Amanda Wisniewski and Cait Wingfield both wanted something more from their work.

The friends met while working entry-level positions at a medical sample testing company. The job was bearable until Amanda met an engineer who changed her idea of what was possible. She saw what she could be doing.

To be like that engineer, Amanda had to head to a community college. She enrolled in Columbus State’s Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology Program. Cait followed shortly after.

In this episode, we explore the stigma surrounding two-year community colleges and how that image is changing.

For more information about the programs mentioned in this episode and more, check out our Resource Page.

The post The Two-Year Degree appeared first on Rivet Podcast from WOSU.

This past summer, Dashawn’s mom told him that if he didn’t want to cut the grass, he had to do something productive with his time. She urged him to join the Boys and Girls Club’s Summer Work Program that placed youth aged 14-18 in paying positions.

So, Dashawn left the lawn behind and started a Youth Coordinator position at the Reeb Center on Columbus’s South Side – his first ever job.

How do we get a foot in the working world and what do we learn once we get there? That’s the focus of this episode, where we get into first jobs and the soft skills they teach us.

For more information about the programs mentioned in this episode and more, check out our Resource Page.

Special thanks to the Free Music Archive, especially Blue Dot Sessions and Podington Bear for the groovy podcast tunes.

The post The First Job appeared first on Rivet Podcast from WOSU.

There was a time before college even existed – before it was “THE” ticket to a good career. Centuries before college, these things called “apprenticeships” helped people get ahead.

A teacher, also known as a master craftsman, would employ a younger person – or apprentice – as cheap labor. The apprentice in turn was given free food and lodging, and learned the trade. This relationship created a future generation of bakers, blacksmiths, tailors – trades that kept the economy afloat.

Jordan Washington decided that an apprenticeship was the right path for him. He’s in year three of the five year program, well on his way to becoming an electrician. Listen to his story and check out our Resources Page for more on apprenticeship programs.

For more information about the programs mentioned in this episode and more, check out our Resource Page.

Special thanks to the Free Music Archive, especially Blue Dot Sessions and Podington Bear for the groovy podcast tunes.

The post The Apprentice appeared first on Rivet Podcast from WOSU.

Sometimes, we know what we want to be when we grow up, but aren’t sure how to get there. Erica Miller knew she wanted to work with robots, but didn’t know what steps to take. When she told her high school guidance counselor about her goals, she didn’t find much help…

High school is a launchpad to careers, but what types of options are students are seeing? Are they aware of all the alternatives? Are they getting the guidance that they need?

Erica found her way to a career she loves in the automotive industry, but her path there wasn’t straightforward.

For more information about the programs mentioned in this episode and more, check out our Resource Page.

Special thanks to the Free Music Archive, especially Blue Dot Sessions and Podington Bear for the groovy podcast tunes.

The post The Guidance appeared first on Rivet Podcast from WOSU.

Around 30,000 youth across central Ohio aren’t in school or working. At the same time there are 270,000 open jobs in Columbus alone that pay $22 an hour. On Rivet, young people share their stories of getting ahead, taking pathways outside of a four-year college degree. This series explores other options that can get us into good jobs that pay – jobs we enjoy.

This project is developed with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and is part of the national initiative American Graduate: Getting to work.

Find Rivet on NPR One, Apple Podcasts, WOSU’s Mobile App, or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Rivet launches November 8.

The post Rivet Podcast Coming Soon appeared first on Rivet Podcast from WOSU.