>>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.

[MUSIC] >> Narrator: Silicon Valley is known as a global hub for technological innovation.

But what about all the other emerging industries that make Silicon Valley what it is?

With futures full of possibility, roadtrippers Anne, Evelin, and Kate are ready to step into the potential of the Bay Area.

And discover exciting and accessible career pathways in their own backyards.

As they travel across Silicon Valley in the big green RV, they'll be taking turns interviewing 10 people across 5 different industries.

In tech, life sciences, manufacturing, trades, and hospitality to discover all that the Bay Area has to offer.

[MUSIC] [RV NOISE] >> Kate: Oh.

>> Kate: She decompresses.

>> Anne: I know.

>> Kate: You're moving!

>> Anne: I'm moving.

[LAUGH] [MUSIC] >> Anne: My name is Anne Jalandoni.

I am 24 years old and I'm from South San Francisco.

My family moved from the Philippines when I was 8 years old.

There was instances where I got bullied because I had an accent, but I'm not really ashamed.

It's part of me, it's part of who I am.

When I was younger, I always wanted to be a doctor, but what I really want in my life is to build a family, and I felt like if I pursued medical school, I wouldn't really be there for my kids, which is why I ended up with a biology degree.

After I graduated, I applied to jobs in biotech just because I needed it, but I wasn't fulfilled.

It wasn't where I really wanted to go.

So I feel lost.

I guess I'm seeking knowledge, but I'm also seeking confidence.

I'm very nervous, but I like to put myself in uncomfortable situations, because I feel like that's where I grow the most.

After the pandemic, I started withdrawing and I realized the more that I connect with people, the more that I become confident.

>> Evelin: I also lack a lot of confidence.

Even just being in this RV with y'all, it's very, I wouldn't say intimidating, you guys are lovely people.

I love meeting you guys.

It's just that normally it's hard for me to get to know people, so this is just one step of many that I decided to take.

[MUSIC] >> Evelin: My name is Evelin Garcia, I'm 22 years old and I'm from East Palo Alto.

This is my mom.

Say hi mom.

>> Evelin's Mom: Hi.

>> Evelin: She's making some bomb food.

When leaving high school, I was scared.

I did sign up for college, but then my mom got laid off, so that was pretty hard on us.

And I was like, okay, well, I need to get a job now cuz I need to help my mom.

Thank you, mom.

I was paying rent, I was paying bills, and I was like, okay, I got this, I can do this.

And I did that for llike two years and a half, and then I got laid off.

[MUSIC] >> Evelin: It was really difficult and that's when it hit me.

I was like, okay, well I need to rethink my choices.

[MUSIC] >> Evelin: The reason I wanted to be a part of this road trip was because I wanted to do something for myself.

I want to work on my confidence, so I believe this is a step into that by talking to people, by getting other people's perspectives.

Hopefully getting that feeling like I'm not the only one that struggles with this, and to see wow, this person did struggle with that, now they're so successful.

Or this is how they overcame their own challenges.

You can do that too.

I feel like I relate to both of you very well and I love that we wanna help our communities out.

>> Anne: I think that's really important.

I feel like if you do things on your own, I feel like it's an American thing to do, to be like, it's just me, me, me.

[LAUGH] >> Evelin: Yeah.

>> Anne: But then I wanna be a part of a community.

I think it makes you happier and healthier.

>> Kate: Yeah, I totally feel that.

I think even that we're a little team of three makes me happy because I feel like I've been doing a lot of solo work.

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

I use they or she pronouns.

I'm 22 years old, and I moved to the Bay 6 months ago.

I grew up in Rochester, New York.

It was just me, my mom, and my dad.

My parents really encouraged a lot of creative stuff.

I went to dance classes and I took art classes.

I joined a robotics team from sixth grade through 12th grade.

I was super into it.

It was my life.

I was like at robotics 40 hours a week, doing school, taking all of these AP honors classes.

