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| Sylva native Jason Wilson will graduate from Southwestern Community College with an associate’s degree in electronics engineering technology on Friday, Dec. 13. |
This month at least, Friday the thirteenth is shaping up as a lucky day for Jason Wilson.
That’s when the Sylva native is scheduled to graduate from Southwestern Community College with an associate’s degree in electronics engineering technology.
Three days later, he’ll start a new career as an industrial technical maintenance technician. He said his starting salary range will be in the range of $50,000-plus. That doesn’t include profit-sharing, which could equal up to 52% of base.
Not bad for a guy who found himself unemployed just over two years ago.
His soon-to-be employer mandated that he not mention the company name for this article, but Wilson will be working in Georgia at a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that has over 400,000 square feet.
“I never thought I would have a job like this, let alone get hired before I graduated,” said Wilson, the son of Charles and Kathy Wilson. “I never even thought of going to college until a couple of years ago."
When he graduated from Smoky Mountain High in 1996, Wilson had no desire to pursue a higher education. He worked several low wage jobs in construction, maintenance, and even had one in manufacturing that paid better - but it went away. He landed with the North Carolina DOT in 2011 but was laid off later that year.
Through North Carolina Employment Security Commission’s career-readiness certificate program, he arrived at SCC’s campus. He tested well, earned the program’s Gold Certification and was offered last-dollar tuition through the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) to pursue an associate’s degree at Southwestern. The offer included books and gas money. All he had to do was attend school and meet standard grade requirements.
Every excuse he’d made to avoid college in years past was gone.
"I had figured out that life in this country without education beyond high school wasn't going to be good,” he said last week.
"I spent a lot of time looking through the SCC Catalog, I never knew how much was available,” he added. “This was a tough decision. I knew this was a one-time opportunity and I had to get it right. I had to pick a major that I would enjoy, something interesting that would lead to a secure future with a good income. I chose electronics engineering technology because it combined my interests with some of my work experience.
“I knew early on I was in the right place, I knew I was where I belonged,” he added. “For me, going back to school was tough, the math in particular, but my professors cared about my success. There was unlimited free tutoring, (it had been a while since high school) and the Learning Assistance Center saved me in the English classes. Once I got into my major and saw the theory relate to the real world with hands-on projects it was a whole new world of learning.”
Wilson excelled at SCC. He’s a member of the National Technical Honor Society and the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Fraternity, and he made the dean’s or president’s list every semester of his college career.
For the past semester, the Macon Program for Progress became the WIA sponsor for Wilson.
"Jason's success is a great example of why we are here, why the taxpayers support the community college system,” said Ron Poor, coordinator of the computer and electronics engineering programs at SCC. “His achievement and the countless numbers like him back to 1964 put a clear focus on our mission for the last 50 years. I can't take credit for students like Jason; simply give them a little direction and get out of their way."
Without an associate’s degree and good grades, Wilson said he would not have been considered for his new position. He had to apply through a private human resources company.
"During the half-day job interview process, I was given a standardized technical skills screening test,” he said. “It was easy; I knew the answers. The same was true of the technical interview that followed. My preparation at SCC was spot on. I couldn't have been better prepared. Nobody could ever convince me that I could have found a better program or place to go to school than SCC.
“Other than becoming a father, nothing has changed my life for the better more than my time at SCC,” Wilson said. “I never thought I would drive 150 miles to a place I'd never been, walk into an interview and return home with this kind of a career, and this is just the beginning."
