Employment
Office coordinator, full-time, 8am–4pm
Dog sitter, part-time, variable schedule
Current Household Income
$85,380
Ellie lives in Santa Ana and once enrolled at a well-known private university in the region, but the high tuition and the sudden need to care for her mother after a cancer diagnosis forced her to stop out before completing her degree. Today, she is single and works two jobs: full-time as an office coordinator and part-time as a pet sitter. Her combined earnings cover rent and essentials, but little more. Ellie wants to pursue a career change into business administration or finance, but the debt she still carries from her time at the private college makes her cautious about re-enrolling. With her days stretched thin between full-time and part-time work and the increasing cost of living in Orange County, she has little time and resources left to dedicate to further training or coursework.
Region
Orange County
Minimum Wage
$16.50 per hour
Housing Cost
$765,000 average home price
$3,107 to rent a one-bedroom apartment
Cost of Living
64.9% higher than the national average
10% higher than the average California city
What does Ellie have the right to expect from our learning systems and policies?