Achieve More with Athens Tech: Recent Episodes
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Achieve More with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College.
A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia. Equal Opportunity Institution.
The ASN program is a full-time, 4 semester program that is delivered over a period of two years. General education courses are offered on multiple ATC campuses. The nursing core classes are offered on the Athens and Walton campuses, accepting up to 80 students each fall. The Walton campus will begin enrollment for fall 2022. All courses are web enhanced and taught on campus. Clinical experiences are obtained through multiple healthcare facilities. Each summer, the accelerated bridge program for qualifying LPN’s/paramedics integrate students into the fall semester as senior level students. Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and licensed GA paramedics personnel may be eligible to enroll in the accelerated bridge program that requires a minimum of three semesters to complete the nursing (RNSG) courses. The bridge program allows them to enter the second year of the nursing curriculum on a space-available basis. Interested students should contact the Admissions Office and request information on the bridge program.
Clinical experiences are present during all nursing courses with a practicum experience at the end of senior year. The practicum experience (180 hours) is hands-on learning, guided by an experienced registered nurse, and overseen by faculty. Many of our students have found this to be an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skills to potential employers which often leads to job offers. Our ASN graduates begin working as entry-level registered nurses (RN) once they pass the NCLEX exam. The current entry-level RN starting wage is approximately $57,000/year in the state of Georgia. There is a large diversity in workplace opportunities. For example: Settings in Hospitals, Emergency Departments, Intensive Care Units, Acute Care Units, Maternal/Child Departments, and Surgical Centers.
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Welcome to achieve more with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College. This is where you'll discover how the programs at Athens Tech can connect you with in-demand and high paying careers. Today we're gonna look at the bioscience program at Athens Tech.00:00:18S2I started out as just, you know, a lab tech, and I am now a senior protein chemist. And I just worked my way up the ladder here. Um, just with the skills that I gained and the knowledge that I gained from Athens Tech.00:00:35S3So we hire Athens tech students. We've hired a number of students. We, you know, interest in these students because they're trained in the skills that I need to do the jobs that my clients want us to do.00:00:49S4On my first day, June 1st, 1998, I walked in the door and the the lab director, Jenks Patel said, here's this, this, this go assay these fractions.00:01:01S1Bioscience technicians use the principles and theories of science and mathematics to assist in research and development and in the invention and improvement of products and processes. Which sounds incredibly cool, but the real story here is jobs. Lots of jobs in a growing industry.00:01:17S5The partnership that we have with HTC is more than just being a student, and it's more than just finding a job. If you look at our charter at Athens Research, we're creating leaders in our company. We're creating leaders that are also that are leaders outside these four walls. We call leaders in the community. And we're also creating leaders that are respected in the industry.00:01:34S1We're going to get to that. But first, let's find out some details of what the bioscience program actually is.00:01:40S6I'm Doctor Nicole Parker, and I am the chair of bioscience at Athens Technical College. Bioscience allows you to develop your skills working in the lab, learning different techniques, manipulation of DNA, growth of bacterial cells, cell culture with eukaryotic organisms, and a lot of chemistry on the side. To really get you a good background, to be prepared to go into industry and work straight out of school.00:02:10S7I'm Michael, married and a teacher. Biology and chemistry. General chemistry and organic chemistry. In addition, I teach, uh, what is called regulatory compliance for bio manufacturing and quality assurance and validation of bio manufacturing and patents and technology transfer. Prior to coming to Athens Technical College, I worked at a biotechnology company, and I got experience then in, um, the bio manufacturing process and development of a process.00:02:52S1So what are the classes in this program really like?00:02:54S6Our classrooms are a mixture of lecture and labs. So we will have a number of labs scheduled for the semester. And we build our lecture around that. So generally our meeting times are let's say from eight to noon. And that sort of is a mixture of the lecture and lab components. And we have a lot of time to be able to really work on our skills in the lab and make sure that we understand not just the results of it, but why we're doing each step so that we have the ability to critically think about any mistakes or any results that might not look correct, and go back and make sure that the students can thoroughly understand what they've done, why they've done each step, and develop those skills that allows them to really succeed when they leave here.00:03:46S1And there's a hands on aspect to the bioscience program at Athens Tech to.00:03:50S7Say about 60%, 65% hands on experimental work and then 35% lectures. So, so 65% laboratory or so, the clean room work and then the 35% lectures.00:04:10S6We do have a hands on approach to the labs and to the courses