She enjoys working with students and using her Microsoft skills
Jenice Gonzales was a single mother of two seeking a typing certificate to start her on the path to a secretarial job. Her dream job was to work in a school setting, but that seemed pretty distant.
Until it wasn’t.
After contacting EASTBAYWorks, Gonzales quickly learned of the opportunities to expand her education and improve her job prospects. She also found out she could get financial assistance for tuition through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).
It really does make you feel good to be able to take what you have learned and put it to use like that.
Jenice Gonzales
Former adult school student
“I had no clue they offered all of the things they did,” she says.
With the aid, Gonzales began taking classes at Liberty Adult Education Center in Brentwood. She jumped into training on Advanced Microsoft Office programs, gaining mastery of Word, Excel and PowerPoint. It boosted her résumé with the skills she needed to get her dream job.
In October 2016, Gonzales landed a secretarial job at O’Hara Park Middle School in Oakley. The job is what she had always hoped for.
“I love the kids,” she says. “I love being able to interact with them and still be able to use my skills.”
As secretary of discipline and health, Gonzales says her job is rarely predictable or boring.
“I’ve got a 9-year-old and an 11-year-old at home,” she says. “As soon as I get home, they ask: ‘Anything interesting happen today?’”
Perhaps most satisfying for Gonzales is that she is now the person others come to for answers on how to use the computer software that makes her office run.
“Yeah, a lot of times, the office manager or someone else will come to me and say, ‘How do I do this?’ or ‘How can I make this form?’” she says. “It really does make you feel good to be able to take what you have learned and put it to use like that.”
Written by Matt Jocks
| Regions | Classes |
|---|---|
| Bay Area California | Careers in Business-Technology |
