Jerome Moya during his SoloWorks’ graduation.
Jerome Moya worked as a real estate broker and was a top selling broker. But, when the real estate market collapsed and his income dropped dramatically and his wife, Cindy, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer his life changed forever.
“I was selling real estate and worked a second job to pay the bills, but my wife needed specialized care at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. We were only at home in New Mexico about 50% of the time,” he said. “You can’t work any job and/or sell homes if you’re there only half of the time every month.”
The next few years marked a challenging time for Jerome. He lost his wife and his career had hit a speed bump. Jerome worked at a variety of jobs including a job as a leasing agent, leasing homes, doing almost all his work from home.
“When I lease all 86 of the company’s homes in just a very short period of time, I basically worked myself out of a job. They had no more work for me” he explained.
He remembered how much he enjoyed working from home leasing homes. Then one day he heard an ad on the radio about SoloWorks. SoloWorks is supported through Connected Nation’s job training and job placement program Digital Works.
“I thought to myself, ‘Working from home and getting new training may be just what I need to turn things around,”’ Jerome said.
In February 2017, he started classes at the SoloWorks facility. Jerome was trained in new computer skills and got a refresher in customer service. He was then put in touch with employers and applied for two jobs. He soon accepted a position at ViaSource, and says his training at SoloWorks quickly set him apart.
“When I first started working a ViaSource, I was one of nine people hired,” he said. “I was the only one to have any work-from-home guidance like that offered by SoloWorks. By the end of the first week, I was also the only one of the nine that was still working there. I think that says a lot for SoloWorks. They really prepare you for work-from-home positions by making sure you have all the skills and knowledge you need to succeed. They even helped you create a great resume that gets you noticed.”
Jerome recommends others look at SoloWorks as an option for job training and placement. He said there are plenty of benefits to working at home. Some advantages for him were avoiding stress from rush hour traffic, wear and tear on his car, the cost of gas and just being home. Other advantages are having more job opportunities, especially for those living in smaller or rural communities, as well as, those with disabilities. In fact, Soloworks has more than 70 employers it partners with for the program.
As for Jerome’s future career aspirations, he said his time at ViaSource is just the beginning.
“The SoloWorks training has opened up a whole new beginning for me. My current job is a stepping stone to the next work from home job where I expect even better pay and work that I will love even more, all from my home. SoloWorks really opens up a world of possibilities for us all.”