Behind every success story is a rocky first start, a courageous leap of faith, or a radical change of direction. Learn how real Goodwill participants overcame difficult circumstances — including job loss, lack of education, language barriers, disabilities, and homelessness — to launch fulfilling careers.
“Goodwill came in at the perfect time. They helped me keep working while I was dealing with everything else. Without them, I would’ve been out of a job. They had the perfect job, perfect location, perfect pay. I knew I had to land it. It felt like it was meant for me.”
“Some programs overcharge and don’t offer nearly as much support as Goodwill. Anywhere I go, I tell people—if you want a career change, look into Goodwill. They’ll give you the tools, the support and the belief that you can do it.”
“The training program is free, but it cost my time and effort. The opportunities that follow are amazing. It might seem simple, but it’ll take you somewhere nice.”
“I’ve gone from a part-time Cashier to Shift Lead, and now to Assistant Manager. I joined the Pathways program to help me build the confidence and develop the leadership skills that I needed for this role.”
“The free training course allowed me to figure out where I wanted to go without putting up thousands of dollars. I found several other programs that were as much as $5,000, and nowhere near as detailed. You still have to commit your time, but the least I could do was show up and show out.”
“I feel so grateful. I had never even heard of programs like this before, and knowing that Goodwill offers these opportunities because of donations and community support—it really makes a difference. This program gave me the foundation I needed to advance my career.”
“I could just focus on the fact that I still need to pay my bills, or I can go to this class, and they’re going to give me some new skills, they’re going to help me with my resume, and they’re going to help me get a job by the time all this is done.”
“I had no money, but I knew that I had to study or go to school. I found Goodwill, and it was free. It was the perfect first step.”
“I feel like over the years, I’ve donated so much stuff to Goodwill, and you don’t really know what happens after that. You don’t know the full impact of what doing that can do for somebody else. And now we are on the other side of it. So, we’ve seen the full circle process of what it can do for us.”
“This is what I want to do as a career. The Goodwill program is definitely the reason that I started exploring this. I didn’t have to worry about paying for school or going into debt.”
