my first year of college, right?

So I went back to my community college.

I'm like, am I even do I even need to be in school, right?

Why I'm I doing this, right?

So I spent about 18 months doing construction, waking up early, going to different job sites doing those things.

And I eventually figured out, okay, this is not what I want to do.

The money's good, but I need a longer term route.

And I was at my friend's house.

And my friend said that food's gotten so bad that we now name things organic just to let consumers know that this is what we're tinkering with the least, right?

And so that kind of sparked something in me.

And I said, you know what?

Let me try to grow tomatoes on the roof.

Let me try to grow tomatoes in a community garden.

And I spent about 18 months working with my town at that time trying to figure out how do I make it work.

So at that time my wife said, look, if this is what you wanna do, then get the experience, get the education, the workshops, figure it out.

So when I told my dad that I wanted to be a farmer, he's like, why would you do that?

I left the farm in a village in Haiti to come to America, so that way you could be a farmer and I'm like, no, this is what I wanna do dad.

And he was very supportive.

But I think now, when you look into the inner cities of New York and things like that.

You see a wave of community gardens, and people of color starting to grow things, growing back to the older generation as well too, right?

People are going back to the grandmas and people in the community that knew how to grow stuff and tap back into those roots.

So that's what I did.

I had a couple internships and jobs, around that time I also started working here.

And then I went back to my community college.

After that, I got my bachelor's in Rutgers.

I just recently graduated in May, and then with that I also got accepted into the Rutgers master's program.

>> Ian: You shared a bit of a winding road towards your bachelor's degree.

You started with your associates, you took a number of different internships.

And I'm curious, it sounds as if a bachelor's degree could be beneficial, but do you think it's necessary?

>> Steven: I think the experience is, I think the experience is most important, especially when I'm hiring people.

I'm looking for people with experience in science and biology in general.

And then we hone those experiences into learning how to grow plants.

And I think it's going back to like growing in the community and tapping back to older generations.

You want to ask people as many questions as you can, especially if they know something about growing, especially if they know something about whatever field you want to get into it.

You ask them a bunch of questions and then you try to remember as much of it and try to utilize as much of it.

My first day here I was talking to someone at the time, who's he's now my mentor, and I talked to him all the time.

And says what type of farmer do you want to be?

I'm like, what do you mean?

I want to grow, he's like, no, there are plant scientists that focus on the science of the plants.

There are plant pathologists who focus on how to prevent disease and pathogens from taking over the plant.

There are geneticists, there are people that work on the seeds level, there are people that work on fruits.

And for me, in talking to that person, it opened so many avenues.

I'm like, okay, this is it, I could find a little niche here and make something out of it.

Like I said, plant something, grow something, have a lot of different experiences to figure out what do you want to do?

>> [MUSIC] >> Ian: While I appreciate my college experience, I appreciate the opportunity to go to graduate school, there are more ways out there to figure out what it is that you want to do.

When I think about what the jobs of the future could look like, I'm not really thinking about putting more human capital into the workforce.

I'm thinking about people, right?

And I'm thinking about people who are waking up to the challenges that we face, about people who are critical about the way the world is but hopeful and optimistic about the way the world could be.

>> [MUSIC] >> Jupiter: Here's the big thing about the skilled jobs of the future.

These aren't just jobs that can impact your life positively, these are jobs we need to keep the world running.

We need to wake up to those challenges, build up our skills, and use our talents to create a better future.

And who knew there would be so many cool niches, cool paths to get into this work, and cool ways to effectively save the world.

I know I've never heard of a plant pathologists before Steven mentioned it, but that's an amazing job that's gonna perfectly fit someone's interest in plants and medicine and help protect the food that we grow.

How cool is that?

Now what does it really look like to be a part of the skilled workforce of the future?

Well, let me show you with a day in the life.

If you're interested in helping people directly, there may be no better industry to do that in than healthcare.

And there are so many skilled jobs in that field beyond being a doctor.

We spoke to a paramedic to see what her day-to-day is like.

>> Madison: One of my favorite parts about my job is I get to do a bunch of cool stuff [LAUGH].

Being a paramedic you get to make some big decisions, I guess.

We can intubate a patient, we do IVs, we give drugs, getting to be a real clinician, deciding on what your patient needs, and giving that good pre-hospital care.

So I absolutely love the position that I'm in right now.

So my full time job on the 911 truck, I work one day, so 24 hours, and then I have the next three days off.