So I think I was kind of destined to be an engineer.

So I think I'm excited to explore things that I never did.

I love education and I think that is a space that I'd love to be in at some point.

I think I'm kind of curious to hear people who have found different paths and how they know when to do that or why to do that.

Something that I'm super excited about is meeting a more diverse group of people, cuz I think there's kind of a tech bubble in some ways.

You meet people in tech and their partners are in tech, and their friends are in tech, and so it's kind of hard to escape this little culture.

>> Anne: I feel like, I'm in that bubble of what you're talking about and I want to branch out more and meet new people.

And also I want to see the Bay Area in a different perspective.

[MUSIC] >> Narrator: From carpentry and plumbing to HVAC and welding, hands-on jobs tend to incorporate more training and apprenticeship style learning compared to traditional classroom instruction.

And no matter where you are, there's always a need for skilled trade workers.

To learn more about what some of these jobs look like day-to-day, the roadtrippers are going to talk to people who are redefining trade work in Silicon Valley and explore the alternative forms of education and training it took them to get there.

[MUSIC] >> Michael: My name is Michael Johnson from San Jose, California.

I've been in trade for 23 years.

Before that, a lot of odd jobs and basically looking for something that's gonna support my life and family, and it kind of got led in this way with the HVAC side of things.

>> Itzel: I'm Itzel.

I am a Millwright Apprentice.

I found out about this career straight out of high school and I've been doing it ever since.

>> [MUSIC] >> Itzel: As to what my day looks like, it starts really early and then you really never know if you're gonna do a regular 8, 10, or even 12, you just kinda go on with the day.

And then it's all very different because you're not always gonna be in the same place and you can be fortunate enough to be in the same place just like I've been.

But it's not always the case.

>> Michael: The trades is very, there's a lot of freedom in it.

I literally will go to a job site, do a little bit of work, a couple hours, then go to another job site on my phone, talking to my customers, keeping contact with my family, sending emails.

Now I'm at another job site, so I couldn't imagine being stuck in a spot like some of these companies I worked in the past.

Like every day I go to the same office, talk to the same people.

Here it's a blank canvas.

This is what we want.

Can you build it?

[MUSIC] >> Narrator: The demand for skilled workers is always present and in Silicon Valley hands on jobs have offered folks steady work through a number of different economic shifts.

Becoming an electrician or iron and steel worker is a great option for anyone who wants a completely hands on job.

And if you join a union, you could get full time mentorship from fellow workers to continue learning new skills.

Plus the barrier for entry for many of these in demand jobs is fairly low.

So if you're someone who feels like a four year degree isn't really for you, then these work opportunities and apprenticeships can get you into the workforce in no time.

[MUSIC] >> Itzel: I actually found out about the trades through TikTok.

>> Kate: [LAUGH] >> Itzel: I was a senior, and I had gotten an email from my counselor about a program that specifically taught about the trades.

I was like, whoa, I mean, TikTok gave me this sign, now the counselor is giving me that sign, it's probably my calling.

The program was probably about a month and a half, so I went into that program, it was all online.

And they talked about the unions, their benefits, all these different trades.

And that's kind of how I found out what the unions were.

I had a mentor that was a carpenter, and he kind of guided me through different things.

He gave me advice on how you're supposed to present yourself when you go into different companies looking for sponsorship.

How you're supposed to greet people and stuff like that.

We made a plan and I went into my local rigging company and this story kind of goes on with the sponsorship.

>> Michael: I'm always recruiting and talking to people about the trades, especially a young guy or girl that doesn't know what they wanna do in life.

It's like, hey, have them come check out the trades, we have something for everybody, from the computer side to actually with the tools, any level, we have something for somebody.

And I know also our hall does outreach for East Palo Alto, we go down there for those programs and let it be known to high schools.

So we have people that actually show up and get it out to the students.

But I think a lot of times it's just people seeing actually what it is, HVAC, well, come in, we can show you.

