IT ALWAYS SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE . . . until it is done.

When we were searching for our own good food jobs, we would go to various job search websites and type 'Food' into the search bar. Craiglist. Idealist. Media Bistro. You name it, we searched it. It felt so fragmented and frustrating, especially because the jobs never seemed to be aligned with our underlying interests in improving the world around us through food. We wondered, 'Why isn't there a gathering place for the positions that make us drool? Why can't there be a job board where the unifying factor is that everyone is interested in food, first and foremost? There has got to be a better way'.

Before we officially launched Good Food Jobs, we heard a common refrain from those who inquired about the project: 'Wow, that sounds really cool, but are those jobs really out there?' We were sure of it. And now, with over 1,400 active posts at any given time, few people question that it's possible to have a website devoted solely to jobs in sustainable food / food culture. It always seems impossible until it is done.

But we feel the same statement can be applied to nearly every new project. It's easy to become so set in our ways that we hardly question how the systems around us work. And when you do commit to doing something differently, it's natural to experience some resistance from the outside world.

So this week of our 'alternative education' month is devoted to those that embrace the idea that there has to be a better way. These folks are reimagining how education operates, and providing useful tools and resources to help others do the same.

TRANSITION LAB
The common cultural perception is that you graduate from school and get a 'job'. When we say the word it conjures up a certain image: 9-5 / salary / heath insurance and other benefits. But what if that idea doesn't fit? What if college (or high school) didn't provide all of the answers? What if we want to make a living, contribute to a community, and continue to explore our interests?

Transition Lab thinks there has to be a better way, and it includes teaching people how to reimagine what a 'job' looks like. The program trains you with a marketable skill (i.e. growing a fruitful garden) which you can trade for housing, and still have plenty of free time to pursue other interests and contribute to your community. Speaking of marketable skills, Transition Lab happens to be searching for a Webpage Developer right now. 

ECO PRACTICUM
Higher education can be so theoretical that it's hard to understand how to apply it to practical work. For those interested in environmental studies, Eco Practicum offers answers to the question, 'What do I do with this degree?' They have two summer sessions whose application deadlines are soon approaching (one on April 15th, the other on May 1st). 

UNCOLLEGE
This movement was spearheaded by some un-schoolers that wanted to provide more meaningful tools and resources to young adults eager to drive their own education. But we happen to think their work is universally useful for all types of folks, whether you've completed college or not. 

WAYFINDING ACADEMY
Who are you? What do you want to contribute to the world? And what path will you take to get there? If you are eager to answer these questions, then the Wayfinding Academy might be the right spot for you. 

YOLKS & SPOKES
The lovely ladies featured on this week's blog show us that inspiration is all around us. Learn from their stories as they document breakfast traditions up and down the Mississippi River and prove that we all bring so much with us to the breakfast table. 

Here's to the hope and the certainty that you find your way. Because even the longest lives are too short to soak up all of what this natural world has to offer. 

Your companions in curiosity,
 

   Taylor & Dorothy
   Co-Founders, Good Food Jobs