In those three days off, I try to pick up at least once a week on my part time job.

And my second job, we do transfers.

So I am transferring patients from hospital to hospital or hospital to back home.

Maybe one of the biggest myths is that it's kinda like the TV shows, all crazy, hectic, critical 100% of the time, which we definitely do have those calls.

But a majority of the job is people that are just sick or have problems because they don't go to the doctor regularly.

Things that they think are maybe really bad but we know is just, this is a simple thing we can fix by a visit to the doctor or such.

So really educating people is a huge part, huge role that we play.

There was a program at my high school that gave two years of schooling at the community college, if you went through and did some community service and things like that.

So they paid for my two years at community college.

And then through just paying for EMT and medic school, I think I spent a total of around 15,000.

But with that, I had my license and I got a job as soon as I got out of school.

And I'm already out of debt, earning all this money.

The health care workers are very short-handed right now.

So the more and more education we can get out to these students that are trying to figure out what to do, this is definitely something that they should look into.

Because it's definitely needed and you're definitely gonna be able to get a job, that's for sure.

>> Jupiter: Here's one of my last questions about the future of skilled work.

Do I need to completely jump onto a new path right now in order to succeed in the future?

Or can I use all these skills I already have as random as they may be?

Now Roadtripper Christine came onto the trip with the exact same question.

So I'm excited for us to get some answers.

Let's watch her conversation with aquaculture specialist, Dr. Michael Chambers.

>> Christine: My name is Christine.

I'm 32, and I'm originally from Chicago.

When I went to high school and started thinking about what I was passionate about, it always just went back to animals.

And so I found myself pursuing a degree in natural resources, in environmental sciences, concentrating in fish and wildlife conservation.

The field of working with animals was bigger than I thought as a kid.

So I have done a lot of internships and seasonal jobs throughout my life to kind of taste test my way through figuring out what I wanna do.

It, in a way, made me even more confused about what I wanted to do because I want to do so many different things.

I wanted to be out there in the field and be a scientist and study things, but you can't write papers from the field.

And I don't know, I guess I have to figure out how to find that balance.

My thought process in applying to be a firefighter was really to learn about a different aspect of conservation and environmental management.

As a wildland firefighter, it's definitely an interesting perspective on conservation.

It involves managing the forests, reducing hazardous fuels in prevention of potential fire.

Then there is also responding to emergencies.

We might go on two-week assignments where we work 16-hour days for 14 days straight.

So it can be quite intense.

Firefighting is rewarding and it's tough and I enjoy many aspects of it, but I feel like the knowledge that I have could be used for more.

I feel like the future is uncertain.

I'm pretty confident I wanna go back towards wildlife and conservation.

I think I could put my passions and my experiences and funnel it in a different way that would be more fulfilling.

>> [MUSIC] >> Michael: Hello, welcome to New Hampshire.

My name is Michael Chambers.

I'm an aquaculture specialist, a marine biologist, and an Associate Professor of Extension at the University of New Hampshire.

I specialize in farming the open ocean, and we develop technology to do so.

And we bring along students and fishermen to train so that one day they can be aquaculture growers in the sea [LAUGH].

I specialize in developing technology to farm the open ocean.

And we train students and local entrepreneurs and fishermen on how to grow seafood in their backyard.

We were grateful that you come visit our farm and see what we're growing, which includes steelhead trout, mussels, and sugar kelp.

>> [MUSIC] >> Michael: It's fat, ash, minerals, fishmeal, fish oil.

There's a little bit of soybean inside of it as well too.

It's a mixture of lots of different things.

>> Christine: Okay there you go.

>> [MUSIC] >> Michael: Reasoning behind this is that the nutrients in fish can be absorbed.

Both the organic and inorganic nutrients can be taken up by the shellfish and the kelp.

As you feed the fish, the food goes through their system, it's excreted into the environment.

Now we have these filter feeders, it's like a biological curtain.

So now we're having a cleaner, greener impact on the environment.

We have almost a nitrogen neutral footprint on the bottom of the ocean and in the environment.

So it's a more friendly way then to grow seafood.

And then all the products that are grown here go into the local community.

>> Christine: My name is Christine, and I am a conservationist and wildland firefighter, and actually previously have a background in green biology.

And I wanted to ask you a little bit about your journey, and how did you get to where you are?

>> Michael: I took the long route.

I'm a salty dog.

