Know the market, and they will come.
By networking with businesses that have job openings, UNM psychology student Jacqueline Zamora and Cynthia Martinez Howard have become partners in running El Portal, an employment service agency created to serve people with learning, mental and physical disabilities.
The two find jobs for people - many of whom have not worked in more than 10 years - at Albuquerque Public Schools, Gardu§o's and AOL.
Because people with so many different majors at UNM start their own businesses, John Young, professor at the Anderson Schools of Management, said it's difficult to tell how many do. But they come from all over, not just Anderson.
He said in order for students to be successful in starting their own business, they must do their research before taking the plunge. These two women have.
Zamora and Martinez Howard were former employees of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation at UNM Hospital.
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Through that network, they were contracted to start El Portal. The name signifies an entryway to change.
Young said the most important thing is to understand the commitment it takes to go to school and run a business.
The women started the business in May 2002.
She said the division usually refers clients to El Portal who have the proper training or education needed to find a job.
Through El Portal, clients have access to a large array of businesses with job openings that complement their abilities. Zamora and Martinez Howard said they work to find their clients jobs that match their skills.
Martinez Howard said having these kinds of skills gives people with employment barriers a sense of empowerment.
"The best part of our job is having the opportunity to work closely with our clients," she said. "They finally feel like they have a place in society where they can contribute and are a part of the community."
Zamora and Martinez Howard said they get a great sense of satisfaction from doing this kind of community service and they enjoy the work.
Zamora said she has found that people with disabilities are not subject to the stigma of being incapable of performing in the workforce.
"It really isn't a barrier as it was in the past," she said. "Finding a job for our clients is more about what kind of work they are looking for or what kind of job they want to do, and it's pretty much doable."