So this is a refrigeration system, right?

So you get trained on this kind of equipment, and then when you get out there in the field, you're just, basically, putting what you learned here, basically, to out there.

These are just some of the random stuff that you'll run across in the trade.

So we kind of show everybody what's out there, and you may see the same dryer, but in a different form.

But if you understand what it's doing, by the time you get there, all this stuff makes sense, point at anything, you know what it is.

>> Anne: I really love how passionate you are, it makes me pretty interested in the trades, and I wanted to know what training was like.

>> Michael: As school goes, first year, they go pretty basic refrigeration for HVAC side.

So you get an idea of what's actually happening in the HVAC unit, the smallest unit at your house to like some big nine story building.

By second year, you're hitting the basic electrical, to where, by the time you're done with the trade and the training, probably by like second or third year, you'll probably never call anybody in your house to fix anything.

Because you know how to read schematics, you know how refrigeration works.

You do a little bit of plumbing, you do electrical.

Each year, you're building, you're constantly building, you're around people that's trying to do the same.

>> Anne: Where do you see the future of the trades heading?

>> Itzel: The future for the trades is definitely very bright.

There's a lot of people coming in, a lot of females, a lot of high school students, college students coming in.

It's an industry that's getting even bigger.

>> Michael: As far as work and the load, especially the Bay Area, it's never ending, we're actually looking for some qualified people who's wanting to expand their knowledge and maybe take a look in the trade.

There's all different sides of it, but we stay pretty busy, there's always something going on.

>> Kate: Could you tell us what advice you'd give to a younger version of yourself who's just hearing about the trades?

>> Itzel: I would definitely tell them to go in like you belong, whether you know what you're doing or you don't know what you're doing, you're walking in like you belong.

You really do have to have that passion for the job.

>> Michael: If you haven't had the chance or haven't known about HVAC and unions being in your area, we're a drive down the freeway to get to us, check us out, reach out, we do talk back, it's opportunity.

So from business owner to an employee to working for the actual union itself to instructing, there's literally no limits.

So whatever it is that's important to you, excites you, we have a spot for you.

>> Anne: I do still have a lot of questions about living in the Bay Area.

It's super expensive here, and a lot of people are being pushed out, but it was refreshing to see Mike's perspective.

He wanted to still stay in the Bay Area, but also have enough income and the good work-life balance.

And I thought that could only be achieved in some industries.

But it was nice to see that there are other industries that also offer that, and it kind of widened my perspective.

>> Evelin: What I really liked about him was how passionate he was about 467 and just how he says it feels like a family.

I also really thought a lot about my community and how he said how there's so much opportunities for growth.

I feel like a lot of people who face the same background as me thinks like, hey, you need to go to college for four years, you need to be a doctor, you need to be this to have a stable living.

So I feel like him saying, hey, this is the opportunities I got just by attending this local union, I was like, hey, there is something for them, too.

>> Anne: My parents were always about, you gotta go to college in order to succeed.

But I saw that people didn't always take that route and they were still really successful.

So it's kind of nice to shift my perspective from going to college is always the path that you have to take.

But now it's like you can take any path that you want and you can still be successful.

[MUSIC] >> Kate: The year is 1962, we're on an island off the coast of Maine, except it's Pacifica, a storm rolls in off the horizon.

[LAUGH] >> Anne: It's been really great meeting Eveline and Kate, they're sweethearts and they're very supportive.

Right now we are crabbing at Pacifica Pier.

>> Kate: I feel in awe a little bit.

[LAUGH] >> Evelin: I really like their personalities.

Anne is more bubbly like always wanting to do something, so it's really nice cuz she likes to talk and I need someone to help me talk.

>> Anne: [APPLAUSE] Don't forget to open the bail.

>> Evelin: I'm scared I'm gonna drop it.

>> Crew: You got it, you got it.

>> Evelin: Okay, casting.

>> Anne: I admire Evelin, she's shy, but I kind of want to help her in becoming more confident in herself.

