Student Success Profile: Jeremy Knapp

Jeremy Knapp and Family

Today's success profile features a Q and A with Jeremy Knapp. Jeremy is a Workforce Education student at Green River who is enrolled in the Occupational Therapy Assistant program. He turned a job layoff in 2010 into an opportunity to make his dream of becoming an OTA, a reality. Three years of rigorous coursework and late study nights are finally paying off—he graduates this summer, and is gearing up to start a new and rewarding career. Check out his inspirational story of new beginnings.

Hi Jeremy. Thanks for joining us on the blog. What's it like being a student in the Occupational Therapy Assistant program at Green River?

Jeremy: The OTA program is an intensive 2 year process to prepare you for a rewarding career as a COTA. The coursework is difficult, and there are a lot of late study nights, but I have met some great people along the way, and I'm sad to see it coming to an end. I'm also excited to get started in my new job!

Can you tell us the story of how you decided to pursue training in the OTA field?

Jeremy: I worked in the construction field most of my life. One day on my way home, I was listening to a story on NPR about occupational therapy and physical therapy. They sounded like careers that fit my personality, but I thought I would never have the opportunity to make a career change. When I was laid off from my job as an Operations Manager in 2010, I was given the chance. I decided to turn what could have been a bad thing into an opportunity, and thus began my 3 year journey to make my dream a reality!

How has Workforce Education helped you towards completing your goals?

Jeremy: Workforce Education has been instrumental in my success at Green River. From start to finish, they have been there to answer every question I had and offer help when I needed it. I can say without a doubt: I would not be where I am today without Workforce Education, and for that I am truly thankful.

You're nearing completion of your degree. Congrats! What advice do you have for new students who are thinking about applying for admission to the OTA program at Green River?

Jeremy: I would say if you are an outgoing, positive person who wants to make a difference in another person's life who really needs it, apply to the OTA program at Green River. It will be one of the hardest things you will ever do in your life, but it will also be the most rewarding! 

$$$ Tip! All four Workforce Education funding programs—BFET, Opportunity Grant, Worker Retraining, and WorkFirst—support OTA training at Green River.  

Student Success Profile: Caroline Bellinger

Today's success profile features a Q and A with Caroline Bellinger. Caroline is a Workforce Education student who is preparing to graduate from Green River's rigorous Practical Nursing program. Below, she provides an insightful inside look at what it means to be a nursing student, and discusses her journey of personal growth and professional development.

Hi Caroline. Thanks for joining us on the blog. What's it like being a student in the Practical Nursing program at Green River?

Caroline: As a student in the LPN program at Green River, I have been challenged in ways I never anticipated. It is a very comprehensive, rigorous program. The program has produced students who pass the NCLEX licensing exam  on the first try for three years in a row, which attests to the qualify of the program. But beyond that, it has given me opportunities and expected me to analyze, reflect, and develop my own personal philosophy of what kind of nurse I want to be with respect to communication and leadership in the every-changing environment that is healthcare. I expected and was prepared for a challenging curriculum, but didn't expect the extent of personal growth and development. 

What lead you to pursue training in this field?

Caroline:  I was surplussed after 20 years in my telecom job. One significant factor in selecting this field was the fact that I have a mortgage. I was specifically looking for a field that would pay well enough to support my financial situation. In addition, my parents were in the speech and hearing field, so medical environments feel familiar to me. I have always loved caring for and helping people. The LPN program at Green River was a perfect fit.

How has Workforce Education helped you towards completing your goals?

Caroline: Workforce Education helped me begin my journey, and now in my last quarter, they are helping me again! The department was instrumental in helping me navigate my way through the first quarter while figuring out how to apply for financial aid. They also provided step-by-step assistance in filling out the application for the Training Benefits program offered through the Employment Security Department. They guided me through filling out the application, provided advice, and I'm sure were instrumental in making the application process proceed smoothly. Workforce Education is helping me once again with tuition assistance to get me through the last quarter of my program!

You're nearing completion of the Practical Nursing program. Congrats! What are your future plans?

Caroline: My plans for the future are to take the NCLEX licensing exam as soon as I graduate, get licensed, and then start looking for work. I haven't decided on a specific field yet. There are so many different opportunities. A great thing about Green River's LPN program has been the numerous clinical assignments that not only have given me real life nursing experiences with patients, but also an opportunity to see different work environments and associated nursing tasks. I feel like the world is my oyster!

$$$ Tip! All four Workforce Education funding programs—BFET, Opportunity Grant, Worker Retraining, and WorkFirst—support Practical Nursing training at Green River. 

