California Career School

Garrette Guidry – Mechanic & Marine

February 2, 2012 By Chuck Emanuele Leave a Comment

“I chose CCS because one of my Marines attended this site and highly recommended CCS. In reading and talking with [instructor] Ward I found out that there were benefits from attending CCS such as job placement and assistance to their students. Making the transition from military to civilian life a little less stressful by offering some degree of ‘being part of a family,’ kind of like being in the military.”

Many of our students are in motor transport coming out of the Marines and are looking for a good way to transition into civilian life with the skills that they have learned.

“The challenge I faced on choosing a vocational school was that I am a mechanic and a lot of the jobs I was looking at to be a mechanic had a prerequisite of ‘have to have a class A CDL’ which eased by decision to be part of California Career School.”

“I feel the most valuable asset a school can have is a knowledgeable staff and instructors, which CCS definitely has.”

Garrette plans to move back to Louisiana after his separation from the military. “[W]ith the training I have received and the assistance in job placement, I will be successful.”

Congratulations to Garrette on successfully obtaining his commercial class A license! We wish you the best!

Filed Under: California Career School, Military Branches, Student Testimonials, Truck Driving School, US Marines Tagged With: California Career School, ccs, class a, commercial driver, garrette guidry, truck driver license, twentynine palms, USMC

Marine Graduates With Career Options

January 30, 2012 By Chuck Emanuele Leave a Comment

USMC Nickey Wheeler graduated from our course and obtained the unrestricted class A license with passenger endorsement!

“A buddy of mine told me about the course, so we came out and talked with Instructor Ward. Ward gave me information on the course and walked me through the tuition assistance program. So with a positive impression about the school I decided to spend the Marine Corps’ money for something positive.”

“[I] got a lot of options,” Nick said. It could be jumping into the truck driving over the road or going back home to get his associate’s degree in criminal justice to become a state trooper. He is currently a military police officer and security and commercial truck knowledge packs a powerful combo. “Just one more thing on my resume!”

For the holidays he wants to spend time with his family and kids. He told us what his kids thought about him being a truck driver, “[My son] thinks it’s pretty neat!” Nick said he would definitely have him sit in the cab, “He’d get a kick out of it!”

We asked him: what did you immediately want to do? “Relax a bit,” he told us, “then hit the ground running again.” Now that he has many options for his career, we wish him luck in all of his future endeavors. Congrats again Nick!

Filed Under: Bus Driver Career, California Career School, Student Testimonials, Truck Driving School, US Marines Tagged With: bus driving school, California Career School, ccs, CDL, class a, class b, marine, nickey wheeler, truck driving school, USMC

Returning After 7 Years

January 24, 2012 By Chuck Emanuele Leave a Comment

Having been deployed numerous times, Steve Kovacs endured several hurdles before finally being able to complete his CDL. On top of this, he told us, “I was 183 miles from the school and had to run another household.”

“I just wanted to get my CDL to have a backup when I was going to come off active duty,” said Steve.

After all this time, he finally passed his test for class A and the passenger endorsement, both back to back one day after the other. “Just listen to your instructor, they know what they are doing,” he shared. “[It's] a very good military school with flexible options… very satisfied, will definitely recommend [California Career School].”

Last time we spoke with him, he had obtained a pre-hire with a large carrier shortly after his graduation.

We want to congratulate Steve for enduring towards his goal and then very immediately finding a job afterwards!

Filed Under: Bus Driver Career, California Career School, Career Programs, Student Testimonials, Truck Driving School, US Army Tagged With: best truck driving training california, bus driving school, California Career School, california career school training, California career schools, California class a license, california driving schools, careers after leaving the military, ccs, CDL, class a, class A license, class a license California, class a training, commercial truck driver, Truck Driving Program, truck driving school, Truck driving team, trucking school

Right Attitude Leads to New Job

January 19, 2012 By Chuck Emanuele Leave a Comment

Reginald Davis came in to visit us earlier this week saying that he finally landed a job! He graduated in late October but has since been having a hard time finding an employer who would give him a chance because of his limited experience and other personal obstacles to employment.

