What is The ABC Employment Path?

For those in recovery from addiction, homelessness, and past criminal justice involvement, getting a job isn’t always challenging, but getting a job that offers long-term potential and advancement can be trickier. Often, job seekers in this situation find themselves stuck in entry-level positions for much longer than they would like.

The ABC Employment Path offers a way to think about employment milestones to continue moving forward and provide hope. The journey lays out as follows:

A - ANY Job

The job seeker should be willing to work Any position they can find initially. These early positions in their employment lives provide a buffer against relapse and are meant to serve a specific purpose and be worked for a short time. The focus in the Any Job should be to build relationships that can lead to recommendation letters and gain transferrable job skills to help move to the next step on the path. These are also often referred to as “recovery jobs.”

B - BETTER Job

These positions are usually BETTER in many ways, but most notably, they allow the employee to build additional skills, perhaps have more responsibility, and better pay. While the Any Job is a basic exchange of hours for money, the Better Job begins to move the job seeker towards the ultimate long-term goal. For example, if the individual wants to work as a computer programmer or software engineer ultimately, a great Better Job would be working as a Computer Help Desk Agent. This intermediate position allows the employee to work in the industry to gain experience and build relationships with others in technology, which will help them transition into their desired position more easily.

C - CAREER Job

Getting a CAREER position is the payoff for all the work done, things learned, and skills developed in the Any and Better Jobs. A Career Job is enjoyable, fulfilling, pays well, has great benefits, and provides advancement opportunities. In a Career, the employer is making a significant investment in the employee, and both are gaining from the relationship. The entire purpose of working Any and Better Jobs is to build a foundation for a Career.

Working through all the stages does not happen overnight. The ABC Employment Path is just like recovery - small steps, done daily, add up to huge positive change. With planning, dedication, and perseverance, anyone can get there.