Cooking Up A New Career - John Cotton
John Cotton worked in the gaming industry in Las Vegas for 25 years. When the gaming market crashed, along with the housing market, John decided to move to Eugene to be with his grandchildren.
John knew “it was time to retrain” which eventually brought him to the Brighter Futures program, but that was not John’s first stop on the road to employment. When he first came to WorkSource Lane, John wanted to get back to work as soon as possible, so he chose an accelerated program at Lane Community College that he thought would best fit his skill set.
Unfortunately, when John finished the program, he discovered there were few job prospects, and he did not feel he had all the tools necessary to be competitive in the job market. He began attending Brighter Futures workshops and utilizing various assessment tools to identify goals that would be best for his future.
Many of the assessments John completed indicated that Baker was a career option he was well suited for. Initially he was skeptical, even though he has always enjoyed baking, and has developed a special expertise with artisan breads. His love of baking began when he was a child, learning to bake for his single mother.
Once John realized that his goal was to find a career he would enjoy doing for the rest of his life, he concluded that being a Baker was the perfect fit. With the help of the Brighter Futures program, he is preparing to enroll in a Career Pathway program at LCC. When finished, he will have a one-year certificate in Baking and Pastry from the Culinary Arts Department. John is considering the possibility of pursuing additional education and ultimately earning an Associate degree from the culinary program.
Being involved with Brighter Futures has taught John to be accountable and to manage his time well, something he recognizes as paramount to being a successful student. When asked what his experience in Brighter Futures has been like, John says, “Excellent, I was pretty down when I got here. When I realized I wanted to go back to school, I was intimidated. Brighter Futures put me on the right road, giving me a ‘yes I can’ attitude.”