themselves, and that's to make sure that you have plenty of practice with the skills that you're learning. Our students have the opportunity to create their own chemicals, where in a number of other labs, the chemicals would be created for them and they would simply be doing the reaction. But in our courses, we have the ability to go from step one, which is construction of the different solutions that we'll be using all the way to the assay we might be conducting, or any other various experiments so that they see how it's done from the ground up and it's not prepped for them, but they get the experience of prepping their own lab materials in order to complete their labs. Yeah. Go.00:05:01S7Through the process working in a clean room. So everything under sterile conditions and which about. Yeah, really interesting. And you know, that, uh, could go around looking like spacemen, you know, with the gown on and mask and first step on a techie mat, you step on tech mat and, uh, eliminate debris from your shoes and then spraying your hands with sanitizer and then donning gloves and, and then, uh, a gown and then mask and then putting on a shoe covers as one steps over from the clean part. Well, from the dirty part, what's called the dirty part of the clean room to the clean part. So whole, you know, it's all worked out, like everything to minimize any contamination.00:05:44S1And the hands on learning experience will prepare you for working in a lab, and there are plenty of jobs to be found.00:05:50S5Hey, I'm John Mitchell, I'm CEO here at Athens Research and Technology. Athens Research Technology is a 35 year old company that provides key proteins, human and animal proteins for drug research, disease diagnosis all over the world. And we provide our products to over 1500 customers in 28 different countries. So I've been at Athens Research now for 15 months, and one of the things that we realized that we were growing and, uh, you know, we were kind of like, it's a post-Covid environment. Labor was tough to find. And so what we created was we worked on creating what we call a talent pipeline. And we looked at ourselves and we looked at the surrounding educational institutions. A mile and a half away is Athens Tech. And so what we started to do was engaged leadership to say, how can your bioscience program students coming out with two degree? How can they fit into our our world in protein chemistry?00:06:44S1That's right. There's a major bio manufacturer working with Athens Tech to make sure that the bioscience program teaches you what you need to know to hit the ground running with the job. But that's not all.00:06:54S3My name is David Bloom, and I am the director of the Bio Expression and Fermentation Facility. So we are a contract research organization within the university, and we provide services to different customers. That could be UGA faculty. It could be a company that's a startup company at UGA or any any company or any university outside of the the UGA. So we hire Athens tech students. We've hired a number of students. We, you know, interest in these students because they're trained in the skills that I need to do the jobs that my clients want us to do in a college environment. You're learning a lot of theory, but not a lot of practice. And so at Athens Tech, they're getting more of the hands on skills that you need to work in industry. They teach them how to do tasks that we're required for our projects.00:07:57S5These tech schools do a great job of gearing education towards the local industry need. So in looking at life science organizations and biotechnology in this area, his program is really geared toward providing the foundation necessary for laboratory technicians. And so here they are. They've got this custom program that's really closely aligned to my need. And then I'm participating with them, sharing them where we're growing. And they're going to adjust and fine tune their program to meet our future needs. So now I've got this collaborative process for this talent pipeline. They're not just, you know, fill out a form, we'll send you an intern. You know, they're trying to understand my needs and adjust how they recruit, how they teach so that the students come better prepared to meet my needs. Did you.00:08:43S1Hear that? Athens Tech will teach you the skills you need to know. So that you can get a job and a career and be ahead of the game.00:08:50S5That's right, that's exactly right. And the nice thing is, with them being so close, their students can actually come and work here half time and go to school and we'll accelerate their training. So when they actually graduate school, they've got a job here and they're starting at level two, not level one, not entry level.00:09:05S1After you finished the bioscience program at Athens Tech, what exactly is the job that you'll be doing? Let's talk to Christy and Renee.00:09:12S2My name is Christie Hinson. I graduated from Athens Tech in 1991, and I have been employed at Athens Research and Technology for 28 years.00:09:27S4I am Renee Russell Moore. I work at Athens Research and Technology. Um, I am a senior protein chemist. I graduated from Athens Tech May of 1998, a very long time ago, and I started working here June 1st, 1998 at Athens Research and Technology, and I've been here ever since.00:09:48S1Side note did you notice that both of them have been in their careers for a very long time?00:09:53S2Athens Tech. We learned a broad spectrum of things, and we hit on lots of topics in the science industries and. Our favorite part was always the biochemistry part and the organic chemistry part. And the skills that I learned there have helped carry me through and learn even more skills. That was like my basis, my foundation for the skills that I've learned over the years. Without that foundation and