Staff members Sarah Bantay and Marcelle Gerard, among many who regularly interact with our students, agreed, “Reggie would come in nearly every day on his lunch break just to get onto the computer and fill out as many applications as he could… He was always positive and always doing his best not to be discouraged by the difficulties that he was dealing with.”

Reggie with his instructors Ken and Robert

Reggie was in the lobby telling his story to a new class that had just started this week. One student expressed that he is someone truly inspiring for everyone. Students with similar backgrounds now felt that if he could do it, so could they.

During his interview with the employer, he took a very short driving test at 5AM that lasted less than five minutes. Reggie asked a couple of questions regarding double clutch and what the shifting patterns were. His interviewer answered the questions verbally– Reggie took those directions and put them in action with confidence and ease.

Marcelle described Reggie’s new employer, “They acknowledged his honesty and willingness to learn and accept any kind of work they had available even if it wasn’t a driver– and then hired him as a driver!”

We are all very excited and want to remind Reggie to always keep going and moving forward. We wish him good luck always in his future endeavors!

Filed Under: California Career School, Career Programs, Student Testimonials, Truck Driving School Tagged With: California Career School, ccs, CDL, class a, reginald davis, truck driving, trucking jobs, trucking school

How We Help Our Military Students

January 12, 2012 By Chuck Emanuele Leave a Comment

We believe our training should respond to the needs of industry by preparing men and women alike with “hands on” training directed toward practical applications. Students are supervised by qualified, experienced instructors and will have the opportunity to train with modern equipment commonly used in the industry.

Filed Under: Bus Driver Career, California Career School, Military Branches, Military Tuition Assistance, Truck Driving School Tagged With: California Career School, ccs, class a, commercial driver, military transition, truck driver license

What You’ll Learn in Security Training

January 9, 2012 By Chuck Emanuele Leave a Comment

Ever wonder what it takes to get into the security field? What types of training do employers want for their employees? At California Career School, we train our students to enter the security field fully prepared for what employers are looking for.

Obtain a guard card and be certified by the State
Obtain a firearms permit – practice at a licensed firearms training facility

Obtain first aid/CPR certification
Obtain a baton permit

Obtain pepperspray certification
Complete school security guard training as outlined by the BSIS

On top of these certifications, graduates receive placement assistance in order to help their transition into the security industry.

Call us today! (800) 499-6585

Filed Under: California Career School, Career Programs, Homeland Security Tagged With: armed guard, baton, border patrol, California Career School, ccs, firearms permit, Homeland Security, patrol, school security, security guard training

Jaime Flores Graduates in Time for the New Year

January 5, 2012 By Chuck Emanuele Leave a Comment

Congratulations to Jaime Flores, our graduate from the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Base. Jaime obtained his commercial truck driver’s license just a few days before Christmas giving him time to spend with his wife and family.

“I had [a] friend,” he shared with us, “that had gone before me and said nothing but good things about CCS. [...] I wanted a ‘plan B’ for when I got out of the military, slowly my ‘plan B’ started becoming my ‘plan A.’ I went ahead with this vocational school.”

“[My] main obstacle was time. My EAS was rapidly approaching and I had a time crunch.” Our military students receive flexible training hours to ensure that their duties always come first. Jaime completed his truck driver training in less than the average time it takes for many other military students to finish.

“[It was a] very good experience,” said Jaime, “feel comfortable behind the wheel.” He also mentioned that, “everything was handled professionally.”

Once again, we want to congratulate Jaime for his achievement and we wish him good luck in his future endeavors!

