Readers share their retraining stories

In our story on government retraining programs, we asked readers to submit their stories. Here are some of the many replies we received.

I went through a WIA-funded retraining program about three years ago, to build on my existing IT skills. I held a part-time job with the city's IS department, then got fortunate enough to land an extremely well-paying job doing technical support for a software company. I would have found work without the WIA program, but I wouldn't be in the field I'm in now, or making what I am now.
Jeff Wainright
Columbia, Mo.

In the fall of 2004 I lost my job of 20 years. The representatives of the state (WV) office of WIA held a seminar at my former place of employment lauding the benefits of retraining. I discussed it with my husband and was able to quickly get into a program. Six months later, I was still wrangling with the local WIA office over funding — I was never told that the program was out of money until the next fiscal year. I decided to take out loans to continue my education. Finally, in the eighth month of an 11-month program, did the local office admit to me that no funds would be made available until the next fiscal year … and I was told that since I'd already arranged for loans that no money would be available for me. Did the retraining help me get other work? … I quickly came to realize that I'd basically spent $9,000 of my own money for no reason. I am working now in one of our local hospitals still not using any of the skills I gained during retraining. The WIA program is very unorganized and depending on what kind of work you have been displaced from (if you are not a coal miner or a steelworker in the state of West Virginia than you don't matter) factors into how you are treated and what kind of help you are able to receive.
No Name
Martins Ferry, Ohio

I have been through three job retraining programs, one conducted by the State of California. All of these programs did produce hires. But the successes in these programs have been temporary at best. The first was in Construction Estimating. California did have a boom in construction before 2000. But after Y2K, the boom fizzled. I have not had employment in that field since. The second was in Real Estate Mortgage. I arrived just in time for the refi bust of 2003. The third was a State-run program in Loan Processing. I did land a job in the field after 6 months. But after the subprime debacle, firms are still shutting down and I'm doing no better than per diem work on a contract basis. From what I see, I know of no government retraining or anyone's retraining program that anticipates market growth, except possibly in solar and wind. But even these go to those who have engineering degrees. In short, if a degree program is out of reach for you, heaven help you. Nobody else will.
Lynnea Urania Stuart
Santa Ana, Calif.

I went through a training program at Carthage College to become a paralegal. There were promises made by the staff involved with that program (although on the record I am sure they would deny such claims were ever made) that their program not only provided the skills and job leads necessary to successfully transition into this career track, but that employers actively sought out graduates of this program. This proved false. This "in demand credential" I had earned meant only that I now owned a rather expensive piece of paper. It failed to deliver on the promise of "marketable skills/necessary experience" that potential employers were seeking. And, as a graduate of this program, the Career Center does not like dealing with me anymore, as I tend to be "rude" with them. I admit I do get short with them from time to time, but it is because the cost of this program was expensive (over $4,000) and it has not helped me get into a new, better-paying job. Let's face it, the cost of the program has to be repaid, I'm barely getting by and there remain the other bills (utility, mortgage, etc.). I do not seem to matter much as a "customer" anymore since the check from Sallie Mae cleared. So, my take on this program — it turned out to be both a waste of my time and money.
Karen W.
Racine, Wisc.

I was unemployed for much of 2007. Shortly after midyear I made the decision to go back to school on my own and to more effectively utilize State of Georgia work force assistance with networking, resume rewrite, job listings, etc. I dipped into my 401k to pay for going back to both Georgia Tech and Southern Poly Tech for Quality and Safety Engineering coursework. I then interviewed with several companies over an approximate one month timeframe, but no bites. So with the help of State of Georgia Counselors, I refocused on my resume and how it read. They completely rewrote the thing for me, I put it on the carrier sites like Monster, replacing the one I already had up, and within a matter of weeks the phone was ringing and by November I identified the employer I still have approx two years later here in the Dallas Texas Metroplex. The message here is that you must utilize state counseling whether you think you need it or not. They are very skilled and in most cases genuinely interested in helping you get back to work. I don’t know if every state has the commitment to helping the unemployed like Georgia does, but think about it, you paid for those services when you had a job. Good luck to all with that hill to climb.
Richard Bush
Atlanta

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