I Said, “I Want to Work!”—That Changed Everything

Hello, my name is Joseph Gutierrez. I am 25 years old and live in Chico, California. I enjoy being outdoors and love hiking. I am active in my church. I take part in a small men’s group and greet people at the door when they come in for services.

I have a mild developmental disability. I use support, and I work hard to be as independent as possible.

I used to attend The Arc of Butte County’s Adult Day Program, and I loved it. Many of my friends are still there. Even though I enjoyed my time there, I always knew I wanted to work.

What I want people to know is this: disability or no disability, tell people what you want. I told everyone, “I want to work!” Everything happened quickly. With the support of a job developer and a job coach, I connected with a local employer. I now work five days a week.

This is not my dream job, but it is a good job. What I love most is being out in the community and seeing people. I work at Northern Star Mills. I stock shelves with pet supplies, help customers carry items to their cars, clean, and organize.

The people I work with respect me. I am learning about them, and they are learning about me. If I do not understand something, I ask questions. I ask for steps to be explained clearly and let my coworkers know when I need fewer steps. That is how I learn best.

To me, success means having goals and building my skills. Fashion is my passion! My dream job is to work in fashion marketing. I hope to take classes at the community college to reach that goal. For now, I enjoy earning my own money. This job is the first part of my journey. While I work toward my dream job, I am learning, growing, and planning my next steps.