Aaron’s resume was clouded by a criminal past, a factor that holds many people back from advancing their career. But with some help from a career training program in Rochester, he learned valuable asbestos remediation skills which landed him a part-time job. That part-time job, executed well, eventually became a full-time job with benefits.
Aaron says: ‘At some point, it must be up to you to be driven to want to get work, and that’s the way I was. I was driven, I was determined, and now I’ve become a union member, so I’m feeling real great about that.’ | • Watch Video
Alicia launched her own marketing, event-planning and fund-raising firm in the fall of 2009. She believes that the bad economy works in her favor, supplying her with a lot of talented people who might be out of work, and therefore more inclined to accept contract work. Alica had to cut back and make some lifestyle changes in order to follow her passion.
Alicia says: ‘I think fear held me back for a long time.’ | • Watch Video
Amy has been in the financial industry for the past fourteen years, and was laid off from her previous job in April of 2009. After being unemployed for nine months, she’s now employed at an investment firm doing work that is very similar to what she has done in the past. In the time that she was on the job market, Amy applied for about 85 to 90 positions.
Amy says: ‘I’m glad to be back in the workforce.’ | • Watch Video
After 18 years in her former job with a large company as an office manager, Bonnie has been unemployed since November 2009. Since that time, she has developed a survival routine. Every morning, she heads to her local One Stop Career Center, where she is learning new computer skills, then walks her dogs. Bonnie says: ‘Being outside and being with other people makes all the difference.’ | • Watch Video
Charlie and Gracie moved into their current home when both had already retired, and they have lived on a fixed income. A death in the family, combined with Charlie’s medical needs, altered the couple’s economic status and caused them to fall behind on their mortgage payments. The couple was on the verge of losing their home when they found help from a reputable community foundation.
Gracie says: ‘There truly is legitimate help out there–not scam artists, not those that tell you that they can fix it overnight for you, but there are legitimate people out there that care and that will work with you.’ | • Watch Video
Christine was a director of development and communications at a non-profit organization. The job was fulfilling, yet stressful to the point that it began having negative effects on her family life and her health. When Christine decided to leave her job, she had to let go of her idea of who she was. Now, she has embarked on a new path that allows her more time for what matters most.
Christine says: ‘I realized that it wasn’t worth it. What was important was my health, my happiness, my children.’ | • Watch Video
Cory is an economics major who is about to enter into his senior year in college. Over the summer, he is working at the New York State Department of Labor, and he knows that he is lucky to have a highly-coveted paid internship. Cory says: ‘I’m kind of looking for a little real-world experience in the economics field to give a little more substance to what I’m learning in college.’ | • Watch Video
In 2007, a motorcycle accident left Dave paralyzed from the waist down. With help from family, friends and VESID, Dave has rebuilt his life, returning to school to learn accounting and bookkeeping. Now, Dave works with his local One Stop Career Center, determined to go back to work part-time.
Dave says: ‘Once you go back as an adult, you look at school a lot differently than you do back when you’re a teenager. I ended up graduating that class with a 95 average… I was proud of myself.’ | • Watch Video
Delsey is a former research chemist who left the workplace to raise her family, picking up work as a substitute teacher over the years. Now, Delsey wants to return to full-time employment. She went to the Women’s Opportunity Center’s Business Office Training Program to improve her computer skills, which she considers critical to long-term employment in the modern workplace.
Delsey says: ‘Whenever anyone got a job, we’d ring a bell…We cheered each other on. It was very uplifting.’ | • Watch Video
Emily was a corrections officer with meager pay and no medical benefits, so she left for a new job, but when that didn’t work out, she found herself scrambling for any kind of work at all just to get by. Recently, she found a good job with the U.S. Census Bureau, but it’s only a temporary position, so she is still somewhat nervous about the future.
Emily says: ‘You really can’t get anywhere with [just] a high school education anymore.’ | • Watch Video
At age 21, Francis suffered a spinal cord injury, resulting in paralysis of her four limbs. Today, she is the Community Education Coordinator for Access to Independence. She says that disabled individuals make very good employees, because most are forced to become extremely adaptable and are creative when it comes to solving problems.