that hands on experience and knowledge that I gained at Athens Tech, I think it would have not been quite as easy to ease into to the field that I'm in now.00:10:36S4On my first day, June 1st, 1998. I walked in the door and the the lab director Jenks Patel said, here's this, this, this go assay these fractions. And I just kind of looked at her and I knew exactly what to do. I didn't need I knew how to use the micro pipettes. I knew how to do everything. And I think what I like the best about it is that, I mean, I hit the ground running and I've never really stopped. And I like that because it's, you know, I learn something new every day, especially about the bioscience world and everything that's going on that's been going on since 2020. Just, um, it's pretty interesting. But the fact that I know that my products that I purify and everybody else is purifying is going to help people. They're either going to researchers or they're going to companies that are cylinder researchers, or they're going into like a pharmaceutical type to that kind of a company so that they can be reworked and redone so that, you know, can eventually end up helping the world. And it's pretty it's pretty interesting when you've got publications of work that you've done and people see your publications and they order from you and, you know, buy our products because other researchers have actually been published for it. And it's just a pretty cool thing I like, but I do I do like helping others, and I feel like it makes a difference in this field. I feel like especially with lipoproteins and no one, you know, like everybody has cholesterol issues. It's it's not just, you know, a certain demographic, it's everyone. And I feel like that helps a lot. We also do a lot of stuff for stem cell media, which really that's a big deal too. So I mean, I know that I like that aspect of it.00:12:26S1The bioscience program at Athens Tech will provide you with the training to work in an in-demand career that, just like Rene said, helps people and helps the world. Rene, what are some of the details of your job?00:12:37S4I take human plasma and I purify out lipoproteins, which are your cholesterol, LDL, HDL, LDL. You're good. You're bad. You're really ugly. When you go and have your cholesterol tested at your yearly doctor's exam, we have purified the standards that your blood is compared to. That's 50% of my day. The rest of my day is getting out the components of those lipoproteins, because there's more proteins that go into those, to the lipids that you make up, the lipids. That's pretty I mean, lots of centrifuges and just gels. And people in bioscience will know what I'm talking about. An 82, 80 and just lots of column chromatography during the day.00:13:27S1And what are the skills you learned at Athens Tech that you use every day?00:13:30S8Let's see.00:13:31S4Chemistry, molarity, knowing chemical properties, knowing how reactions between chemicals work. Um, column chromatography. That's a daily basis. Ion exchange, gel filtration, you name them. They're they're I'm trying to think of all the ones affinity chromatography reading a two 80s, uh, absorbance just that's running gel gel electrophoresis. That's a major part of my day. And that was that's one of, like, the favorite thing that I do. Um, we actually did ultra centrifuge work. And so when I started at Athens Research and Technology, I realized, oh, I know how to use this machine and didn't realize that 24 years later, I was still going to be running that machine every day so that I love it. And it's great. But yes, I mean, everything in the bioscience program, the.00:14:27S7Demand for people. Yeah. Qualified people is is definitely there. Yeah, undoubtedly. Yeah. We we try, you know, it's all coming in like you'll be able to just walk into a job like, you know, go through the program, everything you required. And there's a job jobs available for you.00:14:45S1Can you achieve more with the bioscience program at Athens Tech? It's definitely worth looking into.00:14:49S7Some of it. You know, it may look a little scary that. Yeah. So the chemistry and general chemistry, organic chemistry, the whole purpose, the purpose of the program is then to train you then. So don't get frightened about, you know what? What's involved. So that, you know, many students thought of feeling that same way, you know, very apprehensive and and uncertain and then say, well, it's really not that bad. You get into it and it's, it's, uh, you can get the hang of it. And it's actually quite fun. And, and then you could feel the satisfaction that you've accomplished something that you never thought you could do it. And you get through it and you'll feel so much better for it.00:15:32S5The partnership that we have with ATC is more than just being a student, and it's more than just finding a job. If you look at our charter at Athens Research, we're creating leaders in our company. We're creating leaders that are also that are leaders outside these four walls. We call leaders in the community. And we're also creating leaders that are respected in the industry. So come join with us and ATC beyond this journey, with this company that's growing, and be part of this program that feeds right into our company and start your career. Accelerate your career with us by partnering with ATC and working through their two year degree bio sciences program, and be in our intern program, and then just launch your career with us for the next 20 years. And I think that's what's missing today. I think these kids oftentimes have these brilliant minds, but not sure exactly how to apply it with what we're doing with program is we're partnering with the intellectual side, and we're partnering with mastery on the skill set side and showing them that there's a career, that there's this progression