“I knew I wanted
to do something and be successful, but I just
didn’t know about planning. And I didn’t realize
how important college was. I mean, I knew
it was important, but I didn’t have a true
understanding of how important it was until
after I had my children.”
Name:
Renee McGhee
Occupation:
Manager of
Information
Systems Network
Residence:
San Antonio,
Texas
Training:
Computer Network
Administration Associates of Applied Science
San Antonio College
Training Assistance
Provider:
Project QUEST:
San Antonio, Texas
Renee McGheelooks back on her teenage
years and remembers having sufficient drive and
ambition, but "feeling kind of lost" when it came
to developing a clear career path. With a natural
affinity for computers and software programs, McGhee
absorbed all she could from a high school vocational
education program that exposed her to office equipment
and procedures and included a part-time job as an
office assistant on a local military base.
By age 17, McGhee had
graduated high school, found an apartment, taken
on two jobs and was juggling an "overly ambitious
schedule" at a junior college. By 19, she was
married and in quick succession had four children.
Eventually, McGhee left her troubled, sometimes
abusive, marriage, discovered Project QUEST and
was able to earn an Associate's Degree with the
program's help.
Over time, she has advanced
to progressively more challenging jobs offering
better wages. By late 2002, she was earning $47,500
and receiving $4-5,000 annual bonuses, plus such
benefits as health care, dental coverage and a
401K plan.
"I couldn' t
do this job if I didn' t have the education.
They (Project QUEST) are 100 percent
responsible for it."
Still, McGhee
well remembers the difficulties that
preceded her success — occasions when
she fled with her children to homeless
shelters; when finding decent affordable
child care seemed beyond reach; when
her days started at 4 a.m. and involved
multiple bus transfers and shuttling
her children to day care before arriving
at work.
And she speaks
forthrightly about the pressure to find better-paying
jobs to care for her children and cover the sometimes
overwhelming costs of day care.
"... Here in San
Antonio making $1,500 to $1,700 a month, how was
I going to pay for child care? Child care was $1,600
a month just in the summer. Then in the school year,
it was a little bit less, around $900, because two
of my girls were old enough to go to school. But
if I didn' t get out there and get a better job,
we weren' t going to live."
Below, McGhee shares some
other thoughts -— about training, the stumbling
blocks she's overcome and her sense of accomplishment.
Reflections on training:
"I was in school one other time, through JTPA,
when my youngest two were small. And I took a
short-term training -- like six-months of different
office/computer packages and whatnot. But that
still wasn' t enough to really make a decent living.
... So the long-term training makes a big difference."
"[Project QUEST] gave
me a great base, a fantastic foundation to go
on with. But for my future plans, I definitely
need to further my education ... I would love
to go all the way to Master' s (Degree) if it
doesn' t seem like it' s going to take 10 trillion
years to get there. Because, of course, going
part time it seems (to take) forever. But yes,
that is my desire."
Reflections on barriers:
"Child care. That
is so painful. ... Every summer it is such a struggle,
even though my salary range is pretty high. Remember,
I have four kids. And there' s no help out there.
I mean, once you pass a certain income, there
is nobody out there that' s going to say, 'Oh,
well, we' ll pay for your child care.' ... I would
say this is a huge obstacle."
Reflections on her accomplishments:
"... we're self-sufficient.
We are not dependent on any type of welfare system
at this time, we're not begging for bread, we're
not homeless ... and that I' ve been able to be
an encouragement (to others). This (affiliation
with Project QUEST) has opened the door to be
an encouragement to so many people and to tell
other people that they can make it, too. So it
always feels good when you can help somebody else
reach their goals, too. So I think that's one
of the best things, that I've been able to help
others ..."
About Project QUEST:Established in 1992 through
a community organizing effort, Project QUEST is
a nonprofit organization that engages employers,
community colleges and others in coalitions to develop
training projects that prepare low-income individuals
for good jobs in a range of industries, including
business services and health care. The program provides
tuition subsidies and ancillary support services
to San Antonio residents while they are enrolled
in two-year associate's degree and one-year certificate
programs at local community colleges. Project QUEST
selects the degrees it will support from those that
are in high demand in the San Antonio labor market
and that offer wages that can support a family.
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