GRID Alternatives is a non-profit organization dedicated to making solar energy accessible to families with low incomes and training people from diverse backgrounds in solar installation so as to enable them to find work in the solar industry. I came in as an intern to join their solar installation/construction team for 2 months(Jul-Sep 16') at the GRID's Inland Empire office in California. I find that it is important to mention that I am a woman of colour since it directly ties into my experience of the world, and GRID's goals. GRID's goals are not just to provide solar energy, but also make solar jobs accessible to people from low income families and diverse racial backgrounds. This begins with which families get access to solar energy systems and who gets hired as an intern. Before I tell you about my experience as an intern, I want to go back a little bit to what I was doing before the internship. By the time I had applied for the internship at GRID, I had been in the Inland Empire (IE) for almost 10 months and during that time I had made over a 100 job applications. As an environmental enthusiast from a 'developing' country, I had the image of the state of California as being a paradise filled with liberal people who cared deeply about all environmental things. Sadly, I was misinformed about IE. Out of the 100+ applications that I made, I was offered 2 sales-commission-only jobs, 2 seasonal paid jobs, and 1 online job. Everything else was a rejection including jobs at other for-profit solar companies. It is only fair to tell you a bit about myself. I am from India, 5 feet 2 inches tall, I weigh 104 lbs, black hair, my skin color falls between brown and 'exotic', and I have a moderate Indian accent, only. I have a Masters degree and over the last 5 years, trained myself through certificate courses, internships, fellowships, and jobs to become an environmental professional who can grow organic gardens, create permaculture landscape designs, and conduct environmental research. After being in IE for 10 months I realized that these qualifications and experiences did not hold much value to employers. After going through ups and downs and learning harsh lessons along the way, I finally met GRID. Starting with the interview itself, I felt immediately valued and trusted for having diverse experiences and for being myself. Despite being a smaller woman (and as I would find out later the only paid woman on the installation team), and having NO PREVIOUS SOLAR EXPERIENCE AT ALL, the GRID IE team were open to giving me a chance. This chance was something I desperately wanted which then led to a wonderful turning point in my life. As it turns out, GRID Alternatives really believes in giving people another chance. So hats off to them for being an oasis in a desert!
On the work-site knowledge was shared freely and patiently. Mistakes were not considered to be horrific, but rather as being fixable and learning opportunities. What was striking to me as a woman was that all the other men, including the supervisors trusted my physical and mental ability to do pretty much anything. Perhaps it was just me who wasn't trusting myself? I was expecting to be told to go do the 'lighter work' and leave the seemingly 'harder' tasks to the men. But that never happened and I felt so grateful because it taught me to try everything and realize that I could actually do almost anything! Truly I learnt so much that by the end of just 2 months, I accomplished the roof team leader milestone. Before I end this narration of my experience, I want to share a small story of my gender experience at the workplace. I am often in the position of being the only woman in jobs dominated by men doing physical labour and most of my co-workers end up referring to me by a masculine name or seeing me as being 'almost' male. For example when working on farms in India I was referred to as 'Anand Bhai' which is the male version of my name followed by 'bhai' meaning brother. Similarly when I started at GRID I gave my name as Andy (a mostly male name) to make it easier for everyone to pronounce it. I remember some of my male colleagues also referred to me as 'one of us' during an installation which I suppose meant being male like them. But what was very interesting was the transformation that took place as the days passed. Slowly everyone started calling me by my actual name, Anandi. And by the end of 2 months I felt that I was being seen not as a 'masculine woman' but rather just as a skilled and capable woman. Is it not possible do a physically intensive job and also be seen as a woman? At GRID IE it is possible! If I have any advice for GRID it would be to continue trusting and nurturing women in your installation teams, because it goes a long way for them and the community. And my advice for women is, don't be afraid of physical work. You are not weak because you use two hands instead one, you are not weak if you ask a colleague for help, and you are not weak while you are still growing stronger every day. I feel grateful to GRID for allowing me to have this short yet great experience of standing on rooftops, laughing with friends, and sweating in the intense summer heat. They also gave me wonderful references which helped me secure a fantastic managerial position at a landscaping company in the San Francisco bay area. I am thankful I found GRID in the desert, and feel excited about starting my new adventure in the bay.
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