Quarantine left many people with an abundance of free time, but nothing to do with it. While some chose to spend their time watching TV, others began to explore new hobbies and opportunities. For one student at Klein Cain, this new hobby grew into something much larger.
Looking Towards the Future
Gracie Solomon, a sophomore at Klein Cain, started her podcast Gracie Meets during the quarantine. Her podcast is targeted at teenagers who are still unsure of what they want to do with their lives. Here, she explores unique jobs that will be good fits for teens who are still unsure of their future. Most teens are still deciding on what they want to do later in life, but very few have access to easily accessible resources and advice.
“Sure, doctors, and lawyers, and teachers, and things like that…‘normal’ jobs. The problem is, though, I, much like every other teenager in America, am not normal,” said Solomon. “That’s why my show’s tagline is ‘Show me a normal teenager!’ So I wanted to look and highlight people who have careers that simply aren’t normal—the unique and unusual—to see if anything piqued my interest.”
While Gracie had always wanted to look into unique job opportunities, it wasn’t until quarantine that she actually explored the idea. Like many others, quarantine left her with endless amounts of time, but nothing to do with it. There was no school, only hours upon hours, with nothing to fill the time. This is what spurred Gracie to finally start her podcast, with her first episode released on May 2, 2020.
“Well, I don’t know what I want to do in college, and I suspected that other people were in the same boat,” said Solomon. “It’s important that you work doing something that you love, but not everyone knows what that is.”
For most teenagers, there is a lot of anxiety surrounding the future. Few know what career path they want to pursue, left without any real direction. This uncertainty can be frightful, especially given that not everyone is sure of where to begin in finding what job would be best for them. Gracie Meets is a podcast that can help provide direction for students, showing unique jobs within the market. Gracie uses her podcast to interview people with unique jobs, from marine biologists to funeral arrangers, granting deeper insight into unique careers and opportunities. She also has taken the time to dedicate an episode to the job application process.
Exploring the Possibilities
Gracie Meets continues to upload each Saturday, bringing new insight with each upload. The podcast will continue to interview working adults with unique jobs, highlighting some of the less talked-about opportunities out there. The 40th episode will provide an in-depth exploration of the job interview process. Gracie Meets can be found in most places where podcasts are available, such as Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
