Work-Ready but Not Life-Ready: Rethinking Our Approach to Employment Prep
We spend a lot of time in correctional education making sure people are “work-ready.” Resumé templates. Mock interviews. OSHA certifications. Forklift credentials. You know the drill.
And don’t get me wrong—those things matter. Knowing how to fill out an application or list your transferable skills or presenting a nationally recognized industry credential to a potential employer is important.
But I keep running into something that’s harder to quantify, harder to teach, and honestly, way more critical: a lot of our learners are work-ready but not life-ready.
What do I mean by that?
It’s the stuff between the lines. The parts of preparation that don’t live in a textbook or training manual.
It’s learning how to:
Show up when you're mad, anxious, or discouraged—and still do the job.
Interpret feedback without spiraling.
Budget a first paycheck when your cousin (or harder still, your mama) just asked for “a little help.”
Manage time without a structured facility schedule doing it for you.
Communicate with a supervisor when you’re overwhelmed or unsure.
That’s the hidden curriculum: soft skills, financial literacy, emotional intelligence, self-management. And we need to start prioritizing it the same way we prioritize hard skills and credentials.
Why It Matters More Than the Resumé
I’ve watched learners earn the certification, get the job—and lose it two weeks later because no one ever taught them how to set boundaries, or how to handle stress without snapping, or what it means to “take initiative” in a workplace.
Employers say they want job-ready people. But what they really want—especially from justice-involved employees—is someone who’s reliable, emotionally mature, and able to adapt.
These things aren’t “extras.” They are the make-or-break skills that help people keep the job, navigate reentry, and build a future.
So, What Do We Do About It?
Here’s where we get practical. In our programs, classrooms, and case management plans, we can:
Build soft skills into everything. Add conflict resolution to your forklift safety module. Practice active listening during interview prep. Embed emotional regulation into role plays.
Teach financial literacy early and often. Basic budgeting. Bank accounts. How credit works. How payday loans don’t.
Model healthy communication. That means us, too. How we give feedback, handle disruption, and navigate boundaries matters.
Acknowledge trauma without centering it. Many of our learners are managing real pain—and healing in real time. Skill-building should make space for that.
I once had an employer call about an issue he was having with one of our reentry participants. He said the individual called in saying they were too overwhelmed to work that day. He asked me how he should ‘deal’ with that, and I responded that he’d just been given the most honest reason for not coming to work that I’d ever heard. Reentry overwhelm can be staggering. Having the emotional intelligence to recognize that is a big win in my books. The employer and I talked about ways to reduce overwhelm and keep communication open, and we also talked to the participant…about stress management strategies, about getting to their therapy sessions, and about how an employer has to protect their bottom line as well as their employees, so calling out from work needs to be kept to a minimum. And we celebrated their honesty and ability to recognize they needed help.
And that’s how you “deal” with that. Honesty. Communication. Asking for help. Giving help. Teaching real-life skills. All the things.
Life-Readiness Is Equity Work
When we assume people already know how to navigate life outside, we set them up. When we say, “They should know better,” we’re often really saying, “I had a different set of experiences than they did.” Because honestly, sometimes folks don’t know better until we teach them. Even grown folks.
Teaching life-readiness is about equity. It’s about recognizing gaps in opportunity, exposure, and expectation—and doing something about it.
And ultimately, it’s about believing that our learners deserve more than just a job—they deserve a chance to thrive.
Here’s to another Sunday morning. I hope you have all the coffee your heart desires (and your nervous system can handle).
☕️ Amy
P.S. If you or your organization would like help in building curriculum and coaching for incarcerated or justice involved folks in the community, you can contact me here. I have some great ideas. :)
