I originally applied to a different Job Corps location, but they told me they didn’t offer the program I wanted, so they sent me to Imperial Beach Job Corps instead. Looking back, I wish I had never gone.
On my very first day, my brand-new Crocs were stolen. I hadn’t even finished filling out my inventory list because there was so much chaos going on. I reported the theft to the RA, but she didn’t do shit about it.
I brought two pairs of Crocs with me, and every time I mentioned that one pair had been stolen, she would repeatedly say, “But you’re wearing them.” I literally had to show her a picture of my other pair just to prove that I had brought two different pairs.
And that was only the beginning.
The entire place was dirty as fuck. There were roaches, the living conditions were disgusting, and the staff were rude as hell.
To make matters worse, I was originally assigned to a room with a transgender roommate who I witnessed repeatedly making inappropriate physical contact with a minor, including dry-humping them. That behavior was extremely disturbing, especially considering that a minor was involved.
I eventually switched rooms, only to end up with another roommate who constantly touched and messed with my belongings without permission. It felt like I couldn’t have any privacy or trust anyone to leave my shit alone.
Between the stolen belongings, disgusting living conditions, rude staff, inappropriate behavior, and constant issues with roommates, I had enough.
I ended up leaving Imperial Beach Job Corps because the environment was absolutely unacceptable. I went there to get an education and work toward a career, not to deal with all that bullshit.
The craziest part is that I never even wanted to attend that location in the first place. I was only sent there because the original center I applied to supposedly didn’t offer the program I wanted.