I contacted the Workforce Center where an assigned Case Manger provided me additional information on the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) program. It allowed me to pursue a career in a new field. I am currently attending Emily Griffith Opportunity School to help reach my goal as a Mechanical Tech. Currently, Emily Griffith provides assistance with job placement, a free resume writing course, and registers all students to receive emails for job postings relevant to their field. I will complete my education in January 2011 and be ready to enter the job market.

I was given the opportunity to seek a career of my choice, get a sense of the current hiring market in my field of interest and investigate how my choice would impact the market. Thus I was able to navigate through the Workforce Center to find myself on the road of a new career path. The process took about one week, and I am now currently on the road to a new job opportunity.

If I had not been receiving unemployment insurance, there would have been no options for sources of income besides leaving school to help my wife pay the bills or attempting to obtain a night shift. I am now on my last tier of UI extended benefits, so I have the dilemma of choosing between leaving my schooling to assist my wife in paying our bills or staying in school to hope for a better career while continuing to struggle to pay for our basic necessities such as food, shelter, and fuel.

Data sources

• U.S. Census Bureau, “American FactFinder,” 2007 American Community Survey (accessed May 2011). Data came from the following tables: Statewide poverty percentages, GCT1701, Ratio of income to poverty level, C17002
• U.S. Census Bureau, “American FactFinder,” 2009 American Community Survey (accessed May 2011). Data came from the following tables: Statewide poverty percentages, GCT1701, Ratio of income to poverty level, C17002
• Half in Ten analysis of Table 1, 2007 State Expenditure Report, National Association of State Budget Officers.
• Half in Ten analysis of Table 1, 2009 State Expenditure Report, National Association of State Budget Officers.
• Center for American Progress analysis of CEPR Current Population Survey ORG data.