At the end of her placement in the childcare, Nadine decided that she may not be the right person to work in a childcare setting. She enjoyed the children one–on–one but admitted that her extreme shyness made it difficult to fit in with the staff and the children as a group. She had enjoyed being the cashier in the coffee shop and decided to focus on this in her job search. She eventually found a job at a discount store and was employed part–time for nearly six months. She unfortunately lost her job, although the reason was unclear. She said she thought she was laid off because she wasn't able to use the computer database to track inventory, and she also said she was let go because the staff was downsized in the winter months. She did move out of her sister's home and into a one–bedroom subsidized apartment. She returned to the general literacy program and her goal is to find another part–time job in retail.

It took Rouda nearly one year to finally secure steady part–time work in a childcare. Initially, Rouda wanted full–time employment, but this would have meant that she would begin to see decreases in her welfare payments, and could even lose her subsidized home. Part–time work is an ideal situation because it will allow Rouda to supplement her social assistance benefits without jeopardizing any of the subsidies she receives for her and her six children. In addition, she works only during the school year and shares all school holidays with her children.