One Woman's Story

Providing the Key(board) to a New Career

By: Shuly X. Cawood, Director of Communications and Career Development

A stay-at-home mom for 10 years, Jane* decided to re-join the workforce. Only one thing stood in her way - a lack of computer skills.

"I was home raising children for ten years, and decided to re-enter the workforce once they were older and more independent," Jane explains.

"I was intimidated to go into a classroom situation at first," she recalls. That's why she came to The Women's Center. "I was looking for a nurturing environment in which to acquire some computer skills."

The Women's Center offers one-on-one computer skills training utilizing volunteer tutors. It's an ideal situation for women who want individual, tailored instruction and/or a flexible training schedule. Last year, more than 350 women took advantage of the Women's Center's career services, called New Choices . . . Strategies for Success, which includes career counseling, career workshops, computer tutoring, job openings information and educational scholarships.

"My volunteer tutor immediately put me at ease," Jane continues. "She created an environment that was supportive and encouraging and then proceeded to teach me and challenge me."

Jane met weekly with her tutor over several months until she had mastered the basic skills she wanted to develop. "I absorbed and retained so much information because she had me in front of the computer doing everything right from the beginning," Jane explains. "It was certainly an active learning environment."

Gaining the skills she needed not only made her more technically marketable, but it boosted her self-esteem. "I acquired computer skills that are absolutely necessary in today's world," she says. "That in turn built my confidence and gave me the foundation that I needed to go from there."

Ready for more formal instruction, Jane enrolled in classes at Durham Technical Community College. She built a resume, applied for jobs on-line, and she's even going to take the GRE, which is now administered on the computer.

"There is no way to place a value on what took place over those 10 weeks," Jane says. "So many doors have been opened because of this program. Through it I have gained a world full of opportunity and possibility. I really consider the tutoring program a turning point in my life. I will always be grateful to my volunteer tutor and The Women's Center for that."

***

Computer tutoring is just one of the Women's Center's services that help clients succeed. Others are: financial counseling, legal information, career counseling, information and referral, an adolescent empowerment program, and a wide range of workshops and support groups. For more information on services and programs sponsored by the Women's Center, please call 919.968.4610 or visit http://www.womenspace.org/.

*Name has been changed to protect client's identity.

To make a donation to The Women's Center or to learn about becoming a member, please click here.

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The Women's Center, P.O. Box 1057, 210 Henderson Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27515
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