EXAMPLES FROM LIFE : Felipe Ramirez, 23, West Covina

My name is Felipe Ramirez, I’m 23 years old, and I didn’t have a career until two years ago. What I had was a series of dead-end odd jobs, from counter sales to loading dock to night guard, and a life filled with soul-numbing boredom. A 21-year-old high school dropout, I wasn’t on the road to nowhere--I’d already arrived. But that was before I got some basic office skills under my belt, before I applied for my first office position, and before I met Edward Magallanes.

Edward Magallanes is the owner of Career Horizons Inc., a job development agency with a predominantly Hispanic clientele, and he wasn’t looking for a trainee when I first walked through his door, he was looking for a receptionist. Liking the way I interviewed, though, he put someone else at the front desk and offered me a position as an assistant counselor.

I jumped at the chance, and have been jumping ever since. Today, with my on-the-job training complete, I travel throughout Southern California doing the thing I most enjoy, which is helping people. Although it seems that there isn’t enough time in a day to finish all my work, not a day passes that I don’t thank Mr. Magallanes in my heart for giving me this opportunity.

My next step is to become a fully certified vocational rehabilitation counselor. Not surprisingly, Mr. Magallanes has offered to pay for my training. Mr. Magallanes plans to open a San Bernardino branch, you see, and wants me to run it.