Published

Job Corps: A Journey that Leads to a Better Place

Since 1981, MTC has had the privilege of watching tens of thousands of young men and women improve their lives through Job Corps. But don’t take it from us. Click above to listen to students who explain how Job Corps has made such a difference in their lives.

‘I have a son. He’s three. So, I dropped out of high school, and it’s been hard to put myself back in school, but Job Corps works, it’s flexible. You can live off campus or on campus.”

 

 

 

“Before I came to Job Corps, I felt as though I was just a number, just anybody walking on the street. It’s hard to get an opportunity when you just blend in.”

 

 

 

“I wanted to be able to be skillful in something. I didn’t think I had the skills in a specific career, and I felt office administration, the trade that I’m in, is one of the best things that I’ve done for myself.”

 

 

 

“My mom is looking at me like, ‘what are you going to do next?’ And then I found out about Job Corps. And I was hesitant at first because I didn’t know I could sacrifice all this time, but once you get here and you really get invested in the program, and you get into your trade, and you up your TABE [Test of Adult Basic Education] scores, it makes you feel worth it. Like it makes you feel like you’re good enough to be here.”

 

 

“Job Corps is a good vehicle for young people to enter into if they’re unfortunate on the outside world or if they’re not applying themselves correctly.”

 

 

 

“I really never tried back in school. I never really cared about school, but Job Corps has proven that you can get somewhere if you put your mind to your education. Education is key. There’s a lot of success stories here.”

“I grew up surrounded by people who kind of made me feel like I wasn’t worth much of anything. But Job Corps is a huge time investment. It’s a huge energy investment. I’ve essentially had to put my entire life on hold to be here. And I’m worth it because I’ve come here to work to establish myself as worth it.”

 

 

“It was a good decision for me to come to Job Corps because before I came here I was very introverted, shy and wasn’t really social, couldn’t get along with people. When I came here, Job Corps gave me the skills and communication that I needed to get past all that.”

 

 

“I want to stand out, and I want to show that even though you come from a broken place, you can better yourself and make life easier.”

 

 

 

“Before I came here, I was lost. I didn’t really know what to do in my life. I was fresh out of high school, didn’t have the grades to get into college. It was hard.”

“You know when I was back at home, I really didn’t think that I was going to be able to do much or be much. But coming here, they really opened a lot of doors for me and my future, and I can see that.”

 

 

 

“I don’t want to become another statistic. And I want to be better than what my parents were and just to be better for myself and my future family.”

 

 

 

“I want to help people in the medical field—save a life or two if I can—and a lot of people, they need some guidance. And if this is going to get me to that place, I need it. I’m worth it.”