.css-yrqkhi{position:absolute;width:1px;height:1px;padding:0;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;clip:rect(0, 0, 0, 0);white-space:nowrap;border-width:0;} <style data-emotion="css 52w8fk">.css-52w8fk{padding-right:0.25rem;}</style><span class="css-52w8fk"><span>Empowering you to define your own road</span></span>
There are so many voices out there telling you what to do and who to be. But your own voice is the one that matters most. What drives you, and how can you go after it? We're here to help you find those answers for yourself.
- 100K+ broadcasts on public television
- 500K+ miles logged by our fleet of green RVs
Our process of self-construction
DEFINE what matters to you Look inward to start your self-discovery process—identify the things you care about most, then let those interests guide you. Explore new ways of living and working you may have never imagined.
BECOME who you want to be It's time to put your dream on the street, with newfound courage and confidence. Here, you'll start to see a path forward and understand the work that comes next. You're on your way to your own version of success.
What we make
The Roadtrip Nation Experience An online course that guides you through our interest-based approach to careers and puts you in conversation with someone you admire.
Live and digital events With videos and career stories, our interactive events empower students to take the first step of their career journeys.
Roadmap book Filled with examples and insights from 20 years of stories, our career guide gives you the blueprint to start your self-discovery process.
Share Your Road A storytelling platform for sharing and discovering career stories and advice about different careers and industries.
Roadmap podcast Our podcast highlights our favorite interviews and stories to show you why it’s OK to feel lost, and helps you figure out where to go next.
<p>There’s <style data-emotion="css 16y1sz1">.css-16y1sz1{display:inline-block;background-image:linear-gradient(to right, transparent 50%, #50d337 50%);-webkit-background-position:0;background-position:0;-webkit-background-repeat-y:no-repeat;background-repeat-y:no-repeat;-webkit-background-size:202% 80%;background-size:202% 80%;-webkit-transition:background 0.6s cubic-bezier(0.51, 0.54, 0, 1);transition:background 0.6s cubic-bezier(0.51, 0.54, 0, 1);will-change:background-position;transition-delay:700ms!important;}.is-in-view .css-16y1sz1{-webkit-background-position:-99%;background-position:-99%;-webkit-background-size:202% 80%;background-size:202% 80%;}</style><span class="css-16y1sz1">power</span> in doing work that aligns with <style data-emotion="css 16y1sz1">.css-16y1sz1{display:inline-block;background-image:linear-gradient(to right, transparent 50%, #50d337 50%);-webkit-background-position:0;background-position:0;-webkit-background-repeat-y:no-repeat;background-repeat-y:no-repeat;-webkit-background-size:202% 80%;background-size:202% 80%;-webkit-transition:background 0.6s cubic-bezier(0.51, 0.54, 0, 1);transition:background 0.6s cubic-bezier(0.51, 0.54, 0, 1);will-change:background-position;transition-delay:700ms!important;}.is-in-view .css-16y1sz1{-webkit-background-position:-99%;background-position:-99%;-webkit-background-size:202% 80%;background-size:202% 80%;}</style><span class="css-16y1sz1">who you are.</span></p>
We're part of a bigger mission
Roadtrip Nation is a part of Strada Collaborative , a nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower all learners—and those who serve them—by providing the critical resources, educational support, and career experiences that lead to equitable education and employment pathways.
Keep the journey going
Get in touch
Learn more about what we can do together. Reach out to us!
Join our team
Browse our career openings and learn more about our culture.
Host an event
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Marketing Permissions
Mark Murphy
Founder & CEO
Rhinebeck, NY USA
“ Live life in a curious state of mind. ”
I lead a nonprofit organization that helps young people pursue their passions and interests on their own terms.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
Non-profit organizations, helping people.
On any given day, there are four different things that I'm doing. First, I help to chart the path of the organization. This means focusing on questions of our strategy and how it best meets our mission and vision. Second, I support the youth and adult staff at GripTape to ensure they have the resources to lead great efforts. Third, I work to directly raise and earn the funding that our organization needs to exist. Fourth, I meet with external audiences and organizations to represent GripTape.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for high school students
First, before a degree, I recommend an experience that illuminates what it's like to work with youth—an internship, teacher's assistant, or a role with a youth development organization. Then pursue an undergrad degree that you're passionate about and provides a foundation of supporting youth. Next, experience multiple roles with direct responsibility for youth development. Finally, if beneficial or needed, pursue a graduate degree that directly supports your aspirations to serve young people.
The Noise I Shed
From myself:.
"I want to be a school principal but I'm not ready yet. I don't know enough. I need to wait a few years before I'm ready."
After teaching for a few years, I realized that I wanted to become a school principal. However, I told my friend that I wasn't ready yet and would wait three to five years before trying. He told me that if I was waiting until I was ready, I'd never be ready. You have to be willing to stretch yourself, take that next step, and learn with it. Accept the fact that you're going to be relatively ignorant at the start. Everyone is ignorant when taking their next step. Just put in the work and learn.
