Jeanette Lowdon had lived and traveled throughout Africa and Europe for 27 years. After her last entrepreneurial venture—a jewelry-design business in Morocco—she returned to the States, where her sales savvy quickly gained her a Sales Agent position with a San Diego garden Nursery.
She was showing up for work every day, but her heart wasn’t in it. Actually, Jeanette had decided on a career as an Occupational Therapist Assistant (OTA). To prepare, she began taking courses in Anatomy, Human Development, and other pre-requisites for the California Medical College’s (CMC) OTA Program—which had a 2-year waiting list!
Also, Jeanette enrolled with the San Diego Metro Region/American Job Center, KRA-operated for the San Diego Workforce Partnership, where Career Agent Tina Nichols suggested she volunteer with a medical facility to gain “field” experience.
While Jeanette was volunteering at Alvarado Hospital, Tina processed the paperwork for her to enroll in a WIA-supported, CMC Insurance and Coding Specialist Program. Within 2 weeks of matriculating, Alvarado offered Jeannette a part-time position in the Telemedicine Department!
Tina concluded, “Jeanette’s doing great! Attending CMC and working at Alvarado are definitely expanding her industry knowledge—and her resume. She’s still intent on OTA training, and is ‘delighted” to be well on the path to her career objective.”