>> Erin: [LAUGH] >> Michael: And I have a passion for this, and I've always had passion.

Grew up in Northern Wisconsin, Lake Superior, went to University Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Got a degree in aquatic biology.

But before I graduated, I knew I had to move to the ocean.

Once I went to the ocean, it was over.

And through lots of travel, which I really enjoyed whenever I got enough money in my pocket, I was gone, I got my hands wet.

I got a lot of experiences diving on boats and on projects.

There's so many different things you can do in the marine environment.

>> Christine: Yeah.

>> Michael: You wanna be a captain on the boat, you can do charters in the South Pacific or whatever and teach people about marine biology.

There's so many adventures to have.

And I think travel is one of the things I've done a lot, and I think that's really important.

I know with COVID it's so difficult to travel.

It doesn't have to be via plane, it can be by car, or boat.

>> Christine: Or RV.

[LAUGH] >> Michael: Or RV [LAUGH] just as you all know.

>> Christine: Yeah.

>> Michael: The experiences you get from travel are so great.

>> Christine: Yeah.

>> Michael: You'll learn, you'll meet people.

And it allows you to perhaps better understand what you might have a long term interest in doing.

>> Christine: As a conservationist, I really enjoy being in the field and being out in the water.

What would you recommend from people who want to explore aquaculture?

>> Michael: To get your hands wet.

>> [MUSIC] >> Michael: Get in the water, work with animals, scuba dive, snorkel, get used to boats any way you can, whether it's on a freshwater lake, fishing, or canoeing.

Getting that sort of comfortable background working on the water.

Should we catch one fish so that they can see it up close?

>> [MUSIC] >> Christine: Should I grab one?

>> Michael: If you wanna try.

>> Christine: I can try.

It's really slippery.

It's going well.

I got it.

>> Michael: Because that allows you again to go into the workplace.

Learn something new you've never had before.

But you make those contacts, those networks which are so important.

So getting your hands wet with whatever field it may be, whether it's accounting or something else that you'd love to do, get your hands wet.

>> [MUSIC] >> Christine: Like people of any age who are uncertain about what they want to do.

Give it a try and take small steps.

Making as many connections as you can, take up a certain skill that you might need in the future.

You don't know necessarily where things will lead you or what you'll find out.

And by taking small steps, that will lead to medium steps, and lead to larger steps.

And that's definitely helped me.

I mean, regardless of what age I am, I still have time to make mistakes, and I still have time to keep figuring it out, whatever it is.

Life is a journey and it's not about the end goal.

>> [MUSIC] >> Jupiter: I don't know about you.

But after seeing all of these stories and listening to all this advice, I'm feeling a lot better about the future.

Because this whole experience has showed me that no matter who you are, what you currently do, or how old you are, what education you have, you have the power to build up new skills and take on any career path you want to pursue in the future.

How?

Let's recap.

If your current situation is obsolete, then get up off your knees and hustle.

Don't accept defeat.

Cuz when your mission is right, the odds don't matter.

So go and find your purpose.

Go and climb that ladder.

And if you're gonna get into trouble, make sure that it's good cuz young people, you're brilliant.

You got that, understood?

And like Pastor Barry preached, your skill set could lead the way.

So now what you all gonna do?

Heed the lesson, learn and play.

Go and build like an ironworker, a shout out to Women Who Weld.

Breaking down the barriers and beliefs that we all held, and more than 1% is needed.

So if you don't got a degree, apply yourself and learn a trade.

There's programs out there for you for free.

Yeah, we're unchaining and rearranging.

The right skills could change your life for he and she and they and them, go get your pronouns right, all right?

Try new things, narrow in, know that your skills are real cool.

Pay the bills without a degree, they didn't tell me that in school.

Future of school, future of what, go and plan something watch it grow, small island to big city, go ahead, and go or you'll never know.

Try new things.

Narrow in, look at it with a critical eye.

Reflect on all your feed, don't lie and diversify.

Looking forward to the future.

What does that mean for you and me?

Small scale?

Now blow it up.

What does that mean for humanity?

Yeah, things are changing.

And options weighing, I'd rather go adrift than become a stiff.

There is hope and it could be dope with just a little skill shift.

>> [MUSIC] Wondering what to do with your life?

Well we've been there and we're here to help Our website has some awesome tools to help you find your path And you can check out all our documentaries, interviews and more Start exploring at roadtripnation.com