MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- There are staffing shortages in jails across southeast Wisconsin, but after Friday, there'll be some relief. 

A class of 33 graduates took their oath Friday after finishing the jail officer course at Milwaukee Area Technical College. 

The new grads already have jobs, and they'll be headed right to work at corrections facilities in Milwaukee, Kenosha, Racine, Ozaukee and Waukesha counties. 

Some graduates were emotional as they graduated. They say the course was very challenging, but they believe their new careers will be rewarding. 

"Every day you go in and meet new faces, or the same faces, and you try to help them out with something," said graduate Mark Clark. "And they're in there for a reason. I'm not there to judge them. I'm just there to protect them and make sure they're safe, give them what they need every day."

"It was kind of hard," said graduate Acacia Jordan. "Coming here, trying to stay focused, taking tests, studying. It was hard."

The graduates completed a five-week, 200-hour course that included written exams and a series of physical tests.