As a first-generation college student, attending a higher education institution changed the trajectory of my life and allowed me to make bold career choices.
But I had to navigate it all on my own.
In high school, I was not exposed to potential employment opportunities. I do not recall a single job shadow day or career exploration day. I only learned about career options through television and magazines. In college, I did not have an opportunity to intern and explore careers because I was working at least 30 hours a week to support myself.
After college, I moved to New York to teach language arts, algebra and economics to high school students. As an English teacher, I spent most of my time teaching students how to analyze text and write essays and literature responses. I was curious about what a career outside of teaching that included my strong background in reading and writing looked like but wasn’t sure how I could make the move. By participating in an internship and leveraging my strengths, I was able to switch careers to work in public relations and marketing.
Through all this, I realized there was a gap between what my colleagues knew and what I knew about navigating career and financial decisions. Specifically, I did not know how to negotiate offers, ask for raises or speak up when I was overwhelmed.
These experiences made me realize the significance of career exploration and readiness. Today, as the school-to-career manager at Greater:SATX, San Antonio’s regional economic development organization, I help introduce San Antonio students to industries and career pathways that will provide upward economic mobility. I don’t want students to miss opportunities that could significantly impact their future or to feel as though these opportunities are unattainable.
Having mentored a student while I was living in New York, I know the importance of having help to navigate career decisions. The student’s previous jobs were in retail, but she wanted to break into the health care industry. We spent several hours (and many Saturdays) learning how to network with health care professionals. I was able to help her build her first resume, practice interviewing and land her first job in health care. I have served as a reference for jobs and continue to stay in touch.
Greater:SATX helps local youth understand and build career skills, workplace identity and social capital. Research shows that career exposure as early as middle school increases graduation rates and can be instrumental in securing high-quality, high-paying jobs.
I first came to Greater:SATX as an intern with their SA Worx team. I had just moved to San Antonio to pursue a master’s degree in higher education administration at UTSA and wanted an internship where I could work with and impact students.
SA Worx is the organization’s workforce development arm and is focused solely on workforce readiness by aligning the needs of local employers with education providers and implementing work-based learning programs.
San Antonio’s workforce is growing. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, San Antonio placed third for cities with the largest numeric increase in population from July 2021–July 2022. It is predicted that by 2050, San Antonio will be home to more than four million people. This growth makes sense and we welcome it.
The city’s workforce is also becoming increasingly more educated, which helps attract new businesses and encourages current ones to expand. In turn, quality jobs encourage our workforce to stay local.
SA Worx leads several workforce development initiatives, including a summer internship for high school students, which is a perfect opportunity for them to network, develop a skill set and explore careers they might not know exist. Overall, the goal is to prepare students for college and careers.
Additionally, we engaged in a partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation last year to adopt and implement its Talent Pipeline Management framework. This enables us to identify the critical hiring needs of regional employers and drive alignment with K-12 to post-secondary education providers to prepare our workforce to meet the current and projected job growth in our region.
This is my role today at Greater:SATX. I split my time between K–12 students, educators, community partners and employers. I gather insight into the needs of each party and serve as their liaison.
I help students build their occupational identity by exposing them to industries that offer careers with high wages and connecting them to resources, trainings and corporations. Simultaneously, I meet with school districts and teachers to share the skill requirements of roles in key San Antonio industries and encourage them to have their students apply.
Everyone that I interact with in our city is dedicated to doing good work. They are committed to San Antonio and its people and want to ensure everyone has access to quality jobs with quality wages.
I’m grateful that I found San Antonio and Greater:SATX and encourage all employers and educators to learn more about how they can become involved in supporting our region’s future workforce.
