After years in the printing and graphic design industry, Annamarie De Vries (right) found herself at a career crossroads when her job was eliminated. With a degree in Human Services and clerical experience in schools and county offices, she was eager to find meaningful work, but wasn’t getting calls back.

That changed when she connected with Jessica Fernandez Saavedra, a Workforce Development Specialist at the East Valley America’s Job Center of California (AJCC). Jessica helped refine Annamarie’s resume, conducted mock interviews, and provided clothing vouchers for job interviews.

“Jessica didn’t just provide resources – she checked in, encouraged me and gave me the confidence to keep going,” Annamarie said.

Support from the Workforce Development Board (WDB) also included a no-cost typing certificate, which helped Annamarie land a position with the state of California – working in a role that draws on her degree and passion for helping others.

“WDB set me on the road to success,” she said. “We all need support, not just resources, to stay positive and on track. I’m so grateful for what they provided.”

By William Sterling
WDB Chair

A paycheck gave me the independence I value today

By Richard Egger
Partner, Best Best & Krieger LLP

My first job was filling mail orders for a small company that made miniature lead soldiers.  My job was to read handwritten order forms, find the correct figure model number, load the figures into small plastic bags, staple them shut with the company’s logo and package them into a shipping carton. I also worked with one of the owners removing the lead soldiers from vulcanized rubber molds after the molten lead he poured had cooled. I was 11 years old and I was paid $2.90 per hour. The company was a startup owned by my mother’s two friends. I worked three days a week during summer vacation, and on Saturdays and school holidays during the school year. 

I lived in Brooklyn at the time. To get to work, I rode the subway by myself into Manhattan. I had to walk about six blocks from the train to an industrial loft near the Port Authority Bus Station.  If you are familiar with New York City in the 1970s, you can imagine what that neighborhood was like. I have no idea what my mother was thinking letting me do this, but I did it happily. I moved to California a couple of years later, and I’ve been employed ever since except for my first semester of law school.

At my first job, I learned to be responsible, to make sure I got to work on time and to put in the hours even when I wanted to do other things. The ability to earn even a small paycheck gave me a feeling of independence that I remember now. Taking the subway into Manhattan and walking through that rough area to get to work also helped me to feel confident in different environments.  I also learned what it takes to be an entrepreneur from watching the two owners. It takes passion, countless hours of hard work and a willingness to do everything that needs doing.