SAN DIEGO (KGTV)-- On most days at the North Side Shack in Point Loma, you'll find Pamela Olivera. She opened the now-thriving shop four years ago.
"If you're really motivated, if you really enjoy something, wanna do something, you only live once," said Olivera of the gamble that paid off.
While she always had a passion for cooking, it wasn't always how she made a living.
Olivera was once a paralegal. She thought was a good job for a single mother of three, but it wasn't a job she loved. So, she decided to change that.
She went to the San Diego Workforce Partnership location in Chula Vista, where she found a program that would give her money to retrain for a new career. In her case, it was culinary school.
"For me, they offered me a $5,000 grant, the program was $14,000. That's a third of the cost of the school," said Olivera.
The partnership provides a long list of resources for job seekers depending on their needs. The service is free. It's a valuable tool Olivera says more people should utilize.
Other resources available include career counseling, job searches, typing certificates and Microsoft Word classes. The San Diego Workforce Partnership also provides labor market information to learn what industries are hiring for what skills.
Get more information about San Diego Workforce Partnership here.
