Edwina Brown remembers the first time anyone ever talked
to her about becoming a cabinet maker. "I almost fell
off my chair laughing!" she says.
She learned about cabinet making at a career counseling
workshop that was part of her welfare benefits program.
After filling out lots of forms, Edwina met with a career
counselor to go over the results. Some of the jobs were
not surprising – like nurse's aide and office
assistant – but cabinet maker caught her eye.
It came up because Edwina likes to work with her hands
and build things. "I never pictured myself working
in a shop with power tools. It seemed weird at first, but
I started to like the idea the more I thought about it,"
she said.
Edwina applied for a 10-week woodworking class at a local
community college. She got financial aid through the school,
so the class didn't cost much. She really enjoyed
what she was learning: planning the work, making cuts on
the power saw, putting on wood veneers, and finishing and
sanding.
When she finished the class, she found a job as an apprentice
in a woodworking shop near her home. She's a careful
worker and makes fewer mistakes than anyone in the shop.
"Some guys are stronger or more experienced than me,"
Edwina says, "but I'm always thinking a few
steps ahead. I can keep up and do great work. This job is
great – it helped me get off welfare and start saving
for a house!"
Edwina
Brown
