Goodwill Program: Freedom Drive Job Connection and Basic PC Skills Training

“Goodwill boosted my self esteem. Before, I was depressed. I feel like a million dollars now.”

When Jerome moved to Charlotte from Buffalo in 2007, he had hit roadblock after roadblock finding employment - mostly because he lacked computer skills.

Unemployed and depressed, Jerome was left little choice but to move in with his son.

“I considered myself homeless because I didn’t have my own home,” Jerome, 58, recalls. “All I had was my car and my clothes. That was the low point for me. A man’s identity is connected to his job. You feel worthless and inadequate. I was always used to having a job.”

Enter Goodwill and Jerome will tell you the “unbelievable” turnaround in his life.

Today, Jerome is employed, lives in his own place, has a savings account and has aspirations to grow his career.

“Goodwill gave me a sense of hope. The counselor gave me that push I needed. She showed me how to write a resume,” says Jerome, who received career counseling and Basic PC Skills Training through Goodwill’s Freedom Drive Job Connection.  He says he found Goodwill through the Centralina Area Agency on Aging.

“My Goodwill counselor gave me the confidence for the interview and the class gave me the confidence on the computer.”

Jerome had extensive work experience in shipping and receiving as well as in the food service and security industries before coming to Charlotte. While he always made a living, his computer skills fell behind over the years working those jobs.

“Without having computer knowledge, it’s hard to get a job.  That was my big roadblock,” Jerome says. “At Goodwill, they showed me how to go on the internet. That helped me out tremendously. A little while after that, I showed someone my resume and they hired me.”

Jerome has been at Homewood Suites in Davidson ever since as a cook, and hopes to move into management one day, which he says would “be incredible.”

“Goodwill boosted my self esteem. Before, I was depressed. I feel like a million dollars now,” Jerome adds. “People say I look younger too.”