of steps where you'll learn more than just the protein chemistry side, but you'll also learn the leadership side and the program, all those functional skills that are so important to growing leaders in our industry and our company and in our community.00:16:41S3So, I mean, having these well trained staff members helps us complete the projects on time under budget. And, you know, we get a higher success rate than if we we had, you know, workers that weren't trained at Athens Tech.00:16:59S2Our company has really started growing. We have been in business for 36 years. And the internship program that we have with Athens Tech has really helped us to grow. As far as personally, if I had not gone to Athens Tech, I wouldn't be in this field. But, you know, I think where would I be if I had not gone to Athens Tech? But it has helped me to be able to work in a field that I love, and a field that has allowed me to grow professionally and intellectually and even emotionally. I mean, it has helped me grow in all areas of my life, in leadership and everything. Athens Tech was really a great starting point for my career.00:17:53S1Thanks for listening to achieve more with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College. For more information on the bioscience program, be sure to visit Athens Tech Edu.00:18:05S9This podcast is a production of BGR Group. All rights reserved. I.
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There are many rewarding career opportunities available in the heating, air conditioning, ventilation, and refrigeration industry. The Air Conditioning Technology program is designed to give students a firm knowledge and skill base necessary to begin a career in a high-demand field with many career pathways available. Students of the Air Conditioning Technology program learn in an environment where the instructors know each student and take a special interest to ensure each person has an opportunity to reach their goal.
We take a practical, applied approach in teaching the fundamentals and skills of the HVAC/R trade. Students learn a firm foundation in the principles of science required to understand refrigeration, electricity, and the thermodynamic world, while reinforcing these principles in the lab with real-world applications. The program is very hands-on, focusing on the skills that each graduate must know to be successful in the HVAC/R field. The program is very accommodating and offers flexible scheduling to allow working students and traditional students convenient options for attending classes and labs. Program instructors know each student and take a special interest to ensure each person has an opportunity to reach their goal. Graduates of the Air Conditioning Technology diploma program will be ready to begin a rewarding career installing, maintaining, and servicing systems in the air conditioning and refrigeration industry. The current job market is strong with many positions available for graduates to begin great careers. The Air Conditioning Technology program is designed to give students a firm knowledge and skill base necessary to begin a career in a high-demand field with many career pathways available.
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In order to design spaces successfully, interior designers must be knowledgeable in the areas of building construction, building materials, specification writing, codes, technical drawing, and business practices. Interior designers analyze problem areas, develop planning and detailed design solutions, and organize and supervise projects to full completion while maintaining attention to client needs and resources. Interior designers also work hand in hand with other building specialists. Excelling at interior design requires energy, technical proficiency, vision, and dedication. All of the hard work, however, will result in a rewarding and fulfilling career.
Interior designers are creative, imaginative and artistic. They also need to be disciplined, organized, and skilled business people. Combining knowledge with aesthetic vision, interior designers work with clients and other design professionals to develop design solutions that are safe, functional, and attractive and that meet the needs of the people using the space. As members of a service profession, interior designers’ success depends on their ability to satisfy clients. Thus, they must understand artistic and technical requirements of a project, interpersonal communication, and management strategies. Students enrolled in the Associate of Applied Science degree will complete an internship towards the end of their time in the program. This real world experience will connect what students are learning in their coursework to what occurs in the field. The program also features interaction with practicing professionals through guest lectures, interviews, firm tours, showroom tours, and field trips to manufacturers.
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The Dental Hygiene curriculum teaches the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective skills that will enable prospective dental hygienists to provide the highest quality of care to patients. It also integrates of and promotes the interrelationship between general education, biomedical science, dental science, dental hygiene science, and clinical practice components of preventative dental hygiene services
Dental Assistants are competent in the technical areas of preventative dentistry; four-handed dentistry; chair-side assisting with emphasis in diagnostics, operative, fixed prosthodontics, pediatric dentistry, orthodontic procedures, endodontic procedures, and surgical and expanded functions; dental practice management; and dental radiology. Students will be placed at two-three practicum sites out in the local dental community.
