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Twelve years ago (I was 21 at the time) I worked for Burrill Lumber Co. in southern Oregon when the mill shut down.  Thankfully we qualified for NAFTA benefits which included 2 years of retraining and full unemployment while enrolled in a credited program of our choice.  I took some aptitude tests at the unemployment office showing that I was strong in math and science like I already knew, but I was unsure what I wanted to do.  One evening my father showed me a small article in the paper about how Intel Corp. had worked with Umqua Community College in Roseburg to develop the Digital Systems Technology program that was specifically geared towards a career in the microprocessor industry.  The next day I drove and met with an adviser at UCC and was accepted into the 2 year program.  I just had to keep the state up to date on my grades and they paid for everything.  I'm celebrating my 10th anniversary this month at Intel doing a job I absolutely love.  Being paid to go back to school was obviously great incentive, but it scares me to think where I might be now if we hadn't seen that article and I had relied on the state to guide my future.

Sincerely,

Aaron Lowe

Beaverton, OR

posted 1 year, 11 months ago
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