Also invited to the career and college day on Nov. 28 were students from Sherman Indian High School in Riverside. About 10 colleges were represented and a dozen or so businesses that ran the gamut from healthcare careers to entrepreneurship opportunities.

Each student was given a list of participants and was able to choose six that fit their interests and spend 12 minutes with each one. Groups of five students rotated through the tables that were set up at the Soboba Sports Complex to listen to presentations and ask questions they had about the career or college.

Delta Airlines offered information on aviation careers and Old Traditions Tattoo Parlor artists explained how they do what they do. Robert Young with Inland Memorial Harford Chapel shared insight on the funeral home business and fielded a lot of questions.

A variety of careers could be learned about through several Soboba entities. Michael West and Jacob Briones from the Soboba Fire Department explained how their jobs are about much more than fighting fires. Medical aid calls constitute a majority of the department’s duties, and each member has to be fully trained. It is recommended that potential fire department personnel go to EMT school to learn what they will need to know.

When asked how often they are called out, Briones said a busy day is usually about 15 calls, but the norm is about 5 to 6 per day. He told the students about the recently formed Explorers program that gives young people a firsthand look at what the different jobs entail and teaches them the proper use of the various equipment that needs to be used.

“Fire service is para-military, meaning there is a lot of structure behind it,” Briones said.

There were also recruiters from the Army and Navy at the fair to answer questions from those that are already thinking about enlisting right out of high school.

Craig Young has worked at Soboba’s IT Department as the Tribe’s Senior Graphic Designer for more than 12 years. He creates all print work that is put out on behalf of the Tribe as well as helping Tribal members with side work they may want.

“I’m not an artist, I’m a graphic designer,” he tells students who ask about his job. “I can’t put a pen to paper, but I can create anything with a computer.”

He recalled working with a young man during the Soboba Tribal TANF summer program who was a great sketch artist. Young said he taught Christian Rivera how to create digital art and ended up using one of his creations on a program for Soboba’s annual Intertribal Powwow back in 2013 and giving him artist credit on it. Young said he always likes to encourage students to find jobs in fields they already have a passion for.

The Soboba Casino Resort had three of its marketing department employees on hand to discuss what they do on a daily basis. Wade Abbas is a graphic designer who helps with the promotional materials put out by the casino. He said most students are curious as to what type of education is needed for this position. He always tells them that a career in marketing takes people from all over that have completed different journeys. There is no one clear-cut way to get to the end.

Corryn Salgado-Flores is a content creator specialist and enjoys working with a team of about 20 employees who are involved with player development, rewards and more programs to keep the excitement alive at the casino. Nathan Miranda started out as a Tribal member intern learning about many different positions at SCR. He settled on marketing because he has a passion for art, graphic design and photography.

“Seeing my designs being displayed around the casino gives me a good feeling,” Miranda said.

Soboba Tribal Family Services talked to students about all the different job opportunities within the field of social work. Team members from the nearby Riverside-San Bernardino County Indian Health Inc. Soboba Indian Health Clinic spoke about potential careers in the dental field.

Rynda Drennan is an RN Recruiter from San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital in Banning. She offered details on various nursing careers and provided students with a career plan of study to help them begin to achieve the necessary skills to enter the healthcare field.

Realtor Martin Cueva served double duty, educating students on a career in real estate as well as letting them know what they should look for when purchasing property. He said that being a realtor takes a combination of many different skills.

Jorge Esqueda brought a hands-on display that helped explain the types of things an electrician might be tasked with. He shared the fact there are many apprenticeship training centers throughout Southern California to help prepare them for electrical workforce jobs.

Lisa Castilone, Community Development & Tribal Program Manager with GRID Alternatives Inland Empire, shared some highlights from GRID’s Solar Futures program, past programming at Noli, women in solar and all the fantastic job opportunities in renewable energy.

“I explained to them that the skills they learn in this profession are something they can take anywhere; it’s not just a local job, it can be global,” she said.

Robert J. Levi II is a Tribal Elder/Culture Bearer in Residence at California State University, San Bernardino. He was hired in February of 2021 and was able to share how his job enables him to assist American Indian students with their transition to college.

“CSUSB realized the need for an elder to help retain American Indian students,” Levi said. “I showed an interest in the opportunity, and CSUSB Administration saw me as a person who can help them better serve the AI student body. So, to a degree my work does involve maintaining AI students to finish their degrees.”

As a San Diego State University graduate and citizen of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, Levi is in an ideal position to address issues and concerns AI students may have about their education at this level.

“My involvement with our AI students is one of being their ‘strict’ uncle; making sure they are studying, asking about their grades and just being there for them,” he said. “I am part of a support team to make them less anxious and/or alienated at CSUSB. I am also the Staff Advisor for our CSUSB American Indian Student Organization.”

