The Journey of Employment
- 10 minutes ago
- 3 min read
What is a journey? With major blockbuster films and novels capturing the imagination of consumers everyday who doesn't enjoy a good story? Stories are what civilizations are built upon. What makes the characters relatable is how the character overcomes their obstacles. A favorite author of mine, C.S. Lewis once wrote, “Since it is so likely that they will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage.” The hero’s journey through unknown paths creates anticipation for what the reader/viewer will navigate alongside the main character. This “journey” is highly relatable as people who go through life overcoming their own obstacles, facing their own dragons, and arriving on the mountaintop overlooking the valleys it took to arrive at their destination.
I have seen the journeys that people we serve take as they progress in employment services. With diverse backgrounds, experiences, dreams, and desires, they begin by going through Job Readiness Training to prepare for the adventure ahead. The feelings they experience vary from excitement and anticipation to nervousness and even fearfulness. They are stepping out to see what the world has to offer them, but with the STAR Center they are not stepping out alone. People we serve discover that they themselves have skills and abilities to accomplish great tasks and can later realize they were writing their own stories all along. Through the valleys of anticipation, they work to identify job opportunities that may or may not develop into their career placements. We work together to journey out, to knock on doors to see if something will develop, interview, and eventually arrive at the place of employment. There they face high levels of "what ifs" and "maybe so's." People want to know they belong, that there is a chance for them to prove themselves and to have something to offer back to society. Sometimes those interviews, even if they do not result in being hired, increase their confidence in future interviews and in their own abilities. There have been times where at first what came as a "no" became a "yes" later. The experience of success is not solely an indicator of personal value, but many times as human we cannot help but connect acceptance or rejection to if we see positive results in the moment. Employment services provide more than finding work; we labor to assist individuals to reflect and see the strengths they already carry, even if they are not yet aware of it in themselves.
When the "yes" comes, we celebrate the journey. We recognize and applaud their courage to stay motivated. However, this is not the end of that journey but the beginning. Everything leading up to employment was the prologue. Once they have entered into the workplace, they now have the chance to create meaning for themselves, relationships within the new workspace, and continue to write their stories into a bright future. Once someone has been hired, the Employment Department walks alongside individuals to overcome barriers that may or may not arise. We do not simply disappear when the hiring happens. For ninety days the employment specialist communicates to inquire if any assistive technology is needed in maintaining success or if something happens in the person's life whether personal or work related that would impact their ability to maintain their jobs. The personal peace that people know that they have the backing and support from the STAR Center lets them know they are not alone in facing the challenge. This is what it means for the motto the organization holds in "crushing the no."
