(Freep.com) Back when I was working, I had a membership at a health club that

shares a parking lot with a state job-training office in Traverse City.

The irony often struck me: People driving newer vehicles trotted into

the gym seemingly energized, as others, out of work and with often

not-so-new cars, streamed into the Michigan Works! office.

Unemployed for several months, I have since found myself in the latter group.

I

didn't qualify for unemployment benefits because I left a longtime

newspaper features and food editor job willingly in early 2008, having

made a smart business decision to open a little deli in what turned out

to be the start of a great recession. As time went on, the combination

of running out of capital and the realities of day-to-day restaurant

ownership prompted me to sell.

And so marked the beginning of my job search.

A

former coworker told me about training opportunities at Michigan

Works!, and I went. So when someone else told me later how great it was

that I had "humbled" myself that way, I was surprised and asked one of

the counselors about it. She said that, in the past, visiting the

office most likely meant you had minimal skills and education. Now,

it's everybody.

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