Filed Under: California Career School, Career Programs, Military Branches, Truck Driving School, US Marines Tagged With: California Career School, ccs, class a, commercial driver, jaime flores, truck driver license, twentynine palms, USMC

Hugo Barron Builds His Career

December 19, 2011 By Chuck Emanuele 1 Comment

Our graduate Hugo Barron got his truck and bus driver licenses and began working in a matter of a few months!

Weeks ago, he told our placement coordinator Marcelle Gerard, “I’ve decided to take ***** up on his offer. Training starts Nov. 28th. I’d like to thank you guys for being the stepping stone between my military service and my next career move.”

For Hugo, Marcelle wanted to share, “It is not often that someone’s first interaction with a company is in person and not through an online application. Upon first being introduced to this hiring company, Hugo met the recruiting manager who would be one of the deciding factors affecting his offer of employment.” This was at a presentation made just for our students and graduates.

“It’s personal right from the beginning,” Marcelle continued. “This company gets the feel for you in person as opposed to just looking at a resume. We are appreciative of the visits that they make to provide presentations and chances for meeting our students. Without this opportunity, our students succeed with less limitations for their future. I am so happy that Hugo has found a home with this company and that we were able to support him along his own path to success!”

She touched base with him shortly after and Hugo replied, “Everything is going great! I’m in my 2nd week of training. It’s almost unreal how well they value their workers. Met the company president. [...] The compensation for our hard work is generous and benefits are excellent. It’s hard work but worth every bit of it. The promotions are there all it takes is time and hard work. I have full intentions on making this a career. “

Filed Under: Bus Driver Career, California Career School, Career Programs, Student Testimonials, Truck Driving School, US Marines Tagged With: bus driving school, California Career School, ccs, CDL, class a, class b, hugo barron, marine, passenger endorsement, truck driving school, USMC

Graduate Joseph Lettier Gets His Truck and Bus License

December 15, 2011 By Chuck Emanuele Leave a Comment

Congratulations to Joseph Lettier for graduating with his commercial truck and bus driver license! He had a few things to share with us after passing both of his driving tests. Class isn’t easy– he told us, “Biggest moment… when Ward just keep going over skills and didn’t move on till I got it and Ryan when he didn’t let me move on with driving till I got it– seemed to me that they cared about my success.” Our Twentynine Palms instructors Ward and Ryan, he described, were “friendly, cool, and knowledgeable.”

He came to CCS because “it [...] seemed to be more of a firm school than *** and the credit hours for college. [...] They offer more in friendship and training offers than any other school.”

Once again, congratulations to Joseph for getting his unrestricted class A with passenger endorsement! We are always here to assist in any of your CDL job searches even years from now.

Filed Under: California Career School Tagged With: bus driving school, California Career School, ccs, CDL, class a, class b, joseph lettier, marine, passenger endorsement, truck driving school, USMC

Graduate Benefits from Instructor’s Teaching Methods

December 12, 2011 By Chuck Emanuele Leave a Comment

Marine John Wise recently acquired his class A and passenger endorsement at our Oceanside training location just minutes outside of Camp Pendleton. He had a few things to share about his learning experiences with our instructors over the duration of his training. John graduated from class in just over a month!

John wanted to thank both of his instructors, Jose Ballesteros and Joseph Evins. “They’re all about the student learning.” He described Joseph as “smooth” and “breaks it down step by step.” Jose, on the other hand, is someone he felt was, “fact-based, fast-paced” and geared towards “fast learners.” To John, it was important to receive constructive criticism and this is something that Jose did not hesitate to provide. “Jose’s a trip,” he laughed. “They make a good team.”

“Right now,” he told us, “I’m still active duty. [...] I’m waiting for a transportation company in New York.” He had already sent in his resume and is hoping for the good news to come up soon.

“I would definitely recommend the school,” John said, citing our accreditation and flexibility with our Military students. “I enjoyed [the class]– it was fun to me. If I could do it all day, I would.”

Once again, congratulations to John for completing the course successfully and quickly. We wish him luck in his endeavors in New York!