Ex-con turns life around, currently in an apprenticeship

If money for college is tight, some experts recommend taking on an apprenticeship while working on classes if you're interested in joining the skilled-labor workforce after graduation. According to an article appearing in the Hechinger Report, the strategy is currently working out pretty well for one-time armed robber and current Bates Technical College student Jesica Bush of Tacoma, Wash.

The news report outlines how the 30-year-old Bush was sent to prison for seven and a half years following her conviction at age 19. Later, she got her General Equivalency Diploma in six months during her sentence and was declared the valedictorian of her graduating class. These days, she's learning the ropes of a possible future position with the ironworkers union via a program set up by the Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee, which arranges partnerships between community colleges and industry. She's also finishing her associate's degree.

But if a future in skilled labor doesn't appeal to you, there may be other apprenticeship programs more suited for your ambitions. For example, the Journal Register News Service notes that the Walnut Street Theater in Philadelphia, Penn., has established an apprenticeship program for prospective stage crew members.

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