direct support professional

direct support professional ii

business development specialist

financial specialist

facilities technician

Becoming Independent

If you enjoy, making a difference and making people smile then this is the job for you. The amazing memories you make on a daily by encouraging, empowering, inspiring, and supporting the people that we serve. Is the highlight of my day. The joyful, heart warming difference you make in one’s life, is such a wonderful feeling. Everyone’s schedule is different but there are so many varieties here at BI on how to support the people we serve. For example if you enjoy more of the arts, creating classes, and fun activities then there’s a spot here for you. If you enjoy delegating and guiding someone on how to work then there’s a place for you here at becoming independent. My schedule consists of them both where half of the week I am creating activities for my group, like doing art work at the beach, or taking my group to a swimming/Dance class at the YMCA, as well as enjoying nature walks and taking them to see a movie they’ve been dying to see. Exploring holiday activities like taking them to the pumpkin patch, or to see the Christmas trees in downtown Windsor. The other half of my week I am delegating and setting them up for success at our worksites. I get the pleasure on taking my group to earn some money of their own at Mary’s Pizza Shack in Petaluma. Where my group gets paid to wipe tables, folds boxes, and fill cheese and peppers. I get to support my group on learning basic skills, and gaining an amazing work ethic. I also have a day where I take my group out to do some volunteer work. We do Meals on Wheels, which is delivering food to people in our community. My group always feels fulfilled when delivering the meals putting smiles on people’s faces as we bring them their food. What warm’s my heart is one of the people I serve every time she delivers a meal she gets so excited and says “I did it!!” Then shows off her muscles, it’s the cutest thing ever! They’re many other volunteer jobs, worksites, and activities other groups do. For example I know some groups do litter jobs, other groups do volunteer work at the children museum and Goatlandia where they’re learning basic skills. My favorite part of my work day is singing with my group on our car rides. Hearing them hum along always makes me smile. One difficult part of the job is trying to create an activity that everyone in your group wants to do. Not everyone in your group will always agree on one thing, so finding that balance is key. Currently I have learned a lot here at Becoming Independent how to support individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities the best way possible. How to manage behavioral outbursts, how to help an individual accomplish their goals. At the end of the day the Lord definitely answered my prayers when I asked for a job where I can serve others to the fullest. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
I absolutely love working at Becoming Independent. The company culture here is incredibly supportive, collaborative, and forward-thinking. Leadership truly values work-life balance and actively listens to employee feedback.
What makes my role so great is the balance between autonomy and teamwork. I am constantly trusted to take ownership of my projects, but I also know I have a fantastic team and supportive management ready to collaborate or lend a hand. Since starting here March of 2016, I have been given amazing opportunities for professional development and skill-building. The company invests in its people, making it an incredibly rewarding place to grow both personally and professionally.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
I drive a lot. But I do get reimbursed for my miles so it's not as stressful.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
I have to say the company culture here is incredibly supportive, collaborative, and forward-thinking. Leadership truly values work-life balance and actively listens to employee feedback.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
As a Direct support professional 3, I often work with individuals out in the community. Doctors appointments, social security appointments, walks at the park etc.

Working as a Direct Support professional II (DSP II) has been an incredibly rewarding experience. In my role I focus on helping individuals connect with their community, which fosters independence and builds meaningful relationships outside their usual circles. 
What I appreciate most about my role is the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of those I work with. Even in just three months, I've seen how small steps can lead to significant progress in promoting inclusion and empowerment. The company has provided me with the tools and support I need to perform my duties effectively, and my colleagues are always helpful and collaborative. 
While I continue to learn and grow into the position, I feel supported and encouraged to give my best every day. This job has allowed me to develop patience, empathy, and strong communication skills, and I look forward to continuing to make a difference. 

First, I’d like to say the only reason I stayed at this company was because of the individuals served. Clients are amazing & love all their staff. 

Second, although they offer a great benefit package, the workload, stress, burnout & lack of teamwork/communication is not worth the mental strain. Be expected to do a million tasks throughout the day.  Including driving routs, bus loading & unloading, doing volunteer jobs, teaching classes, feeding/changing/rest-rooming,  setting up/breaking down furniture, doing paperwork, plus monthly trainings that are impossible to complete throughout the work week unless you request the whole day to sit and complete it. Some supervisors will disregard your concerns & will let employees get away with doing certain things while others can’t. The long term employees are very cliquish & gossip about new hires. The pay is fairly low for the amount of work that is expected. 

