For several decades, Jakub Kalich didn’t need his GED. As a chef and an entrepreneur, he built a successful career from helping run several family businesses. But when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Kalich decided he wanted to step away from those organizations and quickly realized the limitations he faced by not having a high school diploma.
“Unfortunately, you’re looked at differently when you don’t have it,” said Kalich. “I decided it was time to complete it so I could have access to different employment opportunities and better pay.”
After making the decision to head back to school, Kalich started researching programs that would allow him to finish the 15 credits he was missing, while balancing work and family commitments. What he found was that there were very few programs that offered the flexibility that he was searching for.
“The only ones I found were full-time with classes scheduled in the evenings and mornings,” he said. “The program was going to take a year or a year and a half and I was running a business at the time.”
The 47-year-old then discovered NorQuest College’s Community Adult Learning Program (CALP). Kalich admitted that returning to school after being out of the classroom was intimidating but credits his success to the support and structure of CALP.
“I realized how convenient it was to be able to go at your own pace, little by little, day by day.”
The program aims to help students make a seamless transition back to school by providing personalized learning programs and offering a safe space where students can make mistakes. Kalich said he took advantage of the flexibility of the program to learn at his own pace and seek out the support of the instructors when he faced challenges.
“I didn’t get everything right on the tests, but I didn’t see those as setbacks,” Kalich said. “I knew I was further ahead than when I started and each time, I took the test more and more information started sinking in.”
Kalich finished his required credits in just a couple of months and graduated from the program with his high school diploma. He then found a job with the provincial government working as a protection service officer at Island Health.
“I think we purposely sabotage ourselves because [going back to school] is something that we aren’t comfortable with, so we fear it,” Kalich said. “Once you start, you’ll surprise yourself.”