For Andrew, the BEST project has helped to solidify a career plan in electronics manufacturing. Specifically, he was given the opportunity to pursue training in soldering and put it to immediate use through temporary positions. With support from peer counselors and his own perseverance, Andrew is determined to secure a permanent position in electronics. The job search does not come without challenges, but given the obstacles that could have slowed his progress during his training, Andrew is confident that he has the skills to address personal issues while keeping his focus on meeting his career goals.
Training: Andrew described a very positive training experience he received through Soldering.biz (http://www.soldering.biz/), which is under the umbrella of the College of Electronics Manufacturing. He very much appreciated the instructors' teaching styles, The CEO of the program also serves as an instructor and Andrew appreciated his manner of being a bit of a meanie but in a nice, instructive way. His tough love approach was very helpful to Andrew because he used his humor to help students like Andrew relax but then narrow in on the electronic board and say 'that doesn't look right', in a disarming way. Andrew described two other instructors at the training program very positively, indicating that they had a casual but direct way of giving feedback and moral support when students might get discouraged. As as result of this training and support, Andrew has earned 5 soldering certificates.
Accommodations: Due to a vision impairment, Andrew needed some accommodations to successfully learn soldering skills. At the training site, the instructors provided him with a large digital magnifier so that he could more clearly see what he was soldering. Andrew was very appreciative of this specific accommodation but also said he appreciated that students were allowed to come back to the program, even after they graduated, to practice their skills as they were interviewing for jobs.
Peer counselor services: Andrew described the peer counselors as mentors who support you. "They help you come up with the right decisions of something if you're having troubles. Or they help you make important decisions about certain goals. And they help you figure things out about yourself". Andrew was also grateful for the job lead his peer counselor found, because although it was a temporary position, it was a job that exactly matched his training.
Challenges: There are a few outstanding challenges that Andrew has had to deal with while pursuing his soldering career. First, throughout the training, he has moved several times, and some living experiences, such as the place he was living in with 7 roommates, while training at Soldering.biz, were not very conducive to training and studying. Still, with support from his peer counselor and his instructors, Andrew spent as much time as possible studying at the training site. Another challenge was that soon after Andrew started his new temporary job at a place called Sigma Design, doing soldering and cable harness assembly, the company moved. He was able to stay with them through the move but soon afterwards was laid off. Finally, Andrew feels that despite his training, the doors to employment are not always open to him. "Unfortunately the doors that I have to open are full of bigotry. Because I have a visual impairment, there are people who are ignorant and unwilling to actually employ me".
Perseverance: Andrew is clearly motivated to use his training, despite the obstacles he sees. "I'm still trying to find a job at this point; Clearview's helping me with that. I am taking a lot of things in my own hands as well. But they're still being a tremendous help. As for his living situation, Andrew says that he is now in an apartment of his own and although he is going to have to get a roommate to share costs, 'because it's my place, my place, I'm not going to be a rude dictator and there's going to be no confrontations. The first confrontation, they're out of there, because I'm not dealing with that in my house. My house is a peaceful, happy, energetic house. Finally, regarding the discrimination he feels regarding his vision, he has decided to wait until he has a face-to-face interview to disclose his disability.