Della who has met her initial goal of being a successful travel agent is pleased with her success but continues planning for her future:

I have changed in a positive way. Instead of living in an apartment, I live in a house now. As far as my job is concerned, I moved up in seniority. Sales are wonderful. I’m still one of the top selling agents at my job…Funding. That’s the biggest thing. Finances. I plan to open my own travel agency, but it takes about $200,000 to do it correct. You can start off with maybe $50,000-$75,000; but if I want to do it the way I want to do it, it would take about $200,000 to successfully open it.

Like Della, most participants came to adult education classes with dreams for themselves and their families. ABLE programs helped them to turn their dreams into goals and taught them how to approach those goals one step at a time. Of the 18 participants who cast off the bonds of assistance, 14 engaged in college or advanced training courses, and four including Gina completed college degrees. Furthermore, 12 of the 18 chose employment in the “helping” professions or “service” areas. In this cohort we find:

• Five teachers/teacher aides;

• A nurse’s aide, a radiological technologist and a physician

• Two career counselors and

• A community center administrator

Intentional Change

In life, we either choose change or it is thrust upon us. Unanticipated changes such as the death of a spouse, divorce, immigration, accidents, plant closings and layoffs often create an economic vacuum that needs to be filled by education and a subsequent change in employment. While one third of the participants were moved from stasis by unanticipated alterations in their lives, two thirds of the study’s participants appraised their lives and opted for intentional change. This commitment acted as a catalyst that shaped their future education and employment, family and community relationships.

Many who chose intentional change were proud people like Gina who would no longer accept being dependent on welfare. They were strong individuals like Kathleen who “kicked” drug and alcohol habits and needed to “move on.” They were lifelong learners like Yvonne who, after sending five children through college, believed her turn had come. They were reliable workers like Peter who felt educationally inadequate in responsible positions. In nearly all instances, the actions they took to alter their lives paid off in more than just employment benefits.

In 1988, Peter was a high school graduate holding a responsible job with the city water department. Nevertheless, he knew his reading skills were deficient. He couldn’t help his children with their homework and he was concerned about written tests required by his employer. Peter had a 2nd grade reading level when he began literacy tutoring. Four years later his skills were at 12th grade level and he easily passed a commercial truck driving test and another exam that tested his knowledge of chemicals used on the job. Peter explains how his personal confidence and job responsibilities have changed:

I still work at the same job I had in 1995 but with the building of my confidence, in some of my jobs at work and the tasks that I have, the bosses have given me more opportunities to show a leadership role. One of the positions is a crew leader in the job. On occasions when the superintendent or foreman are away on vacation, I would be filling in doing their tasks; so I think with my self-esteem and being able to do the tasks, they have given me these responsibilities.