Achieve More with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College.
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If you didn’t finish high school, we offer free classes in each of the counties in our service area to help you prepare to take the GED test or HiSET exam. We also offer free English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. These free classes help hundreds of students each year learn the skills needed to complete their high school equivalency (GED/HiSET), attain citizenship, go to college, or find a job. GED and
HiSET testing scholarships are available for those who qualifyCareer Plus HSE offers the flexibility to earn a high school equivalency (HSE) without the stress of a high-stakes test. Georgians age 21 and older without a high school diploma can acquire a basic education and high-demand workforce skills at the same time. Complete coursework to become certified in your chosen career path. Embrace the journey. Enjoy the rewards
Achieve More with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College.
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Students who are interested in a career in the pre-hospital healthcare environment should consider both the short-term and long-term success of a program on the National Registry of EMT’s certifying exams, as well as retention rates. Athens Technical College’s EMS programs have a long standing success in preparing students both for the exam and the field work of pre-hospital providers.
The Paramedicine program is a full-time class load and classes are currently held from 6 pm until 10 pm. Since the overwhelming majority of paramedic students are employed full-time in the industry, those classes take place around a 24/48 schedule that is common in this EMS Region. Both programs will have 3 or less all-day classes each semester.
Achieve More with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College.
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Cosmetology offers a wide variety of diploma and certificate options, which allow graduates to register for State Board license exams, then enter the industry in their chosen field. Career options include Master Cosmetologist (hair, skin and nails), Hair Designer (hair services), Barbering and Esthetics. Our instructor team places 100% emphasis on State Board preparation, infection control and salon services
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Learn more about the Drafting and Engineering Technology programs and how they are different yet work to achieve common goals.
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High school students can get a jump start on their college studies with the Athens Tech dual enrollment program.
Achieve More with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College.
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Today we learn more about the Computer Information Systems Technology program at Athens Tech.
Achieve More with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College.
A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia. Equal Opportunity Institution.
Welcome to Achieve More with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College. This is where you'll discover how the programs at Athens Tech can connect you with in-demand and high paying careers. Today, we're going to hear about the Computer Information Systems Technology program.
Welcome to achieve more with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College. This is where you'll discover how the programs at Athens Tech can connect you with in-demand and high paying careers. Today, we're going to look at computer information systems, computer networking and emerging technologies.00:00:20S2Upon graduation, most of our students are finding jobs, those that want to find a job. There are more open positions available in technology than any other area.00:00:32S3I think the students that we've had that we've hired on have been exceptional. They are experiences and they get a lot more hands on than some of the mainstream larger colleges and universities do.00:00:47S4It was kind of just just looking around at different degree programs at different places. It seemed like this was just a better return on investment.00:00:57S1In today's episode, we're going to find out how studying computers at Athens Tech can open up a vast number of jobs and industries where you can shine.00:01:13S2My name is Helen Hall. I am the chair for Computer Information Systems Technology CIC, which is composed of two majors, computer support specialist and networking specialist. I am also chair of the Emerging Technologies Department and it consists of Emerging Technologies Major.00:01:35S1Helen is the person that can give us more details on what exactly these programs are.00:01:41S2The networking specialist is for network administrators, students who want to become a network administrator, and computer support is actually for those students that are interested in either the hardware or technical support track the emerging technologies. Basically, it has about four different components. We have gaming, robotics, drones and mobile apps.00:02:10S1That sounds like a lot. And it is, but that's why we're here today.00:02:14S5My name is Todd Campbell. I'm an instructor at this technical college. I have two different curriculums. I teach I teach computer information systems, technology and emerging technologies. My background is I'm actually a former student of Athens Technical College. I graduated in the computer support program. I went on to Southern Polytechnic and finished my four year degree and got a Bachelor of Science in I.T. And then I went to Kansas State and finished my Masters in I.T. secured. I like to specialize in programming, so I do a lot of the programming in computer information systems. I actually explain what the computer is and how it works. And the computer support specialist is one pathway we have, and it is designed to take the computers apart and fix them and put them back together. I teach