“The instructors spent a lot of time preparing us. I noticed that there was a huge difference at the DMV between CCS and other schools. I am thankful CCS was located outside the base allowing me the time to complete this course,” Jeremy told us. “The thing that stands out the most is the quality of drivers after this course. [...] Just followed the instructions by the instructors. They made it really easy to learn.”

At the DMV, Jeremy with graduates Ruben and Jacob after obtaining their passenger endorsement

He added, “Students are not rushed and are given all they need to be successful. We were not given a couple classes and sent to DMV for failure. We practice then have to test out with the instructor prior to DMV.”

Right now, Jeremy is looking into a career with one of the employers that has hired many of our military graduates out of the state. “From my experience and seeing other schools,” he said last, “I wouldn’t suggest anyone but CCS.”

How did you come across our school?
“My wife went to this school and along with a couple of my Marines [...] I heard nothing but great things about this school. Since I didn’t have any set plans yet for when I get out of the Marine Corps, I thought this would make a great fall back plan.”

What was one of your biggest challenges in your decision?
“Well, I’m a pretty short guy, I’m 5’1″ and these trucks are big. I wanted to learn how to drive and control a semi truck with ease.”

What stands out about your training?
“During a road training, I was driving. We came to a really tight corner. When I made the turn, I didn’t think about the fundamentals and luckily [instructor] Ward was able to guide me through it. This goes to show that the fundamentals are important and if you don’t apply them you might damage something [...]”

Did you face any difficulties or obstacles during training?
“Some obstacles that I faced was the traffic. Driving a big vehicle is pretty scary when you’re driving around other vehicles that you can barely see around you. I overcame this by keeping to what I learned and applying my fundamentals.”

How would you describe your instructor?
“Motivating, inspirational, and knowledgeable.”

Was there anything surprising or unexpected?
“The atmosphere and the teaching. This place makes makes you feel comfortable and feel like you’re a part of the family.”

What have you found the most valuable?
“This school has great teachers. People who take you under their wings and teach you everything you know and a lot of hands on with the trucks.”

Overall, what is your experience with CCS?
“This was a great experience with the school. I’m looking forward to applying what I learned here out in the real world.”

In Lang’s final interview words, “You won’t regret coming to this school.”

We are grateful for students like Lang who make up the bread and butter of who we are. Once again we want to congratulate him on his successful graduation and we wish him well in his future endeavors.

Your separation date is coming up. What will you do next?

This is the question many of the members of our military face when active service is coming to an end. The Pendleton and Twentynine Palms Transition Assistance Program (TAP) provides classes to separating service members during their period of transition into civilian life, providing job-search assistance and related services within 180 days prior to separation or retirement.

Camp Pendleton and Twentynine Palms hold TAP classes several times per month, allowing California Career School the opportunity to extend our educational services to those looking for work after separating from the military. To attend at California Career School, service members don’t need to be on active duty at all– we are a VA approved school! You can receive your class A license in as little as 6 weeks and have a job waiting for you upon graduation! Regardless of your time remaining with the military, California Career School will help you get your license in a timely manner. We will put you in our full-size trucks in your first week of class; our training is hands-on from the very beginning.

California Career School representatives use time at TAP class to meet potential students, learn what their career goals are, and see how we may be able to help them. A potential student came right up to our table and said, “My Commanding Officer told me to get a Commercial Driver’s License as something to fall back on.” We were able to talk to him to see if our school would be a good fit for him and we showed him how his Tuition Assistance would cover the cost of the program. So if you see us at the next TAP class, stop by and say hello! With your separation coming up, we want to help you decide what to do next.

Call us today at 1(800) 499-6585 to meet with us!

“When deciding which school I wanted to go to, I made it a point to stop and talk with the instructor,” shared Kenneth. “[My instructor] showed me he was dedicated to his students and took their education very seriously.”

The Yuma Private Industry Council (YPIC) “is a private non-profit organization whose purpose is to provide job seeker and employer services in the Yuma County labor market.” Through the YPIC program, job seekers may receive the resources needed to help them get back on their feet into the labor market.

By going through CCS and YPIC, Kenneth’s hard work enabled him to find his career with a transportation company. We wish him luck in all of his future endeavors.

“The instructors make learning to drive an enjoyable experience,” shared 29 Palms Marine graduate Blake Townsend. His challenge, he said, was, “learn to drive a 10 speed big rig. [My instructor] taught me how to do that to the best of his ability.”

Blake went on to describe his instructors as, “Professional, informational, entertaining– [they] make learning fun.”

One of Blake’s difficulties was, “taking the tight right turn at 62 and Adobe. Plenty of practice makes that turn easy now.” Students spend the majority of their time in one of our trucks–this exposure to real city driving and the skills yard is what prepares students for their final test at the DMV. “Passing my class A driving test was my proudest moment,” Blake proclaimed. He also said, “I never would have thought I would have to parallel park a semi. But I can!”