>> Evelin: Trying to get Mr. Krabs, he doesn't want to leave Bikini Bottom today, so.

>> Kate: Evelin seems like she has such an incredible love in her.

>> Evelin: I'm a crabber, no, I'm just kidding.

>> Anne: [LAUGH] >> Kate: And I'm so excited to see that manifest.

>> Evelin: Kate is also very creative, I just look at her like, whoa, she's very whimsical, like reminds me of a fairy.

>> Anne: She's such a leader, she takes charge, even though sometimes I don't want to.

>> Evelin: Both of them get me outside of my shell that I'm in.

Can you photoshop Mr. Krabs on that?

>> Kate: [LAUGH] >> Evelin: Thank you.

I'm normally the quiet one, so it's nice to be around that.

[MUSIC] >> Narrator: Thanks to the travelers and tourists who visit California each year, the hospitality industry in Silicon Valley is booming.

And this means plenty of career opportunities for anyone interested in food service, lodging, and entertainment.

To learn more about what these kinds of jobs look like on a daily basis, the roadtrippers are going to talk to industry leaders who are creating welcoming places for people to eat, sleep, and, basically, enjoy life here in Silicon Valley.

[MUSIC] >> Daniel: My name is Daniel Arias, I am a chef instructor.

What we're gonna do is cut onion rings, so we're gonna take top and bottom off, and we're gonna do just a basic dice.

So with your paring knife, you're gonna start at the plant end make a semicircular about two-thirds of the way through.

My first interest was in the medical field, but I decided, for fun, to take two classes here, I really discovered that that was my true love.

>> Kara: My title is president and CEO, so I oversee everything here at Filoli.

[MUSIC] >> Kate: I'm kind of curious, how does one become the CEO of a museum?

>> Kara: Yes, it's not a straight path, right, you don't get there directly.

[MUSIC] >> Kara: Really, it's all of the operations, it's all of the revenue generation.

It's partnering with everyone on HR, and finance, and accounting.

But really, what I like to do the most and what I think about the most is our strategic direction.

Where do we wanna go?

How do we want to connect to our community?

How do we want to have impact?

How do we wanna share this incredible treasure with people?

So it makes my day to day very diverse.

I get to talk about history, and plants, and uncover new things.

Every day when you look back in the past, you find one new nugget.

And I really love that discovery and bringing that story forward.

It's those kinds of things that really get me excited.

>> Daniel: When I was a cook, I was still doing my prep work and working at a stove or oven and it was fairly 100% cooking.

I mean, I was living my dream right there.

And as department chair, I still cook a little bit, I primarily help my students in their cooking and the techniques that I teach them.

One of the primary areas that I'm teaching in right now is at our local jail.

Fall of '21, I taught my first class, the safety and sanitation class, which ends with manager certification in sanitation.

It's a big certification.

Any restaurant or food service establishment has to have one person there that possesses this certificate so that they can be legal with the health department.

So it was a really good thing for my students there to have.

So when they got out, it increased their ability to obtain employment.

They would stand out from everyone else.

That one class branched to another class, then we offered them the intro to hospitality management class, and then cost control class, and finally, the basic foods class that I teach here.

Two of my original group, they graduated all from jail, and it was really a neat thing to be part of.

It's just creating a pathway of success for them to give them other options to do with their life.

[MUSIC] >> Narrator: The hospitality industry in Silicon Valley has grown exponentially, adding thousands of new jobs each year, and some of these in-demand jobs might already sound familiar to you, like concierges, maids, and food service managers.

Whether you enjoy one-on-one customer service interaction, or whether you'd prefer to be a little bit more behind the scenes, there are plenty of opportunities for you to contribute to this growing field.

>> Daniel: There are two tracks.

You can go to a restaurant, I have no experience, but I'm willing to learn.

Or you can do kind of the route I took, which was education.

