I first heard the name Job Corps when I was attending an accelerated learning high School diploma program at some school I don't even remember the name of in Detroit. I was 16. One of the teachers was attempting to scare us straight by telling us what failures we were and how this was our last chance in life. One girl took exception to that and said something along the lines of if this doesn't work I could go to Job Corps. That comment earned a few snickers, I was left dumbfounded as usual but it soon left my mind.
A few months or so after going nowhere in life my at the time brother's girlfriend suggested that we enroll in Job Corps because neither of us had ever had a job nor did we have a High School Diploma. I had become discouraged at the school I was attending. After all I was an honor roll student at my previous school that I had left to enroll in this program. Here I was nothing, as grades didn't matter for some strange reason and the only way you can find out how many credits you needed before you obtained your diploma was tracking down our school counselor who was never anywhere to be found and If you were lucky enough to meet him he told told you to come back later. She herself had graduated from the DJCC in the mid nineties. I did more researched Job Corps and everything seemed to good to be true. Free room and board, free education, free clothes, a bi weekly stipend, $1200 after you graduated and help with school, career or military placement?! No way could this be true. It is. With conditions of course. more on those conditions later.
After researching Job Corps I called the admissions number located on their website. I gave them my information for a pre qualifying mini screening which consists of them asking you your age, location, and citizenship status. I told that an admission counselor would contact me in x amount of days. I can't remember how soon I was contacted after this but some weeks later my brother and I were touring in a group session with a counselor at a local Michigan Works. We took home some generic information that you can find on their website and were told we'd have a one on one interview with a counselor at a later date. My brother ended up not being interested in going anymore after learning he would have to live on center and could not be with his then girlfriend now ex-wife until the weekends. I myself had nothing holding me back. I ended up touring the detroit Center, got an entrance date and was on my way to a having a new lease on life. It wasn't all sunshine and naked babies with wings though. More on why later.
Unfortunately this all happened so long ago I don't remember the time frames or the details which is why I'm creating this blog. I'm going to document every step of the way! Along the way I'll share what I can remember from my time at the DJCC for comparison. My next post will be on what I remember about my first night at the DJCC, why I'm making this blog and something very surprising (or not) that will effect how soon I will be able to enroll into the Flint Job Corps Center!
