By: Richard E. Alvarez
June 1, 2016
Let me take this moment to explain my absence from the blogosphere. I have been heavily involved in the daily operations of New Life Landscaping, which seeks to bring those with barriers to employment together with training and employment in the landscaping industry. It has taken much of my time this Spring, and I have been neglecting Comprehensive Reentry, Inc. With that understanding, I'd like to make an announcement.
We have successfully sold our landscaping company to a mission employee. This brings both great joy and some sadness, because we were successful in helping this young man realize his dream of owning his own business, but it has resulted in my exit from the landscaping business, at least temporarily. The other big news is that I will be relocating to the Tampa, Florida area. Therefore, Comprehensive Reentry will no longer focus on the Cleveland, Ohio reentry scene and it will continue to be temporarily neglected as I set up in my new home.
With some help, Comprehensive Reentry will have a new look when it is re-launched, and it will likely have an expanded purpose. I have been, and will continue, to work with a Cleveland State University professor and graduate student on a study to examine the feasibility of placing computer coding boot camps in the prison system. The study, if successful, will lead to the development of a curriculum that can be used around the country. The reason for this is that in my experience in the reentry world, I have found that manual labor positions seem to have lower obstacles to employment than white collar positions. While Comprehensive Reentry will continue to post opportunities for employment in the Tampa area when we are back open for business, it will focus on high tech jobs and training for careers that are in high demand and may not have the high barriers that most white collar positions currently have.
It is my recommendation for returning citizens that, if they possess the physical ability, they should seek employment and training in the construction trades, machining trades, landscaping, and the restaurant industry. It is my experience that these positions are so hungry for skilled labor that they are willing to overlook past mistakes as long as they are admitted and the applicant shows a willingness to change that behavior. Training is usually available from local community colleges and vocational centers, and financial aid is available as long as the student was not convicted of drug possession or dealing while receiving financial aid in the past. There are serious shortages in labor in these industries that could be easily filled by returning citizens if they are truly interested.
The white collar industry is far different. They are less likely to give a returning citizen a second chance. This presents a real problem, because many returning citizens are too old or have disabilities that prevent them from performing manual labor jobs. As I've explored some of the different options available, I have noted a couple of areas that are what I could classify as borderline white/blue collar positions. The oldest of these is the sales position. Many of these jobs are outside sales and based solely on commission. This can be a good fit for some people, but it is definitely not for everyone, especially the introvert. It can also be daunting to weed through all the scams that are out there on Career Builder and Craigslist. I have identified two others that require some training, but are in high demand and less likely to present obstacles that other white collar positions. These include 3-D printing and computer coding. Many community colleges and vocational centers offer 3-D printing classes. While these positions are often in a factory setting, they tend to be less physically demanding than the trades. Computer coding is also often open to returning citizens. There have been several boot camps and businesses opened that cater specifically to this demographic. The reason employers may be more open to returning citizens is because coding often doesn't give a person full access to a program or computer system. The writing of the code is often compartmentalized, so no one person can affect the whole. This is done for security reasons. Secondly, coding is very results oriented, so if you write good code, you will be hired based on your skill set alone. It's actually one of the few real meritocracies left in the employment world and can often be done from home once the coder is more advanced. Training for coding is just really getting started in many areas of the country. Coding boot camps are popping up all over the country. Some offer deferred tuition and there are even some on-line. Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio is also offering a low to no cost boot camp for those from economically distressed situations. Hopefully, other colleges will follow suit. I would recommend this option or a deferred tuition version if it is available in your area. This career is very lucrative and the growth potential is good.
So, it is with both a heavy heart and great optimism that I must say goodbye to Cleveland and welcome a new audience in Tampa. I thank those of you who follow me, and I will be back in the next few months. God bless.
-Rich