Francis says: ‘We know how to problem solve because we have to, just to get out of bed.’ | • Watch Video
After decades of working his way through the ranks, Frederick became the CEO of a major consulting group. Frederick travels all over the world to meet with his clients, helping businesses make the transition into a 21st century corporate culture. Frederick believes that the key to a healthy corporate culture is making sure that people feel included.
Frederick says: ‘People have a lot more to offer than organizations have historically asked of them.’ | • Watch Video
Gigi spent 26 years employed as a saleswoman at the same company, but over the last decade, she realized that the company was restructuring and moving in a different direction. She did some research, which helped her as she negotiated her severance and health benefits. Because job searching can be lonely, Gigi reached out for help from a job search support group.
Gigi says: ‘I knew that I could not be searching all day for a job, that I had to allow myself some sort of luxury, or some sort of replenishment, or something to make my soul happy.’ | • Watch Video
Grace and Dan have two kids, and were forced to examine their spending patterns when Grace hit a brief period of unemployment. Now, Grace and Dan keep better track of their money, allocating specific amounts for everything from food and clothing to home renovations and Christmas presents to retirement. Dan and Grace prove that, with discipline, a tight budget can work for families. Grace says: ‘People ask me advice, but they don’t like to hear my answer sometimes.’ | • Watch Video
After graduating college with a degree in industrial engineering, Heidi is treading water with a part-time job as an administrative assistant while searching for a job in her chosen field. As she focuses on networking, she lives in a basement apartment in her parents’ home and works on creating a very tight budget in order to pay off student and auto loans.
Heidi says: ‘They don’t teach you how to manage your budget.’ | • Watch Video
After getting divorced, Jennifer was left with a daughter to raise and a mountain of debt. Creditors came knocking on Jennifer’s door after she began missing payments. When she began the process of buying a new home, she realized that she needed to straighten out her finances. Jennifer sought out some help from financial advisors to repair her credit and eventually her credit score went up.
Jennifer says: ‘That little [credit score] number makes a big difference in everything that you do, whether you want to buy a car or a house or anything.’ | • Watch Video
Jim had a great career working as a manager in the fast-paced food service industry, but in 2002, a car accident left him without several brain functions. After extensive outpatient therapy, Jim’s VESID counselor recommended that he return to school. With significant educational success, Jim is now ready to reenter the job market, and he credits his wife for helping him reach that important benchmark.
Jim says: ‘She thinks I can do anything. With that encouragement and that love, this is actually fun, looking for a job.’ | • Watch Video
Joseph used to make $50,000 a month running an illegal drug operation in the Bronx, but that choice landed him in prison. After serving his time, Joseph is determined to find honest work that will allow him to put food on the table for his two sons. A local organization has helped Joseph improve his resume, cover letter and interview skills, but his criminal record remains a tough hurdle to get beyond.
Joseph says: ‘I walk around with my bookbag that has resumes and cover letters in it just in case.’ | • Watch Video
After serving his country honorably in both the Army and the Navy, Keith finds himself struggling just to support himself, though it doesn’t seem to be for lack of trying. Out of work since June of 2009, Keith is a homeless veteran–one of thousands of veterans who are homeless or jobless in New York State. Keith doesn’t have a college degree, and so is relying primarily on his work and military experience. He has applied for many jobs, but has had little success. Still, he retains a positive outlook as he attends job fairs in the region.
Keith says: ‘I want to help people.’ | • Watch Video
After his own search for love on the Internet didn’t turn out the way he had hoped, Larry is hoping to turn what he’s learned into a profitable business. His ‘Opposites Connect’ site will attempt to hook up couples based upon the things that make them unique from one another as opposed to what they have in common. In launching this new Web site, Larry has contracted work from 15-20 people.
Larry says: ‘This is the time to pool your resources. This is America. You can do it in America.’ | • Watch Video
Leslie worked as an attorney for New York State, but after taking a five-day leave of absence, she was told to either resign or face termination. With a law degree from SUNY-Buffalo and additional experience in both the military and the Peace Corps, she never thought she’d find herself in this position. She combines a yoga regimen with constant job searching to stay positive.
