Citizen Screen: PathPivots Inspires Hope About Finding A Meaningful Career

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Photo courtesy of Jacquie Beaubien, Ed.D  [/caption]

Citizen Screen is a monthly column dedicated to film and film-related topics, sourced and curated by Port Townsend Film Festival. This month’s column is by filmmaker and education specialist Jacquie Beaubien, Ed.D.

Teenagers are increasingly overwhelmed by the pressure to have a career path planned out. Their anxiety isn’t just about money and the cost of living, but about finding meaningful work they will enjoy. This growing stress has been a topic of discussion at Skillmation, a local nonprofit where I volunteer. In partnership with the Port Townsend School District, it connects young people in the community with adults who can act as mentors and tutors. We had an idea: since most people’s careers unfold in non-linear ways, maybe it would be helpful for young people to hear from adults about how they found their way into fulfilling careers. I proposed making a short film to find out. The team liked the idea and generously provided a small grant to create and test a pilot. We chose film because it is a more versatile and engaging medium for reaching young people.

With guidance from many local filmmakers and editing assistance from an aspiring young filmmaker, Keagan Nordstrom, I created PathPivots. It includes interviews with four people working in various trades and professions.

• Jaiden Bosick, citizen of the Jamestown S'Klallam tribe, a former competitive shotgun shooter on the US shooting team, and a commercial fisherman.
• Delmas Whittaker, director of Marine Maintenance for the Port of Seattle and the former gunner and executive officer at Naval Magazine Indian Island
• Gary McLuen, Mechanical Engineer and Inventor of medical and scientific equipment, including the first DNA synthesizer used in the Human Genome Project.
• Zhaleh Almaee, Co-Director of the Mandala Center for Change and Assistant Director at Owl360

Their remarkable stories highlight the skills and strategies that helped them find their paths and stay resilient during times of stressful uncertainty.

To find out if the film resonated with young people, I conducted focus groups and interviews with nine people between 18 and 34 years old. Before watching the film, participants were invited to draw a picture to describe their career journey so far. Their drawings and stories confirm the stress that young people feel about finding a fulfilling and sustainable career.

Take Danny, age 27, for example. While he considers himself fortunate to have been able to attend college and secure a job with decent pay and excellent benefits, he is, nevertheless, unhappy. As he described,

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Career journey drawing by Danny, age 27.  [/caption]

[I feel] stuck in quicksand…I have a vision for my future, but… I have to find a path through the wilderness to get here [pointing to the X on the other side]. But there's this looming cloud of despair about [how].

After watching PathPivots, he said,  “It was definitely helpful! Makes you feel a little less alone. Like you're not the first person to go through these struggles.” Another participant, Biaani, 18, shared that, “Seeing other people feel the same way that I have been feeling was helpful!”

All agreed that they would have benefited from seeing a film like this in high school, and Daniel, age 32, said,

I think it would have certainly had value for me in high school, and I think it has value for me now. I'm still not in a place where I feel like I've got my career all figured out and am on some linear path. So hearing from people who are living lives that they seem happy [with] and fulfilled in what they're doing, and hearing of their meandering path, it feels affirming to me.

Their positive feedback exceeded our expectations, as did their many excellent ideas for how to improve the film.

This summer, we’ll act on their recommendations and revise the film, hopefully in partnership with local filmmaker Gabe Van Lelyveld, and with the help of two of the focus group participants who are aspiring filmmakers.

Ultimately, we aim to lower students' career anxiety, inspire hope, and help them to plan more effectively for a career path that excites and motivates them.

You can learn more about PathPivots and donate to support this project here. You can learn more about my background here.

We look forward to exploring a variety of film and film-related topics in the months to come. Want to propose a topic? Send your thoughts to: info@ptfilm.org.

Correction: an earlier version of this stated that Jacquie Beaubien was a psychiatrist.