In her own words, Rhonda Rhoque, a GRID Greater Los Angeles volunteer, shares her story of transitioning into a career in solar. <\/p>\n
After five years in the fashion industry, the recession placed the future of my career in jeopardy. Customers\u2019 mindsets shifted from the desire to purchase luxuries like a pair of $200 jeans to paying for the necessities. While considering new career paths, I sought out ways to work in renewable energy. Through my environmentally-conscious upbringing in Berkeley, California, saving resources had always been a part of my daily routine. I rationed water, recycled, and conserved energy whenever possibple. I thought everyone lived this way, until I moved to Los Angeles. It took over two years to get recycling bins at my apartment complex! <\/em><\/p>\n I was eager to build upon my knowledge of living an environmentally-conscious lifestyle so I decided to take the solar sales course at Los Angeles City College. I enjoyed learning about the business side of solar power and wanted to gain hands-on experience. My classmates encouraged me to volunteer with GRID Alternatives Greater Los Angeles (GLA). At my first installation, I was nervous but excited to learn and get involved. I loved learning about solar, giving back to the community, and helping the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions one house at a time. <\/em><\/p>\n Volunteering with GLA solidified my decision to pursue solar as a full-time career. I applied for a sales position with American Solar Direct. While I was shy, conveying the important message of solar energy\u2019s benefits for the environment and homeowners eclipsed my hesitation. After two years there, I was one of their top sales representatives. Now, I work for Sunrun Solar in their sales department, and I love what I do! It is not just a job for me, it is a personal mission – working in the solar industry fulfills my wish to help the community and to discover an environmentally friendly option for energy. As stewards of the earth, I feel we must extend our awareness of preserving our homes and communities in responsible ways. <\/em><\/p>\n I want to thank the GLA family for all of their encouragement and support in pursuing a new, meaningful career in solar energy. <\/em><\/p>\n Thank you Rhonda for sharing your experience and perspective with the GLA community. We can\u2019t wait to see what your future in solar holds for you! <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In her own words, Rhonda Rhoque, a GLA volunteer, shares her story of transitioning into a career in solar. <\/p>","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2960,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[81,79],"tags":[],"audience":[],"content-type":[12],"focus-area":[20,27,36,73],"region":[],"series":[84],"content-author":[],"class_list":["post-2959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-organizational-stories","category-workforce-education","content-type-news","focus-area-job-training","focus-area-volunteers","focus-area-women-in-solar","focus-area-workforce-development","series-volunteer-spotlight"],"acf":{"hero_media_type":"image","hero_media_image":null,"hero_media_url":"","hero_media_poster":null,"hero_video_play":"inline","related_stories":null,"pattern_override":null,"story_callouts":null,"media":null,"featured_blog_post":null,"featured_event":null,"pdf_download":null,"blockquote":null,"author":null,"notice":null,"social_embed":null,"contact_card":null,"meta_details":null,"faq":null,"table":null},"yoast_head":"\n