MARYSVILLE — Arlington’s Lawrence Pederson can attest to the value of the Marysville Goodwill’s computer classes.

The Marysville Goodwill’s Job Training and Education Center will conduct registrations Aug. 2 for its free eight-week session of classes starting on Aug. 9, and Pederson assured prospective students that, if he can learn how to use a computer from the Goodwill’s courses, anyone can.

“I lost my job a year ago and was on unemployment for eight months,” said Pederson, a 60-year-old sales representative who hadn’t updated his resume in three decades. “I didn’t know how to get online to find a new job, because all those positions are listed online anymore. Even if you walk into Lowe’s or Walmart, they ask you to sit down and fill out your job application on a computer. Everyone who’s hiring wants someone who has some type of computer knowledge, and I hadn’t even touched a computer before I took my first classes at the Goodwill.”

With the guidance of Gusti Clark, program specialist for the Marysville Goodwill Job Training and Education Center, Pederson went from asking other people to look things up on the Internet for him to figuring out how to copy and paste text, save files and even search for job listings online. He’s now employed as a sales representative for the Anacortes-based Pacific Blanket and Trading Company, and thanked his bosses for allowing him to take time to talk with The Marysville Globe.

“I’m still doing a lot of my job by phone calls, but that all has to go on the computer too,” Pederson said. “I’m also looking up customers on the Internet and sending a lot of e-mails. I didn’t know how to work a mouse or even turn on a computer.”

The Marysville Goodwill’s classes tend to fill up quickly and sign-ups are conducted on a first-come, first-served basis, so those who are interested are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible.

Their introductory computer courses are targeted toward people with little to no computer experience, and include information on basic Windows tools, basic Word documents, files and folders, the Internet and e-mail. The upcoming session of computer classes will run through Sept. 30 and is set to include computer basics, Microsoft Word and job readiness, the latter of which will teach students how to use computers to search for jobs on the Internet and write resumes, among other skills.

The Marysville Goodwill Job Training and Education Center is located at 9315 State Ave. and will register students on Aug. 2 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For class availability and further enrollment information, you may contact Clark at 360-657-4058 or <a href="mailto:gusti.clark@seattlegoodwill.org".gusti.clark@seattlegoodwill.org.