802 Opportunity Is a Chance for Change

“I don’t think I would be doing college right now if it wasn’t for 802 Opportunity,” shared Jared Green on a recent snowy morning. Last spring, he saw an ad for the 802 Opportunity grant, generously funded by VSAC, which offers free CCV tuition for Vermonters with a family income under $75,000. Jared had long been contemplating a career change—specifically, he wanted to transition from the physically demanding work of massage therapy to the world of mental health counseling. He just wasn’t sure how to get there.

“I’d always wanted to become a mental health counselor, but to get licensed felt out of reach because it’s like eight years in school at the pace I’m going,” he said. Plus, he remembers worrying “how am I gonna afford that?” Enter the grant, which enabled him to get started on an associate degree in behavioral science last fall. After a tumultuous experience in high school, he’d been turned off by traditional academics. But his innate curiosity and love of learning is palpable, and he’s finding that the environment at CCV is a good fit. “CCV just seems more down to earth…from my perspective, it’s just focusing on content and the human-to-human relationship.”

He’s excited to be pursuing this path. “I feel like I’ve prepared for [mental health counseling], just not in a ‘credential’ way. I’ve worked with clients one-on-one with their body and with their mind. I’ve been very careful not to cross the line into counseling, and I want to.”

For Jared, the 802 Opportunity grant has relieved the financial burden of college. As a single dad, his other major concern was the time commitment, but being able to take classes online has made that manageable too. “Because it’s online I don’t have to attend a lecture at a certain time, or be at a certain place at a certain time. I’ve felt able to fit it in.” He can work on assignments during his workday, between clients, and he can organize his week so that schoolwork is done when it’s time to be with his kids.

The Montpelier resident lives just minutes from CCV’s Montpelier campus, and though his classes are online, he visits the academic center frequently to take advantage of in-person advising and other resources. “It’s not like an online school where there’s no person involved,” he said. “These are actual people.” And they’re people who can help. “When I’ve had problems, there’s been solutions.” When his laptop died during midterms last fall, he reached out to his advisor, who quickly found one Jared could borrow.

Because he’s going to school part-time, Jared calculates that it might take close to a decade before he’s a licensed mental health counselor. But this spring, he’s taking a CCV course that could catapult his progress: Assessment of Prior Learning, or APL. The class gives students the chance to document the knowledge and skills they’ve gained in the workforce or through self-study; the process can yield dozens of credits, saving thousands of dollars and countless hours of class time. In addition to his career in massage therapy, Jared has spent his entire adult life exploring related personal interests that span from yoga to coaching to Druidry. APL will let him showcase his learning and expedite his academic journey. Beyond CCV, he has his sights set on a bachelor’s degree at Vermont State University, and then a master’s program in somatic therapy.

In keeping with his professional life, Jared’s taking a mindful approach to his education, seeking balance between his many responsibilities—he’s even making time to exercise and socialize. “It’s almost like parenting pacing,” he says, “like my goal is so many years away. One class at a time.”