Interviewed By
Changemakers
Meet the people building a better future
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Olympic Champion / Wheelchair Racing Athlete
“ Things are worth fighting for in life…and it's always overcoming a barrier of some kind. And whatever form that barrier takes, we all have a decision to make. ”
I'm an athlete and international wheelchair racer, winning thirteen Paralympic medals.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
Non-profit organizations, being physically active, challenges i overcame, physical issues.
Adams underwent radiation therapy for cancer as a child, and aftermath of the treatment led to a spinal injury at age 9 that paralysed him.
Related Leaders
Dave McGillivray
Race Director , Boston Marathon
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ROADTRIP NATION: Native Way Forward
Saturday, July 9, 2022 at 4 p.m. on KPBS 2 / On demand with PBS Video App
Television and film have long depicted Native Americans in the past tense. It's time to shine a light on the present-day experiences of Native young adults - and explore what's possible for their futures. In ROADTRIP NATION "Native American Roadtrip," Native leaders are telling their stories in their own words and illuminating the path for Native youth everywhere. Follow the journey of three Native young adults as they road-trip across the country to explore the possibilities.
The three "roadtrippers" also reflect a snapshot of the diversity of cultures and experiences of modern Native youth. Over three weeks, the trio travels across the Southwest to sit down with Indigenous leaders who are making art, building businesses, conducting research, and shaping policy - all with the tenets of community and kinship at the forefront of their work.
As the "roadtrippers" reconcile the past of their people with their possibilities for the future, they begin to realize that their ideas of personal success are becoming more and more intertwined with their desire to uplift their communities - and protect the lands they're crossing.
Watch On Your Schedule:
The film is available on demand
Presented by KQED . Distributed by American Public Television .
Roadtrip Nation
Reaching the summit | peak possible.
Baseball management, medicine, and microgreen farming: explore all of the above and more as the roadtrippers explore Denver and Evergreen, Colorado. Along the way, take a detour into the awe-inspiring Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Explore the scenery and opportunities on offer throughout the Centennial State.
S25 E2 - 25m 5s
Starting the Climb | Peak Possible
S25 E1 - 25m 5s
Get to know the “Peak Possible” roadtrippers: Lacey, Yailenne, and Zane—three young people eager to find what careers they connect with in Colorado. Follow along as they explore careers from welding to wildlife management, and see how Colorado business owners are making a difference in the state.
Extras + Features
Being Free Trailer
How do you find your path after serving time in the prison system? Reentering society may be paved with obstacles, but formerly incarcerated people are finding their footing back in the wider world every day. See how inspiring, system-impacted people are building fulfilling lives and navigating the complex realities beyond the walls of the carceral system.
Should I become an auto technician?
We're digging into all kinds of jobs within the auto tech industry—and doing a deep dive on salary stats, educational paths, and further possibilities for your future once you have a foundation as an automotive technician! Hear from shop owners, master mechanics, and more—and see if going into a career as an auto technician could be the path for you.
Should I become a security analyst?
In this video, we’re diving into the role of security analyst—a common entry-level job in the world of infosec and cybersecurity. We’ll cover salary, job growth, getting started in the field—all that good stuff to help you explore if you should start down the path to becoming a security analyst.
Should I become an elementary school teacher?
Hear from teachers all over America—like Pocketful of Primary’s Michelle Emerson!—as they talk about finding work-life balance as an elementary school teacher, and show you how you can shape the future of teaching!
Beating the Odds - Theatrical Trailer
When a degree is your goal, nothing can hold you back. “Beating the Odds” highlights how students everywhere are overcoming obstacles to get to college, standing on their struggles to reach even greater heights. Hear how leaders like Former First Lady Michelle Obama and Paralympian Scout Bassett made it to graduation—and beyond—by ignoring the odds and betting on themselves.
Beating the Odds - Television Spot
One Step Closer - Television Spot
When you start at community college, your next step could take you anywhere. Watch as three students road-trip across the country to speak with leaders who used community college to carve a path to higher education, specialized skills—and more importantly, rewarding lives and careers. Along the way, they discover how valuable their own community college experiences can be.
One Step Closer - Theatrical Trailer
Degree of Impact Theatrical Trailer
Earning a doctorate is a noble pursuit, but what can you do with it? As it turns out, almost anything! Follow along as three students pursuing doctoral degrees take a cross-country road trip to explore how doctors of music, medicine, and more are applying their research to solve real-world problems, using their degrees to create lives that they love.
Degree of Impact: TV Spot
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IMAGES
COMMENTS
Ahmad Itani. Foundation Professor & Associate Vice President for Research. University of Nevada, Reno Innevation Center. Education, Engineering.
At Roadtrip Nation, we know what it's like to feel lost, because we've been there. That's why, in 2001, we hit the road to get advice from people who'd found fulfilling work. Their wisdom taught us there's no "right" way to build a career—that there were actually endless unique paths we could take forward. Now, their stories will guide you ...
