Nesar moved to the United States from Afghanistan in October of 2016. After ten years of working with the U.S. Government there, he’d come to fear for his safety and the safety of his family if they stayed at home. They made the difficult decision to uproot and start a new life. It wasn’t easy, but now—a little over a year later, and with help from IRC’s programs—he has landed his dream job working in his field of expertise.

ALT TEXT


Nesar decided to enroll in the IRC's Career Pathways program and the Vocational English as a Second Language (VESL) program to help him transition out of his temporary jobs and find something permanent. Through the Career Pathways program with the IRC in Sacramento, he was able to practice interviews, receive coaching on online applications, and get guidance on the other quirks and variations in applying to a range of positions. Now, his advice for newly arriving refugees is not to be discouraged by the first job they get. He says it’s important to start out in an entry level position and work on building relationships and networking until you are able to move up into the kind of work you ultimately want to do.

Nesar, who was a procurement specialist in Afghanistan, began his first job in January 2017 as a security guard. He moved on to do seasonal work for Blue Diamond and then took a customer service position before being offered his current job as Procurement and Facilities Coordinator at a non-profit. Transitioning from seasonal, temporary work to a nine-to-five position, he has been able to do things like drive his kids to school, make plans with a consistent schedule, and know what his work hours will look like each week.

As for his new job, Nesar loves the team focused environment and is thrilled to be doing the work that he knows again. Congratulations Nesar, we are so happy to hear about your success!


To read IRC in Sacramento's latest newsletter click here. For more information on how to get involved at the local level, contact [email protected].