Machine Maintenance with Pat Pritchard

Today's post features a Q and A with Pat "The Machine Doctor" Pritchard. Pat's an instructor in Green River's exciting new Machine Maintenance program. A former Boeing employee, he brings a wealth of industry experience to the college, and has a number of insightful comments to share about the program and the maintenance field in general.

Pat Pritchard

Hi Pat. Thanks for joining us on the blog. To start, can you tell us the story of how you became an instructor at Green River?

Pat: I worked as a mechanic in various industries, ship building, oil refineries, and chemical plants before I ended up in Aerospace with Boeing. Boeing was a fascinating place to work because it offered such great opportunities to learn and grow. I took some personal computing classes at Green River which really changed my career because I was quickly put to work on a variety of computer based machinery. Since computers are a part of more and more machinery everyday, I was very busy. I found  that I enjoyed passing on what I learned to others, and that caused me to move around a lot at Boeing. I eventually ended up as a full-time maintenance instructor at Boeing. I heard that Green River was entering the Maintenance Training arena, so I came down to see what type of program they had in mind. Once I talked with them, we realized I might be the right person to help them build their program. I wasn't looking for a new job, but the idea of starting a brand new program really intrigued me. It has been really hard work but it has also been an awful lot of fun.

Can you provide an overview of the Machine Maintenance program?

Pat: Our classes supply the basic skills and knowledge that are needed to understand and maintain machinery. The best way to think about modern maintenance workers is to think of them as machinery doctors. Just like doctors, we spend part of the time practicing preventative maintenance, and part of the time responding to unexpected problems. Our training program is much like medical school since we start by studying what machines are made of. It is quite different than most other maintenance programs because we do not specialize in any specific type of machinery. We operate on the idea that all machines are devices that use various types of energy.

Can you describe your approach to teaching Machine Maintenance?

Pat: Our class starts with the idea that any machine is simply a device that controls and uses various forms of energy. From the simplest application of mechanical energy on the end of a lever, to the most advanced CNC machine tool, they all use various types of energy to perform work. We study the most commonly used types of energy in class: hydraulic, pneumatic, and electrical, for example. Once you understand the energy in a machine, there is not much you can't figure out.

In your opinion, what type of student will be successful in the Machine Maintenance program?

Pat: Curiosity is very important. If you want to know how things work and enjoy solving problems, you will do very well in maintenance. If you're looking for a job in which you do the same thing every day, maintenance is probably not the place for you. In the maintenance world, you are given a task and it is up to you to design the method to solve that problem. We use math often but mostly for proportions and ratios. Reading is an essential skill because you will need to learn new machines and technologies throughout your career. One thing I didn't realize until I started teaching is how much creativity is used in solving the multitude of problems that confronts maintenance workers every day.

Finally, why is the maintenance field a good career choice?

Pat: Most people don't realize that 5 to 10% of the technical workforce is in the maintenance field. People also don't realize it is one of the highest paid jobs in the workforce. When Washington State government leaders asked the Aerospace community how they could help keep work in the Puget Sound, one of the things the Aerospace Industry said was that what they really needed was trained maintenance workers. The Machine Maintenance program at Green River is a direct result of that industry-wide need.

$$$ Tip! Three Workforce Education funding programs support Machine Maintenance training at Green River, including BFET, Worker Retraining, and WorkFirst.

Shelan Aldridge / Neighborhood House

Please welcome to the blog esteemed community partner Shelan Alridge. Shelan is an Adult Education & Employment Manager at Neighborhood House, a non-profit organization in Washington State that has been fighting poverty and creating stronger communities since 1906.

Hi Shelan. Thanks for joining us on the blog. To start, can you give us an overview of your organization?

Shelan: Neighborhood House is a non-profit organization with a mission to help diverse communities of people with limited resources attain their goals for self-sufficiency, financial independence, health and community building. We offer everything from parent home visiting programs, to citizenship classes, to employment programs that help people find jobs.

Who is eligible to apply for services at Neighborhood House?

Shelan: The eligibility for different programs varies, but most services focus on individuals or families that have low or no income.

Are there any specific resources offered through Neighborhood House that you would like to spotlight at this time?

Shelan: Yes! Neighborhood House has employment services in South King County that I'd like to highlight. We're big into education and several of our employment programs support students in different ways while they are going to school / completing training. Some of our programs pay for GED testing fees, while others help connect students to community resources or jobs.