Pat O'Donnell. CEO, I founded JetBlue Airlines and am dedicated to helping all our teams succeed. David Neeleman. CEO, My life is about creating institutions that will change the world. Nathan Gray. Founder/CEO, I'm an entrepreneur and Jay-Z's former manager and business partner at Roc-a-Fella Records.
Dreamed of becoming a professional athlete but blew out his knee and had to have two major surgeries. While rehabbing his injury, he developed an interest in sports medicine; became a sports trainer, was eventually hired by the Philadelphia 76ers. Because of his unique outlooks and his sports background, he was tapped by Nike to be their ...
Roadtrip Nation is a part of Strada Collaborative, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower all learners—and those who serve them—by providing the critical resources, educational support, and career experiences that lead to equitable education and employment pathways. Keep the journey going. Get in touch.
Meet the people building a better future. Mark Murphy Roadtrip Nation interview, Founder & CEO, GripTape - I lead a nonprofit organization that helps young people pursue their passions and interests on their own terms.
The Roadtrip Nation Experience is a project-based course that helps you discover your interests, explore career possibilities, and talk to someone you admire about how they found their path. In five easy video lessons, you'll build the social skills needed to pursue a fulfilling career. Take our course.
Grew up on a cattle farm in Maury County, and says he never thought he would be a veterinarian: "It seemed like a far away dream.". After graduating from the University of Tennessee in 1981, he decided to move to the small town of Hohenwald to set up his veterinary practice—said he felt like he belonged there. Affectionately nicknamed ...
Ryan Stowers Roadtrip Nation interview, Executive Director, Charles Koch Foundation - I help manage the vision and strategy for Charles Koch's philanthropic foundation. ... I also supervise a group of leaders that run the operations, grant management, and relationships of the foundation. It's my job to empower them and make sure they have ...
After a few years, I decided I wanted to write for Disney, so I personally dropped my novel off at Disney's offices hoping that someone would read it—two days later, I got a call for an interview. Since then, I've written the screenplays for various feature films, including "Beauty and the Beast," "Alice in Wonderland," and ...
Roadtrip Nation personalizes the career exploration process for young people by focusing on their interests and the questions they may have about how to build a life around what they love. Roadtrip Nation blends conversations on topics like dealing with family pressure and the true meaning of success with practical career and education advice.
Roadtrip Nation Experience students reported a 24% increase in their ability to seek out role models and network. They also reported 15% growth in the sentiment, "I have confidence in the next steps I need to take to achieve my career and education goals.". Impact Reports: Dive deeper into our impact. 20 Years of InsightsRoadtripper Survey.
Physical Issues. Adams underwent radiation therapy for cancer as a child, and aftermath of the treatment led to a spinal injury at age 9 that paralysed him. Jeff Adams Roadtrip Nation interview, Olympic Champion/Wheelchair Racing Athlete, null - I'm an athlete and international wheelchair racer, winning thirteen Paralympic medals.
Megan Anderson Roadtrip Nation interview, Director of Global Business Development, Charleston Regional Development Alliance - I help companies from around the world establish a footprint in the Charleston region. ... Related Leaders. Karen S. Carter. Chief Human Resources Officer & Chief Inclusion Officer, Dow. Lannia Small. Director of Global ...
Christopher Jackson Roadtrip Nation interview, Musician / Actor, Freestyle Love Supreme - I'm an artist who observes and expresses the human condition through many mediums. ... Related Leaders. Jessica Walden. Co-Founder , Rock Candy Tours. Terry Stewart. CEO, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Joe Stoner. Library Manager, Alameda County Library.
Roadtrip Nation | 6,314 followers on LinkedIn. Roadtrip Nation creates and distributes best-in-class career exploration content, products, and experiences to help individuals pursue fulfilling ...
Stories to help you figure out what you want to do with your life, and tools to help you plan how to get there. When you're unsure what's next, we're here to help you figure out your path ...
In ROADTRIP NATION's newest documentary — led by director Ryan RedCorn — Native leaders are telling their stories in their own words, and illuminating the path for Native youth everywhere.
Roadtrip Nation Leaders in This Career. I am an advocate, communicator, and leader in the global fight against poverty... Mila Rosenthal. Director of Communication, United Nations Development Programme. I manage a team that develops public programs, educational content, & strategic partnerships....
Along the way, take a detour into the awe-inspiring Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Explore the scenery and opportunities on offer throughout the Centennial State. S25 E1 - 25m 5s. Get to know the "Peak Possible" roadtrippers: Lacey, Yailenne, and Zane—three young people eager to find what careers they connect with in Colorado.
Costa Mesa, Calif. — Roadtrip Nation, a career exploration organization based in Southern California, and the College Board, a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity, conclude on August 9th a five-week national road trip, dubbed the "First-Gen Roadtrip" in which four first generation college students from around the country ...