Now that he has obtained his class A driver’s license and passenger endorsement, he told us about his plans. “I will go home to Oklahoma and drive for ******* hauling gravel and concrete.”

We congratulate Blake for his successful completion of the course and we wish him well in all of his future endeavors!

“A buddy of mine told me about the course, so we came out and talked with Instructor Ward. Ward gave me information on the course and walked me through the tuition assistance program. So with a positive impression about the school I decided to spend the Marine Corps’ money for something positive.”

“[I] got a lot of options,” Nick said. It could be jumping into the truck driving over the road or going back home to get his associate’s degree in criminal justice to become a state trooper. He is currently a military police officer and security and commercial truck knowledge packs a powerful combo. “Just one more thing on my resume!”

For the holidays he wants to spend time with his family and kids. He told us what his kids thought about him being a truck driver, “[My son] thinks it’s pretty neat!” Nick said he would definitely have him sit in the cab, “He’d get a kick out of it!”

We asked him: what did you immediately want to do? “Relax a bit,” he told us, “then hit the ground running again.” Now that he has many options for his career, we wish him luck in all of his future endeavors. Congrats again Nick!

He was nervous about his final test since he had planned to immediately take off. “I was scared, I thought I was going to fail.” However, with the teachings of his instructor, the test was no problem. “[My instructor] was always trying to teach us. He never stopped talking,” Zachary laughed.

Right now he is in Michigan waiting for his California CDL to transfer over. He has been applying for jobs and is about to begin working with the CCS placement department to see what else is out there.

Once again, we want to congratulate Zachary for his successful completion of the course and we hope to work together with him to find just the right job that he’s looking for!

“The first time I went out on the street, [I] was very nervous but through the great teaching and confidence [that] my teacher had in me, I overcame it all and was successful. [...] Just wanted to learn as much as I could.”

Brian’s plans now are “to expand my [ground business] into line haul side of the business. Also to support my fleet of package trucks with my tractor.”

We asked him what he wanted to share with any prospective students that wanted to get their CDL at California Career School. Brian replied, “Training is exceptional– [you are] confident when you go to the DMV and [you get] a great start in an ever growing field. Great experience I will never forget!”

Once again, congratulations Brian and we wish you well in your endeavors and for the continuing growth of your driving business!

Graduates Tin Nguyen and Frank Ovalle came in looking for some help with their resumes and job prospects. Both in very high spirits, it turns out that they had just passed the state Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) exam and are now licensed Smog Check Technicians. We had a moment to talk to them about how the automotive repair class went for them over the duration of the long 24 weeks.

“The course was really intense, teacher was always on top of me,” said Tin. Frank expressed that class was actually rather overwhelming at times. The multiple modules that needed to be covered included not only the basics of automotive performance but also the diagnosis of complex problems, the Clean Air Car Course, preparation for alternative BAR tests, and an extensive list of the systems common to all vehicles today and into the future. In the end, however, Tin and Frank were successful.

There was a lot to do but, “everything that [Rick] taught us was exactly on the exam,” noted Frank. Rick Powell has been teaching for nearly 30 years and is a part of the California Auto Teachers Association. “[He was] always very informative– any questions we had, no matter how dumb we thought it was, he would always have a good answer.”

Frank and Tin went on to describe that Rick used visual tools to get the point across rather than focusing solely on the textbooks provided to the students. “Hands on was very important, which helped a lot,” remarked Tin. In an automotive course, learning from the textbook is one thing compared to learning hands on. Students were able to bring in their own vehicles and familiarize themselves with both the course’s content and the specific workings of their car, truck, SUV, or van.

Tin said, “We were here everyday, I liked studying.”

“Every morning, it was motivating to show up, you wanted to be here,” expressed Frank.

Right now, Frank and Tin are working with the placement department to get their resumes ready for the job market and finally put their knowledge to use.

Congratulations to the both of you! You both persevered and completed a big course. We hope to see you again.

“[I] did research before signing up and found CCS to have nothing but good feedback. At the DMV it was obvious how much more professional and the level of student training was than the rest.” Students get prepared to pass at the DMV by learning exactly what’s on the test. “During DMV testing,” Michael said, his standout moment was, “watching students from other schools and how unprepared they were.” Michael passed the California commercial driver’s test on his first try.

We asked him what he found the most valuable. His reply: “Staff! […] [I] wouldn’t think twice about referring a friend.”

At the moment, Michael is busy planning his next step. With a couple months left in the military, he has time to work with the CCS job placement department to see about getting a job lined up for his civilian life.
Once again, congratulations to Michael for his successful graduation and we wish him well in his future endeavors!