Oftentimes, we see students struggling to find jobs after they complete their training programs. Our skilled and dedicated employment specialists come alongside students to help them develop a targeted resume; train them how to highlight newly-learned skills in an interview; and assist with online job applications and job leads. We use a team approach and have a career developer who develops relationships with employers in their community. We often connect our job seekers to job openings with those employers and advocate on their behalf.

Employment specialists are also able to help students overcome other barriers they may be facing that make completing school or finding a job difficult. At times, it's a housing issue or eviction notice. Or it's the inability to get a job or get to school because of a transportation issue. Once the person qualifies and enrolls, some programs can offer limited support services, such as one time rental assistance, interview clothing, or a bus pass need for job search or vocational training.

If any of your students who are reading this are motivated to work and are interested in enrolling into one of our employment programs, feel free to send me an email. We're a community-based organization, so it doesn't cost anything to enroll. I'll be happy to connect them to one of our employment specialists who can do an assessment to see if they qualify.

Shelan Aldridge is an Adult Education & Employment Manager with Neighborhood House. She can be reached at shelana@nhwa.org. For more information about Neighborhood House, you can also visit nhwa.org.  

Master Achiever Center (MAC)

Cammie Ochoa, MAC Specialist

Today's blog post features a Q and A with Cammie Ochoa, Green River Community College's resident MAC Specialist. She'll be talking about services available through the college's Master Achiever Center.

Hi Cammie. Welcome to the blog. To start, can you give us a short overview of the Master Achiever Center?

Cammie: The Master Achiever Center strives to provide Basic Skills students with resources and academic advising in order to support them in reaching their educational and career goals.

What services does the MAC offer?

Cammie: A wide variety of services are offered in the MAC. We support students with identifying and defining their educational and / or career goals. In addition, we assist students in mapping out their specific certificate or degree courses and selecting classes to take each quarter. Another unique service we offer relates to finding an appropriate funding source to pay for school. This can be a very challenging task for many students, but we are here to help take students through each step and make sure they have funding in place. The MAC also offers a number of helpful workshops throughout the quarter, including the Tutoring and Resources Orientation, COMPASS Preparation Workshop, and the Scholarship Search Workshop.

Who is eligible to receive MAC services?

Cammie: The MAC serves students enrolled in Basic Skills. These are students taking ESOL, GED, ABE or I-BEST classes. Each quarter, we make presentations in these classes and invite students to make an appointment and utilize MAC services.

Are there any other highlights about the MAC that you would like to share?

The Master Achiever Center Team

Cammie: The MAC is a fairly new department on campus - we've only been open for just over a year! Developing the MAC from the ground up has allowed us to create processes and procedures which really take into consideration the needs of our Basic Skills students. We have been able to try things and make adjustments as needed depending on our results. It's an exciting time to work in the MAC! Recently, we added additional staff to support the MAC's expansion. We have a full-time AmeriCorps member to support our MAC Peer Mentoring Program and a part-time Advisor / Specialist to provide additional advising support at our Kent Campus. With these additions, we will be able to serve more Basic Skills students, providing them with guidance and support in reaching their educational and career goals.

Questions? You can reach Cammie by phone at 253-833-9111 ext. 2016, or by email at cochoa@greenriver.edu.

Career Planning Q and A

Josh Staffieri, M.S.

Here in Workforce Education, we meet lots of students who want to attend Green River, but don't know what they want to study. To make a career planning decision like this involves gathering information.

For example, students need to figure out if their strengths and interests align with a particular degree. They also need to know what kinds of jobs a given degree will prepare them for, and if those jobs pay livable wages. There are a lot of different career planning tools out there to help students find the answers they need. To talk about some of those career planning tools, please welcome Green River's resident Educational and Career Planning guru, Josh Staffieri.

Hi Josh. Welcome to the blog. Let's say we have a new student walk onto campus. She wants to train for a new occupation because her former job doesn't pay enough. She has never been to college, and doesn't know where to begin or how to go about deciding on what degree or certificate to pursue. Where's a good starting point for a student like this?

JOSH: The student has a number of options. First off, she could stop by the Career & Advising Center in LC 126 to schedule an appointment with a career planner, and to get information on a number of different career assessments that we offer here at the college (keep in mind, the folks in Workforce Education can sometimes pay for a student to take a professional career assessment).

I'd also encourage new students to review the list of GRCC's Professional Technical programs. Just like when you visit a restaurant, one has to order from the menu and the list of programs is GRCC's menu. And even if GRCC doesn't offer the type of program the student may be looking for, there are 33 other community colleges, many of which are in the area. For more information about programs at other schools, visit: CheckOutACollege.com.

