After earning his Bachelor’s degree in 2011, Jason found himself struggling to find work. All the available jobs seemed just out of reach. He was either over qualified or didn’t have the required experience. He went back to school in 2014 to earn his paralegal certification, but found that didn’t open any additional doors for him. He spent some time volunteering as a legal assistant with the Housing Justice Project, but never landed a job as a paralegal. Jason was still experiencing the same issues he had after he earned his Bachelor’s degree. The jobs just weren’t there for him.
He started to feel a little disheartened and was starting to run out of money. He worked at some customer service jobs here and there, but was not making enough to support himself. His parents wouldn’t help him financially.
Luckily, Jason was able to live with his two brothers, one of whom was able to cover the rent in its entirety. Jason didn’t have money to cover car insurance though, so he stopped driving and his world got a little smaller. He knew he needed to be out there networking to find a job, so he did the best he could with limited mobility. That’s when someone from his church shared a MSC flyer with him.
He called MSC and got connected with one of our employment program case managers. She helped Jason improve his resume and search for jobs. She also helped him get to job interviews by providing bus tickets and referred him to Orion for training in a new field.
Jason started to work in shipping and receiving, and has been taking classes to improve his skills, including getting forklift certified. “My case manager at MSC set me up on a good path,” shared Jason. He has changed his career focus to business operations, is getting hands on experience, and plans on working his way up.
Now Jason is looking to move into his own place by next fall and is planning on a permanent position with another company in the next month or so that he already has lined up. He’s also making enough to pay for car insurance so is mobile again.
“Don’t give up hope,” says Jason, “And, don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you go to enough places, you will find the person who can help you and send you in the right direction like MSC.”