programming and logic and the basic things of computers support.00:03:23S1Todd's career journey means that he is not only well-equipped to teach these courses, he also has firsthand knowledge of what it's like to be a student at Athens Tech.00:03:33S5Anybody that has a technical knowledge and desire to understand how computers work and programs work, whether it be mobile applications or applications like Windows, operating systems like Linux or some of the other ones are great candidates to go to school here. We try to get our students ready to go to work, you know, have internships and partners with different people so that they actually start working in the field to leave after their two year degree.00:04:06S4My name is Luke Ballou. I work in the I.T. department here at Athens Tech. I'm a technical support specialist. And essentially we work on tickets for classrooms, instructors, faculty members when technology is not working correctly, whether it be a printers not printing a projector or not projecting someone can't get to their e-mail things. Things like that. I studied the networking specialist program. Now, I had spent a lot of time outside of the field, sort of the kind of adjacent jobs. And I always ended up doing tech support is like, why don't I go back to school and get the credentials to be able to do what I'm always doing and get paid well.00:05:06S1Get paid well. Isn't that what we all want?00:05:09S2Our network administrators. We've had students start anywhere from depending on the company, whether it's a small company, medium company, large company, and depending on the skill of that company. But their pay has ranged anywhere from from 30,000 all the way up to 55 for networking and therefore computer support. Basically, they started out around 30 as well and they've gone up to, you know, about 45, 50,000 as well. So they they're able to find some good paying jobs. What we teach is actually what the industry is looking for. We make sure that what we teach is industry related because we have a program advisory committee in our program advisory committee consist of industry people that are in technology.00:06:10S1Did you hear that at Athens? TAK You're going to learn exactly what companies need you to know, and that's going to help you get a job.00:06:19S2With our advisory board, we need once every semester. During our meetings, we basically have our advisory board, which are industry people tell us what they're looking for and we have people as far as that are in computer support, that are in networking, that are in technology management, emerging tech security. And they are they actually tell us what are they looking for, what's coming next as well? Because we want to be able to forecast what we need to offer for our students.00:06:56S3Sir, my name is Hassan Chowdhury. I'm the chief operating officer for Firestorm Cyber. We are a managed security service provider here in the Athens area. As far as Athens Tech, I think I've been a member of the advisory panel for, I think about ten years now, give or take. And it's been it's been an awesome experience being able to to participate in the good that they do. And over the years, we've we've hired directly from Athens Tech is what we do here. We're in the trenches day in and day out, 24 hours a day. And so we get to see a lot of interesting things and use a lot of technology to to not only secure the customers that we have, but their infrastructure and so on. So it helps me to to give them some feedback on the types of things that we're actually seeing that maybe they should consider focusing on. I think over the years that's been helpful for them to say, well, you know, is, is a direction to go, virtualization is a direction to go now and maybe even add things to the course availability that would lend towards being successful in the field and not just get out of school with a piece of paper that says you took X number of classes in X number of tests and here you go. So I think it allows them to focus. I think the students that we've had that we've hired on have been exceptional. They are experiences. They get a lot more hands on than some of the mainstream larger colleges and universities, too. So I think it's been it's been rewarding in both directions.00:08:47S1A short recap. We know that you'll learn the exact skills the industry is looking for. We know that the instructors are well versed in these topics and we know that the industry pays well. So let's get some details about the program.00:09:01S2In our areas, we have both lecture and lab for almost every class, and it's actually built in as far as in the catalog we show students for how many hours or lecture and how many hours a lab out of the week. And then that basically depends on the class.00:09:23S4You're going to learn a lot. There are a lot of moving pieces when it comes to art work, and you do have to be aware of a lot of things and you might learn some things that you won't necessarily use every day, but that you would need to be familiar with. So in this program, you're going to learn the the basics of of computing, you know, what a mouse, a keyboard, a monitor are, and then you know what the components of a computer are. And from there, there's a lot of learning how Microsoft Windows works, how Microsoft Server works, which you use a lot. And it because that's that's how you manage the network and the users and the computers on that network. And you will learn how how networking works, how switches were, how servers work. That's I guess that's a basic re I'm trying not to get too technical.00:10:32S1And what about emerging technologies? What is that?00:10:36S2Well, in emerging technologies, it is all about those technologies that are new, in our case, drones and robotics and 3D printing. All of that is what we consider emerging technologies. And now we're getting more into not just how to fly a drone, but our classes now are teaching toward the to get the the drones pilot's license. And that license is actually certified by FAA. So they. I actually have