My day usually consists of getting everyone ready for the day and the adventure we are about to embark on. I get people to use the restroom lunches ready charts and so fourth. we go to different places ranging from park to libraries to some random adventure on what they wanna do. We are always going on a adventure to wherever seems like spending some money they have to eating food in a park or something more fun like bowing.My most enjoyable day is when i get to see my participants being happy and having a fun time no matter what we are doing. The hardest part of the day Hardest part of my day is when we have to stop having fun and have to return to the work place . I am constantly learning something new because each person always brings something new to the table.I manage things from there records where to go time management making sure i get back in time .

Hello persons of Indeed. I'm here to inform you of a typical day of work at Becoming Independent and what you can expect after applying. First off, i'd like to say I really enjoyed working with the participants, they really made the job worth it. I enjoyed going out on community time on; hikes, walks, trips to new locations and much much more. Apart from the fun outings you might endure, they hardly allow trips anymore. 
I learned quite a bit of skills I didn't know going in.

Often times when you feel over worked, your managers won't take your thoughts or opinions into consideration and will most likely write you up for complaining. Over time I noticed that the way that management dealt with situations was unprofessional and unfair to both participants and staff. The Lgbtqqi community usually gets targeted first. If you want to work somewhere that has amazing participants and poor management, this is the place for you. 

P.S Thank you for taking time to read this.

Beware the hype & the great benefits. Employees are constantly told how important they are to the business to make up for inadequate pay, constant last minute schedule changes, driving 5 bus routes a week, sometimes twice a day, loading & unloading hundreds of people a week, teaching classes, feeding/restrooming, taking people to volunteer & paid jobs. As a result, people frequently call out sick. Workload is 3 people per employee, which can be a lot, depending on the clients. The clients are lovely (for the most part) but not very happy being shuttled around like cattle. The ones with severe mental , emotional and/or physical disabilities need a lot of individual support. However, due to the size of the organization & the unmanagability if it, staff can't afford to give all their attention to one client without neglecting the needs of the many, so there's lots of drama going on. The turnover is about 75% for staff, due to burnout. 

I've worked at BI for almost 5 years and have been able to learn so much at my time with this organization.  I came from the world of teaching and Special Ed and this was my first time working with adults with disabilities.  
BI really makes a point of making me feel supported and appreciated for the effort I put into my job.  
Yes, we have a lot of staff turn over (especially since March 2020) but there is also a core group of dedicated people who have been at BI for years and who really care about the people we serve.   
I would find it very hard to leave the people I support and the relationships I've fostered at BI.  I leave every day feeling good about the work I do and the people it serves. 

I found the workplace environment to be very chaotic with little regard to work standards and often forcing new employees to be doing jobs that they are not suppose to do and not equipping them with the right tools. There are many professionals that work here that are passionate about the work but what I found most discerning was the poor management. They seem to encourage individuals who perpetuate a negative environment for the clients they serve and find it more "productive" to not only put down the clients but also other employees. I had to quit the organization because I saw no solution to correcting a system that will continue to victimize those who've been victimized in the past or correcting management's job of being complacent (at the very least) to the verbal abuse happening in the LifeSkills department.

I really enjoy working for this company. They have assisted and helped me so much. I came to work here with nothing, and they came together and helped me get back on my feet. Even when I had issues, they again came together to support me and to create a solution rather than let the problem continue. All companies have their own agendas, but you can tell when you are actually cared for. Use your own discernment! Though I will say, to anyone looking for a company that is willing to help, takes accountability, openly communicative, and tries to avoid emotional coercion. Id suggest this one as a start. This place is not infallible, but you can tell that the humans here are strong. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Direct support professional 13 salaries reported	$21.54 per hour
Direct support professional ii 22 salaries reported	$22.66 per hour
Business development specialist 2 salaries reported	$26.50 per hour
Financial specialist 1 salary reported	$26.50 per hour
Facilities technician 2 salaries reported	$23.00 per hour

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