What are some tools you can recommend to help students find wage information on jobs they are interested in training for?

JOSH: There are a number of great websites that provide labor market information (i.e. salary, employment outlook, educational requirements) and so choosing one is not easy. Here are a few we recommend to students:

• Washington Occupational Information System (WOIS). Gives access to relevant employment information. It's a password protected site but a college staff member can help you access it.

• O*NET Online. Provides detailed reports on different careers.

• MyNextMove.org. Offers quick data on wages, salaries, and related employment info.

• Careerbridge.wa.gov. Explores careers, views job trends, and helps locate educational programs throughout the state.

Are there any other career planning tools you would like to speak about?

JOSH: Aside from researching programs and jobs online, I always encourage students to first test drive their potential career. For example, before purchasing a vehicle, it's normally a good idea to test drive it. You want to ensure the vehicle works and if you're comfortable driving it. Jobs are no different! It might look like a good job (good pay, strong employment outlook) but how will you know if it's truly a good fit until you talk to someone doing the work (via information interview) or better yet, observe someone doing the work (via job shadow).

A simple way to find people performing the job you have an interest in is to ask your family and friends if they know anyone working in the type of job or related field. You would be surprised who others know that you don't. You can also enhance your networking circle through the world's largest professional social networking website, LinkedIn.com. It's free to join and gives you the opportunity to connect with literally millions of people online in a safe and professional manner.
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Career Development Tips From Johnny Bunko

Daniel Pink's Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need is a slim graphic novel (i.e. print comic book) on career development.  As opposed to a more conventional textbook approach to the subject, Pink uses the vehicle of story to highlight a variety of useful career development lessons.  This results in a fun, easy, informative read. 


Pink's novel focuses on Johnny Bunko, a young college grad in a dead-end job who's hungry for more.  He hates his job, his boss, and his all-around station in life.  Discouraged and in a rut, Johnny happens upon a magical sushi shop, where he orders takeout and grabs a handful of chopsticks.  He learns that every time he snaps a pair of these chopsticks in half, a spritely genie named Diana appears (she fills the role of career counselor in the story). 

With each magical appearance, Diana shares an important career development lesson with Johnny, allthewhile leading Johnny, step by step, on the path to a more rewarding career and a happier life.  Those principles include the following, along with quotations from Diana, the novel's career counseling genie:

Lesson 1:  There is no plan.

"You can't sit there at age 21 - or even 31 or 41 or 51 - and map it all out. You might think that X will lead to Y, and Y will lead to Z, but it never works that way. It's nice to believe that you can map out every step ahead of time and end up where you want. But that's a fantasy. The world changes. Ten years from now, your job might be in India. Your industry might not even exist. And you'll change, too."

Lesson 2:  Think strengths, not weaknesses.

"The key to success is to steer around your weaknesses and focus on your strengths. Successful people don't try too hard to improve what they're bad at. They capitalize on what they're good at. What do you do consistently well? What gives you energy rather than drains it? What sorts of activities create flow for you?"

Lesson 3:  It's not about you.

"It's about your customer. It's about your client. Use your strengths, yes, but remember you're here to serve - not to self-actualize. The most successful people don't focus on improving their own lives but improving others' lives. They help their customer solve its problem. They give their client something it didn't know it was missing. That's where they focus their energy, talent, and brainpower. So pull your head out of your...ego."

Lesson 4:  Persistence trumps talent.

"There are massive returns to doggedness. The people who achieve the most are often the ones who stick with it when others don't. [Persistence] builds upon itself. A little bit improves performance, which encourages greater persistence, which improves performance even more. And on and on it goes."

Lesson 5:  Make excellent mistakes.

"Too many people spend their time avoiding mistakes. They're so concerned about being wrong, about messing up, that they never try anything - which means they never do anything. Their focus is avoiding failure. But that's actually a crummy way to achieve success. The most successful people make spectacular mistakes. Why? They're trying to do something big. But each time they make a mistake, they get a little better and move a little closer to excellence."

Lesson 6:  Leave an imprint.

"Think about your purpose, recognize that your life isn't infinite, and that you should use your limited time here to do something that matters. The other five lessons are crucial. But truly successful people deploy them in the service of something larger than themselves. They leave their companies, their communities, their families a little better than before."

Make Career Development Pay

In turbulent economic times like these, attending a community or technical college to update a skill set or retrain for a new occupation is a logical course of action to pursue.  But the decision to go to school, according to a recent New York Times article by Tara Siegel Bernard, needs to be treated like any other investment decision. You need to weigh the potential returns and closely manage the costs.