Leslie says: ‘When you’re not in the workforce, you’re pretty much marginalized. You feel like you’re on the fringe of society.’ | • Watch Video
Mackenzie is a single mother of two young children who felt stuck when she became unemployed last year. She spent months looking for any kind of job at all with no luck. Fortunately, Mackenzie was able to move back in with her parents, and her local One Stop Career Center helped her explore a new career. Mackenzie says: ‘By doing this program, it kind of picked me up from where I left off.’ | • Watch Video
When Marisa suddenly lost her job in 2009, it didn’t take her long to find a new one, thanks to some help from a friend. Marisa says that every single job she has gotten since college has come about as a result of networking: knowing someone on the inside of the organization she later wound up working for.
Marisa says: ‘You just be friendly, you know? You talk to people next to you and laugh and have a good time. Life’s too short to not strike up those conversations.’ | • Watch Video
After a divorce and bankruptcy, Maureen began listening to her entrepreneurial urge and decided to start a new business, baking pies out of her kitchen. Her business has grown, and Maureen is now selling tens of thousands of pies each month. Along the way, she has created several contract jobs for other workers that wouldn’t exist had she not founded her new business.
Maureen says: ‘[When] you put yourself out there, people are attracted to your message.’ | • Watch Video
At age 38, Melissa already has a degree in business management and business economics, but after getting laid off, she was not able to find a job in her area that would meet her financial needs. Working with her local One Stop Career Center, she applied for federal grants and took out loans, and is now going back for a third degree, aimed at landing her a medical administration position.
Melissa says: ‘It’s still scary. Even if I get done [with my degree], is there going to be something out there when I’m done? Because there’s not a guarantee.’ | • Watch Video
Michael is a lyric poet with an M.A. in English who would like to make a living on his poetry, though he realizes that his chances of doing so are not high. As he searches for a job in advertising or public relations, he looks forward to moving out of his parents’ house. To help him do so, he has enlisted the help of a career counselor.
Michael says: ‘I need to be able to take care of myself…I know what I’m good at. I know what I’m passionate about. I’m just struggling to [turn] that into money.’ | • Watch Video
Natalie is a consultant and a single mother who formally worked for two major phone companies. She got frustrated with the job market and decided to take the leap into self-employment in March of 2009, after being laid off during the middle of the recession. With an office in her home, her commute is now non-existent, but taking the step into the world of self-employment was originally a nerve-racking prospect.
Natalie says: ‘It was like jumping off a cliff without a safety net.’ | • Watch Video
Rebecca formerly worked as a marketing manager, selling home loan packages to large banks. When she lost her job, it was very difficult on her and her family, but now she is carving out a new path that may offer greater stability in the future. Rebecca, who lives in New York’s Capital Region with her husband and children, has decided to leave the cubicle for nursing school. At the same time, she continues to work, finding spare moments to study for her nursing courses during work breaks. It is a grueling schedule, but one that Rebecca believes will ultimately pay off.
Rebecca says: ‘You have to roll with the punches. You have to roll with the times, and you have to see what jobs are in demand.’ | • Watch Video
Rick has been looking for work since March of 2009, and has had several job interviews, but no offers. Still several years away from the retirement age, Rick is concerned about his finances. Fortunately, his wife has stable employment, so Rick retains health benefits. With managerial experience in the food service industry, Rick feels good about his resume.
Rick says: ‘Somewhere out there, someone’s going to say, ‘Hey, I want you.’ That’s what’s keeping my spirits up.’ | • Watch Video
Laid off from his job in the telecommunications industry in New York City, Robert has spent a year searching for jobs and filling out applications while living at his brother’s house and collecting public assistance. He has yet to find a job, and he has depleted most of his savings over the past year. He worries that it will be difficult to build his retirement savings back up.
Of the economic recovery, Robert says, ‘It’s akin to pouring the champagne and waiting for it to trickle down into my glass.’ | • Watch Video
