Having a job you enjoy makes working in the community that much more satisfying. Josh decided about a year ago that he would like to find a better job. He was working as a bus boy at a local restaurant, but he was not happy. Josh began receiving Life & Work Connections Community Specialist Services with Community Skills Specialist, Mary Breight, to find a new position.

Through career exploration research with Mary, Josh identified several potential employment areas that interested him such as welding or working at the City’s Material Recovery Facility sorting recycling. However, it was on a whim that he decided to apply for a position at Gerbes in the produce department. Josh was called in for an interview and was offered the job. He gave his two weeks’ notice at the restaurant and began his transition to the new job.

Mary assisted Josh with getting oriented at Gerbes and with communicating with his supervisor about his job performance and areas that needed improvement such as learning to communicate effectively with customers and being efficient with his job tasks. His primary responsibilities include maintaining the salad bar and stocking produce. Josh’s supervisor says that Josh is reliable, comes in with a smile on his face, and is doing great work for Gerbes.

“Josh has transformed into a happier person since he began working at Gerbes,” says Mary. “He smiles more and always has positive words to say about his employer. I have enjoyed watching him progress in his job over the past 10 months.”

Josh has reported that he is very happy with his new position at Gerbes. “I like my job. It is very rewarding to help the customers,” says Josh. “I like the atmosphere at Gerbes because it is calm and laid back.” Josh stated that he never gets bored at work and enjoys that he gets to meet new customers every day.

Keep up the good work, Josh!