James | JobTrain

James C.

James C. has always known the value of persistence and hard work.

He successfully managed working full-time while attending San Jose State University and earned a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management.

Life appeared to be moving towards an upward trajectory. James thought he had job security and was happy pursuing a career at CISCO Systems. However, he became a casualty of the recent economic crisis and was laid off in January 2008. After exhausting all employment opportunities in the Bay Area, he returned home to Sunflower, Mississippi. James used the time to care for his ailing grandfather who had recently undergone open-heart surgery.

Almost a year later, James returned to California and began pursuing his interest in solar technology and environmental sustainability. Due to JobTrain's wait-list at the time, James was unable to register in their Solar Training: Photovoltaic Design and Installation Program. Never being the one to give up, he enrolled in a comparable Solar training program at a nearby community college.

While attending the community college, JobTrain began their third cycle of the Solar Training Program and offered James an opportunity to register.

James simultaneously matriculated at the community college and JobTrain. His instructor Tom Huggett remains incredibly proud of his protege. "Despite having a hard time attending both programs, James was the most talented and determined of my students."

After graduating in October 2008, exactly a year later, James returned to JobTrain, this time as their Evening Weatherization instructor. Soon after, James became JobTrain's Solar Training Program instructor, a position he still holds today!