SOUTH BAY ONE-STOP BUSINESS & CAREER CENTERS
Meet Patricia Goode
Workforce Challenge:
Patricia Goode, Manhattan Beach resident, was laid off from her job as an Assistant Program Director with Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems in El Segundo in November 2013. She had a clearance and many years of engineering experience, her thought was finding a job wouldn’t be too hard.
Workforce Solution:
Being laid off lead Patricia to seek services like the Torrance One-Stop Business & Career Centers and Right Management. She enrolled with the Torrance One-Stop Business & Career Centers and got assigned a career counselor who challenged her to think differently. The One-Stop offered her Project/Program Management training at UCLA Extension, it gave her a credential to showcase with her experience and extended her unemployment period while she completed her certificate.
Outcome and Benefits:
Having the certificate showed her commitment to improving herself and updating her skills while
she was applying for jobs in four years. Patricia is now a Project and Systems Engineer at the Aerospace Corporation.
“Make a job of finding work. Keep getting up each day like you are going to work. Network by going to job fairs. Volunteer. Try a weekly group focused on finding work like Monday Morning Starters in Manhattan Beach. Have a plan outlined and follow the plan. Update your LinkedIn profile regularly. Develop an elevator speech. Develop a list of companies you want to work with and educate yourself about those companies.”