When considering an "investment" in education and especially before enrolling in a training program, Bernard argues that you should ask the same sorts of questions that a portfolio manager might ask when analyzing a stock investment, including: 

• Am I earning a reputable credential, degree, or certificate?
• Is the cost of earning that credential feasable?
• How can I minimize my expenses?
• What is demand like in the field I'm retraining for?
• What are my earnings potential?

As Bernard goes on to observe in her article, the more radical the shift in careers you contemplate, the more research you should do in answering these questions.  This is an obvious but important point to make. She therefore proceeds to offer the following tips for those who are considering a change in careers.

Research Career Options.  Bernard recommends O*NET OnLine, which is a website maintained by the Department Of Labor and which allows users to research employment opportunities and salary information for different professions.  Washington State residents can also cross-reference O*NET findings with www.wilma/org/wdclists, which is a website that allows users to reseach employment and salary information on jobs across the state.

Seek Employer Aid. If you have a job, writes Bernard, ask your employer about available tuition-assistance programs.

Ask For Government Help.  Bernard correctly points out that people collecting Unemployment Insurance may be eligible to collect benefits while going to school and even to receive additional benefits after their regular unemployment claim has run out. This is true in Washington State.  The Employment Sercurities Department offers the Training Benefits Program to unemployed workers who are in need of retraining. For more information, check out our ealier blog post entitled "Let's Talk Training Benefits."

Apply For Grants.  A no-brainer.  Before you borrow money, cautions Bernard, search for grants and scholarships to help you pay for school ("grant" = gift aid = money you don't have to pay back).  For potential Green River students interested in job (re)training, significant funding streams may include Worker Retraining, Opportunity Grant, Basic Food Employment & Training, WorkFirst, Federal Financial Aid, GRCC Foundation Scholarships, Workforce Investment Act Funding, WAVE scholarships, as well as scholarships advertised on http://www.thewashboard.org/.  

Investigate Tax Breaks.  Bernard also highlights the fact that the Lifetime Learning Credit, which is geared for continuing education, can be used for an unlimited number of years and for a wide range of schooling.

Take A Career Assessment

Clients who visit the Workforce Education Office to apply for funding know they're in need of retraining, but not all of them are always sure what occupation they want to retrain for.  If that sounds like you, know that Green River provides a variety of tools that can help you select an occupation / career that fits your needs, interests, and strengths. 

Specifically, Green River offers three different professional career assessments to aid students in their search for fulfilling future careers.  These assessments include the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the Strong Interest Inventory (SII), and StrengthsQuest. 

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator can help you determine what type of career would fit your personality.  According to greenriver.edu, the MBTI has been used for more than 50 years and is the most trusted personality tool available today.  In a nutshell it helps you:

• Identify careers that might fit and satisfy you
• Improve individual and team performance
• Develop your leadership style
• Idenitfy your personality type

The Strong Interest Inventory can help you determine which occupation most closely aligns with your interests. According to greenriver.edu, the SII has been used for nearly 80 years to guide students in their search for a rich and fulfilling line of work.  This assessment helps you:

• Pinpoint the most satisfying career choice for you
• Measure your interest in 6 general occupational themes
• Find your fit in relation to 122 diverse occupations

Last of all, StrengthsQuest can help you determine what you do better than the next 1,000 people.  In other words, this particular assessment helps students identify, and thus play off of, their strengths. It is an innovate online assessment that looks at how you naturally think, relate with people, and influence those around you.  With StrengthsQuest, you can:

• Discover and develop your 5 greatest strengths
• Use your strengths to improve your grades and increase learning
• Strategically determine a rewarding career path
• Focus on your strengths rathen than on your weaknesses

Deciding on a career is an important, life-altering choice.  Don't just follow your gut.  Make an informed choice.  Analyzing your local job market, talking to career advisors and faculty members at the college, and engaging in a bit of self-exploration with the aid of professional career assessments, can help you achieve focus and direction.  And if you have focus and direction, chances are you'll be more successfull as a student. 

In sum, if you're in need of retraining but are uncertain of what occupation to retrain for, taking one or a mix of these assessments might help steer you in the right direction.  All three assessments can be purchased and taken at the Zgolinski Welcome Center.  Green River charges students $20 per assessment and non-students $40 per assessment.

Can't afford to purchase an assessment?  Visit the Workforce Education Office in SMT 229 to receive a waiver to take the Strong Interest Inventory at no cost.  Just ask the front desk assistant for a free career assessment.