Levi works alongside First People’s Center Director Carlos Gonzales, VP of Student Affairs Dr. Molly Springer and the Office of Student Engagement to assist, in any way, the American Indian students.

He said during the career and college fair, most students who visited his table wanted to know about financial aid, campus life, living in the dorms, classes and what CSUSB has to offer American Indian students. He was able to share with them that most of the current AI students at the university are majoring in U.S. History, anthropology, nursing, psychology and political science.

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Even better, you don’t necessarily need to be a computer whiz or math genius to land one of these jobs, as technical skills can often be taught, but professional and personal skills are often more difficult to find. Those in the know say that a growing number of employers are more interested in creativity, organization, verbal and written communications skills and a willingness to be a team player and less in technical acumen.

“That’s true for people joining the labor force for the first time, returning to the workforce, burned out or hitting a ceiling in their current job, or downsized out of a job through no fault of their own,” said Todd Thibodeaux, president and CEO of CompTIA, the Computing Technology Industry Association.

It’s a field that offers a certain amount of job security, too. The economic and employment disruptions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic have had an impact on tech occupations, though not nearly to the degree that other industries have been affected. The unemployment rate for IT occupations in the U.S. stood at 2.4% in November 2020, below the national unemployment rate of 6.7%.

Employers across the country continue to advertise job openings for tech workers – there were nearly 200,000 listings in November 2020. These openings were spread across many industries outside the technology sector, including financial services, manufacturing, retail, government, healthcare and education. You’ll also find great variety in the types of positions companies need to fill. They include application and software developers; tech support professionals, whose roles are increasingly important as more people work and learn from home; network analysts, architects and engineers; cybersecurity pros responsible for securing our data, devices and networks; and project managers tasked with keeping mission-critical projects on track.

There are a number of free resources available to help you learn more about tech careers:

• The Future of Tech (futureoftech.org) is a free and growing library of resources to get you up to speed on what’s new and next in the world of technology.

• Cyberstates (cyberstates.org) is the definitive guide to information on the U.S. technology industry and workforce.

• If you’re interested in cybersecurity, CyberSeek (cyberseek.org) has detailed information on the U.S. job market, including guidance on career paths and professional certifications.

• CompTIA (comptia.org) offers many tech career planning tools, including salary calculators and job search help.

“There are career options available that allow you to combine an interest in technology with something you are passionate about,” Thibodeaux said. “With the right access, encouragement and opportunity, anyone can maximize their digital knowledge and skills so they can achieve their life’s ambitions.”

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An estimated 34 million Americans provide unpaid care to adults age 50 or older every year, according to the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, and that number is rapidly growing. More than half of those caregivers feel they have to make compromises at work to care for their aging parents, according to a new survey from Home Instead, Inc., franchisor of the Home Instead Senior Care network.

With the rise in our aging population, more and more adult children are assuming the role of caregiver while also maintaining a full- or part-time job. This pressure to balance work and caregiving responsibilities has left 61 percent of working caregivers feeling as if they must choose between being a good employee and being a good daughter or son. To make matters worse, only 29 percent of these caregivers are satisfied with their employer’s family to leave policy.

As this issue grows to impact a larger percentage of the workforce, it will be essential that employees and employers work together to find solutions. Consider the following recommendations as to ways to get started:

1. Ask for help – For caregivers, it can be extremely difficult, but also tremendously beneficial, to ask their employer for help. For employers, create opportunities for employees to express their needs. Schedule brief weekly meetings to check-in and ask how they are doing. Transparency helps eliminate pressure on the employees to keep their concerns to themselves.

2. Create a flexible policy -When it comes to caring for a loved one, there are no fixed hours or planned deadlines; emergencies can occur at any moment. With a plan in place, employers and employees can be on the same page about flexible working hours or situations that require time off.

3. Offer in-office assistance – Employers can create a culture of safety for working caregivers by forming a support group for employees who are in similar situations. Such groups not only provide a place for relief but also create the opportunity for employees to grow relationships with one another – positively affecting workplace culture.

4. Provide care for the caregiver – It can be easy for a caregiver to quickly forget about his or her own needs when caring for a loved one. Encourage individuals to take time to care for their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Besides, pay attention to signs that indicate your employee may need a break. Connect them with available resources or encourage time away from work.

5. Make time to listen – Lending an ear is one of the most impactful things an employer can do for a working caregiver. More than half of caregivers have expressed feelings of depression and find it difficult to care for themselves. When employers open the door for a conversation, they are providing hope and reassurance to the working caregiver.

Family caregivers and employers can view more resources and tips at caregiverstress.com. Or, contact your local Home Instead Senior Care office for additional resources and to learn how a professional CAREGiverSM may be able to assist.

Find an office near you at www.homeinstead.com/state/.

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