A Turn in the Right Direction
Maryland Agency Assists Thousands With Job Placement and Career Counseling
March 5, 2009
By Molly Dilks
Photography courtesy of Maryland New Directions
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Raina Miller was working as a sales professional until a collapsing market thrust her into unemployment.
“I was a little bit lost,” says the friendly and outgoing Baltimore resident. “I sat still for a long time with no direction. Then a friend referred me to Maryland New Directions. The process helped me to re-evaluate myself and find a new path.”
Americans in every income category worry about unemployment. Questions start to arise about job security, an economic depression and recession. Perhaps no one sees the impact of these changing times as much as Grace Lee, executive director of Maryland New Directions, a nonprofit career counseling and job placement agency.
“This is a time of crisis,” says Lee, “but it’s also a time of opportunity. I don’t know how long this depression will last, but I do know that if you’re not taking action now, by the time the opportunity arises you won’t be prepared. We are here to prepare you for these opportunities.”
The agency, founded in 1973, has helped thousands of citizens from Charm City and the surrounding area get through times of employment uncertainty under Lee’s genuinely passionate leadership.
MND offers several programs to provide people with the skills and confidence they need to navigate life-stage transitions, and to empower them to discover and reach their full employment potential with some direction and support along the way.
This support comes from licensed and state-certified individuals that guide clients onto a path that’s right for them.
Lee says, “It’s a very customized process with one-on-one discussions and reality-based career planning.”
Her confidence in the program is contagious. The state of Maryland has caught on, awarding the Second Chance program a grant to assist ex-offenders in finding and retaining jobs. Most of these ex-offenders are women with children under the age of 18 with no other means of support. The state grant is helping 200 people per year until 2012 be recruited by MND to receive intensive employment readiness and job retention services.
“The state said that they wanted to support this population of people, mostly women, in identifying and discovering their career potential,” says Lee.
Maryland New Directions offers plenty of programs for clients of all income levels to discover career potential. These programs range from basic computer training, in which participants are introduced to Microsoft Office applications and the use of the Internet for career and job searching to the Second Chance program, which helps previously incarcerated individuals deal with their barriers to employment and identify opportunities leading to full-time, self-sustaining careers, to the Career New Directions program for professionals.
Since 2001, the agency has helped 434 women ex-offenders find and keep their jobs. This fulfills the company’s vision of clients becoming economically self-supporting, productive members of the community. Maintaining family units, staying free of substance abuse, decreasing the recidivism rate, retaining employment and keeping a safe home for children all build a strong and safe community as envisioned by MND.
Other programs offered by MND are geared toward members of the community that have experienced some sort of downfall, either financially or emotionally.
Seeing as the agency was founded by a woman, Marian Goetze, Maryland New Directions is particularly in tune with women’s needs in Baltimore.
“We see the unique needs of women, and several of our services are gender-specific, like emotional and psychological support for dealing with the balance of work and family life,” says Lee. “They form bonds here, with our counselors and with each other, that help them move in the right direction.”
The Career Focus program aids both unemployed and underemployed job seekers gain the tools needed to enter into a successful career field. Another option, the Career Discovery program, promotes self-sufficiency by helping single heads of household and those impacted by such things as divorce, widowhood or disability of a family member to discover their personal career potential and find employment.
Women are especially encouraged to participate in this program as it promotes a sense of pride and independence.
Lee urges, “You shouldn’t underestimate your skills. If you’re a stay-at-home mom you are also an expert at time management, budgeting and event planning. These skills look great on a resume and help build confidence once the client realizes her potential.”
It’s not uncommon for experienced professionals to feel intimidated by the thought of starting over in a new career.
Raina Miller notes, “Some professionals may feel frightened or apprehensive about joining the agency, but you need to put your pride away and have the courage to step up and change your career, change your life.”
Inspired by stories like Miller’s, Career New Directions, which is launching this spring, will be the most recent addition to the many programs offered by the nonprofit organization.
Lee explains, “These people are not the traditional disadvantaged people, they are mid-level professionals who’ve found themselves in trouble due to the collapsing financial structure of today’s economy. Career New Directions is for those professionals that need to transfer their skills into a new field.”
The success story of Annastacia Moore demonstrates the advantages of joining a career development program like MND.
“This is by far the best career development program I’ve been to,” she says. “One of the highlights is the amount of one-on-one time you get with counselors. You get the feeling that they really have an investment in your success. The training is great and the bonds that you form are even better. Everyone is so supportive.”
On this particular winter morning, Moore and Miller greet each other with a warm “Hello! How are you, how is your dad doing?” and a big hug — affirming the strong bonds Lee referred to earlier.
After completing the program, Moore applied what she learned to receive a job helping those who suffer from mental and physical illness.
“Getting that job was a big deal to me,” says Moore. “The support that I got from Maryland New Directions made me want to give back. I love helping people, and seeing how much the counselors here love what they do inspired me to do my part, too.”
Participating in a program among ex-offenders may intimidate some, but Moore insists this is simply not the case.
“You’d never know who’s an ex-offender, who’s a business professional, a widow or a divorced single mother,” says Moore. “There are no judgments. We’re all here for the same reasons. We’re all serious about making a change for the better.”
“I want to encourage people to use this time, and use it wisely,” Lee says. “Think positively and seek out positive activities that are proactive. Do an internship, volunteer – this may open a whole new chapter in your life. You don’t have time to be depressed. This is your chance.”
To learn more about Maryland New Directions, visit www.mdnewdirections.org or call office manager Brenda Moxley at 410-230-0630 (ext. 221) for information about programs, services and class schedules.
Direct Impact
Maryland New Directions …
- Has served 130,000 Maryland residents in the last 35 years
- Provides 500+ counseling sessions
- Offers 20 computer literacy courses
- Provides 120 career workshops at low or no cost to Baltimore residents a year
- Delivers career counseling and job training to 250-350 disadvantaged individuals each year
- Helps 70% of those job-seekers become successfully employed
- Offers comprehensive career services to 100+ ex-offenders each year, of which 65% successfully obtain employment
What can a SmartWoman do?
$1,000 … Sponsors a 10-week internship
$500 … Provides a 10-week computer class for one client
$250 … Provides a two-hour career goal-setting workshop for one
$200 … Affords registration fees and supplies for one GED equivalent test
$100 … Buys one interview outfit for a job-seeking client
$50 … Contributes to the client emergency fund
