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On the Road to Explore Design-Related Careers

When did you decide what you wanted to do when you grew up?

Autodesk and Roadtrip Nation, a career exploration organization, are working together to introduce young job-seekers to the vast range of career pathways in design and sustainability.

How you ask? Through the best vehicle for discovery: a road trip!

Three young aspiring designers, Sofaya, Martha and Ben, will travel around the U.S. in Roadtrip Nation’s iconic Green RV to learn about the breadth of career opportunities in design – from architecture to engineering, manufacturing, media, arts, and beyond.

They’ll also interview pioneers and innovators from the design and maker industries about how they figured out what they wanted to do with their lives, and how they overcame life’s challenges to achieve their goals.

“Young people often aren’t aware of vocational opportunities that align with their passions and skills. Exposure is critical in opening their minds, expanding their potential, and increasing their engagement with their futures. We’re proud to work with Autodesk to connect youth with design leaders, showcase how successful people  got to where they are today, and introduce  young people to pathways in design that they may not have even known existed,” said Mike Marriner, co-founder of Roadtrip Nation.

Sofaya, Martha and Ben’s adventure will also be documented for Roadtrip Nation’s annual public television series on PBS stations across the U.S. which reaches over 60 million viewers.

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To kick off the San Francisco leg of the trip, Autodesk and Roadtrip Nation hosted an interactive event called, “Design Your Summer” at the Exploratorium on June 23rd, 2014.

The evening event was open to the public and celebrated the culture of making and the opportunity to expand young people’s vision of the possibilities in design.

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“A design-led revolution is underway, and today’s youth will be the ones to solve tomorrow’s challenges. That’s why we’re working to give tomorrow’s creative leaders free access to Autodesk design tools, and collaborating with organizations like Roadtrip Nation to expose youth to rewarding career possibilities around their design interests,” said Peggy Snyder, Director of Education, Autodesk.

Follow the journey at http://roadtripnation.com/roadtrip/design-roadtrip, and catch the upcoming season of Roadtrip Nation when it airs on PBS stations in the U.S. in the fall of 2015. You can also follow the Autodesk Student Facebook page for exclusive footage from the series.

Photos courtesy of Roadtrip Nation, Autodesk and Beatrice Katcher