GAINESVILLE, Fla. – When Erik Burton was hit with a divorce and a job loss all at once, he knew something had to give.
“My life was crumbling,” he says.
Then living in Ohio, Erik decided to move to the Gainesville area to find a fresh start. He wanted to find his passion and build a life he could be proud of.
By chance, he drove past the CareerSource NCFL Gainesville career center and saw that they were hosting open interviews with local businesses. He decided to give the career center a shot.
“I couldn’t ask for a better gift,” he says. “Florida’s been like paradise for me… I couldn’t ask for anything else.”
At the Gainesville career center, Erik met Jan, his caseworker, who recommended he enroll in the “Own Your Future” Opportunity Quest program, a training module that helps upskill participants so they can compete for technology-based occupations. Since then, Erik has learned how to use the Microsoft Office Suite and online accounting software Quickbooks. He is currently taking classes on web design.
“I’m in the fast lane,” Erik says.
Erik enrolled in CareerSource NCFL’s Own Your Future program to help him take control of his life. There, he was able to learn about creating wealth, changing his mindset, unexpected success stories, and how to shape his own future.
“One word: life-changing,” he says of the program. “Instead of the problems, you look at them as opportunities.”
Jan and other CareerSource NCFL team members checked in regularly to make sure Erik was able to reach his goals. As a result of his training, Erik was able to find a job at Bear Archery, a Gainesville company that creates bows and arrows for archers in the area.
“I get the second chance at life I always wanted, because they believed in me and helped me believe in myself,” he says.
Erik’s long-term goal is to help others succeed the way he has. He wants to travel the country and watch other passionate people “take off like a rocket.”
“Regardless of what you’ve been through or where you came from, it’s more than the sky’s the limit—it’s more like the universe is the limit,” he says—a mindset he can accredit to the experience he had with CareerSource NCFL.