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Luther Jackson
Luther Jackson
01:09

Luther Jackson

NOVAworks

Santa Clara, CA USA

"There’s great value in going into the first day at a new job and being scared. That’s where the learning really happens."

Career Roadmap

Luther's work combines: Non-Profit Organizations, Business, and Helping People

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Day In The Life

Program Manager

I work to figure out how people can best connect to work in a changing economy.

01:38

Day In The Life Of A Workforce Development Program Manager

My Day to Day

One of the great things about my job is that there are no typical days. On any given day, I might be meeting with community leaders seeking better jobs for residents, or meeting with a tech employer seeking to hire diverse talent, or writing a research report about changing job skills, or even producing a video about job and educational opportunities for work building electric and self-driving cars.

Skills & Education

Advice for getting started

I used to get nervous when I'd go to a networking event. I'm an introvert and networking doesn't come naturally to me. However, I've realized that you need to be strategic with it. Just because you're an introvert doesn't mean you get a pass to not talk to people. At one event, I didn't really succeed at networking with anyone. When I went back the next time, I came in with a focused strategy and it worked out for me.

Here's the path I took:

  • High School

  • Bachelor's Degree

    History

    University of Pennsylvania

Life & Career Milestones

I've taken a lot of twists and turns

  • 1.

    I earned my bachelor’s degree in history and then started my career as a newspaper reporter.

  • 2.

    While working as a reporter, I also volunteered for our union, the Newspaper Guild of Detroit.

  • 3.

    When I eventually left journalism, I decided to work full-time for the Newspaper Guild of Detroit as an assistant administrative officer.

  • 4.

    I did that for five years and then moved to California to work as an executive officer for the San Jose Newspaper Guild.

  • 5.

    A friend of mine from the labor movement encouraged me to join the NOVAworks board—this gave me a good understanding of workforce issues while I continued to work for the union.

  • 6.

    When I left my union job, I met with the NOVAworks director to discuss some of my ideas—she didn’t have the staff at the time to bring those ideas to fruition but she did offer me a job.

  • 7.

    I’ve been working as a program manager for NOVAworks since then!

Defining Moments

How I responded to discouragement

  • THE NOISE

    Messages from Myself:

    I'm an introvert, so I'm just not good at talking to and networking with people.

  • How I responded:

    I used to get nervous when I'd go to a networking event. I'm an introvert and networking doesn't come naturally to me. However, I've realized that you need to be strategic with it. Just because you're an introvert doesn't mean you get a pass to not talk to people. At one event, I didn't really succeed at networking with anyone. When I went back the next time, I came in with a focused strategy and it worked out for me.