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 Many moms today need to re-enter the workforce full-time or part-time to help their families make ends meet. Considering today’s workforce and advancements in technology, many who left jobs and careers years ago to stay home with the kids are realizing that their job skills are outdated or inadequate. Or they want to switch careers or work from home. Where to start? It’s never too late to go back to school or enroll in a job-training course. This does not necessarily mean attending college full time. Many part- and full-time jobs – like working in an office or childcare center, or working from home as a freelance Web designer or running a small home-based business – require computer skills and other specialized training that can be found in many places. Here’s a great place to start when considering career options or job training programs: Check out the course offerings at your local community college, university extension program or specialized private college. Community colleges and university extension programs offer many career-oriented courses, most of which require two years or fewer of classes to master a new skill, update old skills or earn a certification or associate’s degree. Plenty of online classes are available for moms who want to study at their own pace from home. Irvine Valley College, for example, offers 36 career certificate programs designed for completion in two years or fewer. Of those, 19 can be completed in less than a year. Students can study accounting, paralegal, Web design, child development, management, fitness, computer science and much more. If you enroll at a community college today, it’s highly unlikely you’ll be the only adult or mom in a class with a bunch of 18-year-olds fresh out of high school. Kate Alder, Irvine Valley College’s acting career technical education grant project director, says the faculty members there have commented recently on how the student population has changed in the past several years. Returning adults are no longer considered “the non-traditional student,” Alder says. Many are older returning students who lost a job and are seeking a new job or people who already have a bachelor’s degree and enrolled again to learn a different job or skill set, Alder says. These students have found that their old liberal arts degrees didn’t lead to jobs, and even candidates for engineering jobs need to update their software knowledge, she adds. Alder offers some words of encouragement for adults returning to community college: “Don’t be afraid to go into the classroom. They’re not going to all be 18-year-olds. There’s lots of support there for you, and you won’t be the only 30-something or 50-something in the class. “One of the big values of community colleges is they tend to be smaller and they are more focused on the needs of their local area. That creates a stronger relation between the students and faculty members,” adds Alder. California’s community colleges are well known for their focus on vocational training programs. California has 112 community colleges, and many have off-campus centers or satellite campuses. They serve more than 1.6 million students every year, according to the California Postsecondary Education Commission. There are eight main community college campuses in Orange County and seven in the Inland Empire, plus their satellite campuses, according to the commission. At Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, students can study business administration, paralegal and graphic design, among other fields. Orange Coast College offers a great class, “Starting Your Own Business,” for small-time entrepreneurs seeking to start a consulting practice or home-based business. This class also teaches students how to buy and sell things on eBay – something any mom with a computer can do at home on her own time to earn some income each month. Four-year universities are another option. Want to learn medical transcribing or accounting for governmental or non-profit organizations? How about turning your better-than-average photography skills into a small business? The University of California, Riverside, Extension offers classes in those subjects, as well as in education, engineering, and healthcare and wellness. Want to start a small wine-service business, acquire a new skill for your restaurant, resort or hotel job, or work at a winery? Check out UC Irvine Extension’s new three-week course, “Wine Service Techniques For Food and Beverage Professionals.” Together, UCI and UCR Extension offer thousands of courses and programs on their respective campuses, as well as online, to help adults advance their careers and achieve personal goals. UCI Extension alone offers more than 3,500 university-level professional and personal enrichment courses, including 55 certificate programs and specialized programs each year in subjects from financial planning to human resources management. Most courses are held online or in evenings and weekends on the campuses and run for 10 weeks. Adults can earn a certificate in a non-degree program that provides specialized knowledge. A certificate from UC Extension shows prospective employers that you have completed a program of study in a particular field while meeting the university’s high academic standards. “There’s a lot of flexibility that comes from taking extension courses,” says UCI Extension spokesman Scott Rutherford. “You can select from a broad area. Our classes tend to be focused on skills to enter the workforce. More than half of our courses are available entirely online, on a quarter schedule from whatever location or hours that are convenient.” Another option for moms who have already zeroed in on a specific job and need specialized training is to search the Internet for a private or public vocational school in that field. For instance, to learn medical assisting, medical transcription or paralegal or court jobs, check out a private school like South Coast College, in the city of Orange. Look for schools that are accredited (South Coast College is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools and is approved by the National Court Reporters Association.) Want to work as a professional chef or start a home-based catering business? Consider enrolling in the award-winning Culinary Academy at Riverside Community College in Riverside (This academy is so popular that about 200 people apply each semester but only 35 can be accepted at random). If you need to refresh your computer skills to seek an office or administrative job, check your public library. Many libraries offer free or low-cost computer classes on using the Internet; using Microsoft Office programs like Word, PowerPoint and Excel; and using databases for research. Also consider an employment agency for job-placement and training help. Some of these agencies offer free online computer-training classes for clients, as well as resumé preparation, interview coaching, skill evaluations and other services. Finally, visit the website of the Orange County Office of Education (ocde.us) to look up fee-based classes for adults in Orange County. Course offerings include graphic design and medical office work. In the Inland Empire, the Riverside County Office of Education (rcoe.k12.ca.us) operates the School of Career Education for adults. Courses include dental and medical assisting; emergency medical technician; pharmacy technician; nurse assistant; childcare and more. ≈ ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ≈
1. Orange County One-Stop Centers The Orange County One-Stop Centers provide employment and training services, plus access to computers, fax machines, copiers and phones. Other services include a resumé-distribution program; a career resource library; networking opportunities; job search workshops; on-site interviews with local employers; job leads; and training programs. The centers serve laid-off job seekers, people who are self-employed and displaced homemakers who may qualify for help under the federal Workforce Investment Act. O.C. centers are located in Anaheim, Buena Park, Westminster, Irvine and Santa Ana. oconestop.com 2. Orange County Workforce Investment Board ocwib.org 3. UC Irvine Extension extension.uci.edu 4. To find a local community college, visit the California Community Colleges System Office website. cccco.edu |
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