Navigating Tough Times - A Father's Journey

It's becoming an all-too-common story. "Times are really hard right now" has become a common topic of conversation. Jobs of all levels and calibers are being slashed - it can happen to anyone. Anthony "Tony" Armsdon has a job, but such wasn't the case a year ago. For the past couple decades Armsdon lived and worked in Detroit, Michigan.

But in 2006, Armsdon lost his computer networking job with Chrysler Motors and his $80,000 a year dream career became a thing of the past. That swift blow left him drawing from his savings, and with no job prospects or help in sight, 47-year-old Armsdon worried about the future of his family.

After six months of fruitless job searching and a thirteen-year marriage coming to a shaky end, Armsdon and his 13-year-old son, Nicholos, headed to Redding where his mother, brother and sister live. "I needed to surround myself with familiar faces, with happy hearts," Armsdon said.

Job Search Resources

ALL COUNTIES

Cal Jobs. Online job & résumé bank.
CalWORKS.

BUTTE COUNTY

Anderson & Associates. 383 Connors Court, Suite A. Chico. (530) 891-1955;
Butte County One-Stop. Chico: 2445 Carmichael Dr. (530) 895-4364; Oroville: 78 Table Mountain Blvd. (530) 538-7301.
Rush Personnel Services. 15 Independence Circle, Chico. (530) 893-5500.

SHASTA COUNTY

CalWORKs at Shasta College, 1435 Butte St. Redding. (530) 225-3949.
Shasta County CalWORKs Employment Services: Redding: 1400 California St., (530) 335-5576; Burney: 36911 Highway 299 East, (530) 335-5576.
ShastaCounty.com Job Information Page.
Smart Business Resource Center, 1201 Placer St. Redding. (530) 246-7911 or (888) 551-5005.
Rush Personnel Services. 4075 Railroad Ave. Suite A., Redding. (530) 893-5500.

SISKIYOU COUNTY

Personnel Preference. 150 Boles St, Weed. (530) 938-3909 & (800) 479-8367.
Workforce Connection. Weed: 310 Boles St., 1-800-344-7837 & Yreka: 818 South Main St. 1-800-696-7837.

TEHAMA COUNTY

Tehama County Social Services. Red Bluff: 310 S. Main St., (530) 527-1911; Corning: 703 Fourth St., (530) 824-9182.

ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES

Small Business Development Center at Shasta College; Shasta & Siskiyou Counties. 1420 Butte St., Redding. (530) 225-2770.
Jefferson Economic Development Institute (JEDI); Siskiyou County. 403 Berry St., Mt. Shasta. (888) 926-6670 & (530) 926-6670.
Micro Mentor Program; Multiple Counties. Entrepreneurial advise & development through mentors.
Northeastern California Small Business Development Center at Butte College; Butte County. 19 Williamsburg Lane, Chico. (530) 895-9017.
SCORE. Free small business advice via local & online mentors & business courses. Chico: 1324 Mangrove St., Suite 114, (530) 342-8932; Redding (530) 867-9020.
Youth Entrepreneurship Program; Butte County. For ages 18-27. 19 Williamsburg Lane, Chico. (530) 895-9017.

Though immeasurably valuable, the emotional support of family wasn't paying the bills. Through word of mouth, Armsdon came to know about CalWORKS, the California Work Opportunities and Responsibility to Kids program. A state and federally funded program, CalWORKS is one of the state's answers to welfare reform. It provides financial and job assistance to those showing severe financial need, and more importantly, who have children that are facing depravation.

Armsdon qualified for the assistance. He soon realized that possessing specialty knowledge and field experience wasn't enough. "The CalWORKS program teaches you how to look for work; how to find work. It's quite incredible," Armsdon said. The program is broken into two parts: cash assistance and a work placement program, Welfare-to-Work. Cash assistance is granted contingent upon regular use of the CalWORKS resources and proof of job seeking. There is a 60-month cumulative lifetime limit for the cash assistance program. The program sponsors workshops on everything from creating a résumé to hunting job leads and finding resources - what Armsdon calls "survival skills in the job world."

After a few workshops Armsdon was ready to sell himself as a potential candidate. "I didn't want to sit and wait for a sunny day," Armsdon said. "When you do that, it'll never come." His job search was daily, checking classifieds, craigslist.org, going door-to-door and utilizing the resources at CalWORKS. Within a couple months he landed an interview at a software testing company, and soon after his job hunt was over.

Armsdon's enthusiasm had shown through to William Welborn, Armsdon's CalWORKS caseworker. Welborn differentiates those who have a lot of experience and are willing to learn from those who think they have expertise, and aren't willing to learn anything. He defined Armsdon as the former. "It all comes to what the client has to offer. He's a smart guy and definitely did what he was supposed to. Now he's a productive member of society again, so, good for him," Welborn said.

Nicholos Armsdon celebrated his 14th birthday on November 28th. During the 2006/2007 school year, Nicholos changed schools four different times - a trend his father wanted to end. Nicholos was born about a month prematurely, and has a slight learning disability. After a meeting with administrators from Parson's Junior High in Redding, Armsdon decided to enroll Nicholos there. Now in his eighth-grade year, Nicholos has friends and is maintaining a GPA above 3.0.

Tony praises the teachers at Parsons: "Those individuals are amazing. They find a way to reach and connect. I'm totally in awe." Tony and Nicholos have grown accustomed to the North State lifestyle; the two share a passion for bike riding among other outdoor activities. To see his son happy - with friends and with dramatically improved grades - makes Tony happy.

It has been a long road for Tony and Nicholos - job loss, divorce and a cross-country move. And though they are moving in the right direction, Armsdon still feels a little angry. "When you have the American dream and lose it, you get mad. But you come to find out that it's normal to be angry. It'll take time," he said. "But it'll pass."

Author Joshua Corbelli lives in Redding. He wrote this piece as a source of inspiration, and possibly motivation, because we all need it at some point.