A lot of places that are corporate now, the places that offer perhaps a better salary that are more apt to give you medical, dental, retirement plans and such, the nicer positions you get to a point where you need a certificate or better yet, at least an associate to advance up.

Some people, they'll go the non-education route, but at a point they're kinda stuck.

On the hotel side, if you're gonna go into management, you should have probably a bachelor's, the finance part, that's always the marketing part.

You need to have an idea of what's going on there.

A general hospitality degree can take you so many different places.

If you're maybe creative and you have some photography skills, food stylist for food photography.

So there's a lot of neat things that can be done.

>> Kara: I grew up in a farm in Ohio, so my undergraduate degree was actually in botany.

And then I had a minor in history, so that was always sort of my passion.

I received a master's degree in public administration.

In graduate school, I really felt like I wanted to run a museum, I really liked the nonprofit world.

So women, we're more successful in nonprofits.

Seventy percent of the industry is women, but there were fewer women leaders, as is typical.

So making a conscious choice to be a woman leader in an industry where I had an easier entry point was part of my thought process.

I was the executive director of a smaller nonprofit in Charlotte, North Carolina for 10 years.

And then when this position opened up, I was recruited for it and it was perfect for me.

>> Anne: If you could leave us with any advice for this interview, what would that be?

>> Daniel: Take your time in finding your place.

When you find it, you'll know, you'll be happy, you'll feel that inside you.

>> Kara: Be you and chart your own path.

I think there are a lot of boxes out there that people are trying to put people in, and just don't.

You don't have to, you can do whatever you want.

Even if you start in one place, you can go to another.

Life's all about trying it, and seeing what fits.

>> Evelin: Our talk with Kara was very informative.

When she spoke about leading up to where she is now, that really stuck out to me.

She still sees herself as the only woman in the room.

I was like, why isn't there more women in these conference rooms?

Why are we just not involved more?

>> Anne: I guess I'm kind of scared of the leadership position because I feel like it's kind of hard to take up space as a woman.

>> Kate: The more I talk to educators, the more convinced I am that education is a path that really inspires me.

>> Kara: Find your path through yourself.

Be your own inspiration.

[LAUGH] >> Kate: I feel like you gain wisdom when you teach.

And I think that's something that feels powerful.

I feel like when you teach, you're also learning through someone else's experience.

>> Anne: Daniel switching to the hospitality industry definitely resonated with me.

I applied to jobs in biotech just because I needed it, but I think I really wanna pursue the medical field.

>> Daniel: Take the time to find your love in life and then live it.

And again, let's work together to make our world wonderful for everyone, Chef D. >> [APPLAUSE] >> Evelin: When Daniel spoke about his work with people in the system, it really impacted me and I got very sentimental because both my parents have experienced being incarcerated.

My father, most of his life was spent incarcerated, and I feel like we've always struggled to make a living because of that.

So I just wanna say thank you for giving them opportunities to do so.

I know most of them have families, and when I was a little girl, just seeing how much my dad would come home and like, I can't get a job, and I can't provide for my family.

>> Daniel: And that must have been very frustrating, very frustrating.

People need to be offered different choices and provided different opportunities.

We need more caring people, we need to care for each other.

And this is one of my ways of doing it.

>> Evelin: That opened my mind to how people can really impact others.

Now, I think I want to help people that have similar backgrounds as me and give them opportunities that I wasn't able to have.

>> Narrator: On the next episode of Paths Across Silicon Valley, the journey continues as the roadtrippers explore careers in manufacturing, technology, and life sciences.

>>Anne: I'm really grateful for this experience.

I'm seeking knowledge, but I'm also seeking confidence.

Like, I'm trying to put myself out there more.

But it's kind of hard to take up space as a woman.

>>Evelin: I'm hoping that I get to hear someone's experience and, like, really put myself to work.

>>Stephen: I want you to start to feel more comfortable in your own skin and not feel like you should be somewhere else.

You should be exactly where you are and take pride in that.

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