to be a pilot to be able to pass the drone pilot certification. As technology changes, we're changing as well. We have to because in an emerging technologies was emerging today is not going to be emerging tomorrow. But right now, as far as emerging technologies is concerned, we have the drones, the robotics. And in robotics, they do build their robot, the print, the body of it, and they build their robot and they program the robot as well. Now, we do have something that is exciting that's coming along. We are actually getting I don't know if you've seen that robotic dog. Have you seen that? Yeah. I mean, you know, not too many people have it yet, but it is emerging technologies and we are going to get that as well so that we can teach our students about this robotic dog and how to program it. And it can be used in various situations. Even a lot of police departments are are trying to get this robotic dog now so that, for instance, if there's a some type of lock down, then the dog can actually be sent out. And it has video capabilities. It even has capabilities to open a door and walk upstairs. So that's just one application for this robotic dog. But because it is a robotic arm, I think it is a very good application for our students to learn real world applications for robotics.00:12:51S1Drones, robotics, 3D printing. That's pretty cool. Here's an important question. What does a real employer in the industry think of the education you can get at Athens Tech?00:13:04S3I think they get more hands on and they're able to get beyond just the theory that they learned from reading books or or having a professor or instructor telling them things and taking notes. And in the world that we live in. That's priceless to me. Someone who's had the hands on who's who's actually done the things that we do on a day in and day out basis is far, far more valuable to me than someone who's read books and attended classes that I think even in the larger institution's labs, don't really even cover that because you're in a lab for once, twice a week for five, six, ten weeks. And that's not really enough, because in the lab environment, you're getting to touch some things, but you don't really get to play. And I think that's what differentiates the tech schools, especially Athens tech from from, say, Georgia State. You get the professors and instructors, from my experience, have that real world experience and they're able to share that.00:14:07S1You'll learn what you need to know to be successful, and because of that, you too can achieve more.00:14:13S4I achieved more with Athens Tech by taking control of my education, my career and my future.00:14:22S5You achieve more by by spending your dollars wisely. I mean students now. You know, there's a big thing in the news now about student debts and all this kind of stuff. You can come to Athens Technical College and leave here debt free with a two year degree and a job. Or you could go to a four year school and spend your first two years accumulating debt and still not have a job, you know, and working in the industry. So what makes us in the technical college system in general, great, is that you can come in here, we're prepping you, you know, for a job. And we have employers asking us for students. So, you know, so that we can refer them out in internships and in actual jobs where they're making money. So the turnaround time you can start and in two years, two and a half years working in the field that you want to be working on certifications that we prep for here, we get technical certifications here. So and we're actually a testing center that will help you get your certifications here. So that's what really makes us makes us different.00:15:31S3The instructors and professors are exceptionally good. You're very good. I've met a lot of them. They all have real world experience. Ask questions, always ask questions, never be afraid to ask a question. Chances are someone else has the same questions they're afraid to ask. But you have to ask the questions and don't feel like you're just regurgitating what what you're reading or what you hear. You have to be able to understand it, ask the questions the only way you're going to learn better.00:16:01S1Do you have questions? Thanks for listening to achieve more with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College. For more information, visit Athens Tech Dot Edu.00:16:20S6This podcast is a production of Meet Ad Group. Darren Sutherland Executive Producer. Jeremy Powell Creative Director. Jacob Sutherland Director Producers. Jason Controller and Matt Golden and Ketchum Copywriter. All rights reserved.
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In this episode, we will find out the details of the Agricultural Science program and the Conservation Law Enforcement program at Athens Tech.
Achieve More with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College.
A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia. Equal Opportunity Institution.
Welcome to Achieve More with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College. This is where you'll discover how the programs at Athens Tech can connect you with in-demand and high paying careers. Today, we're going to hear about the agricultural science program.
Because of Athens tech. I am happier and healthier than I have been in a long time.
As well as the Conservation Law Enforcement Program.
Our instructors bring a wealth of experience and a lot of really good networking opportunities, especially with our other instructor.
Let's begin by hearing what a student has to say about the agricultural science program at Athens Tech.
So my name's William Taylor Johnson. I go back to England, been studying poultry production and in agricultural science, Athens tech. And I'm currently working in the industry. And, you know, I've been in this for less than two years now. And what you know, I've been I've really did it so that I could really expand my knowledge as well as, you know, find something that kept me active in life. You know, it's a farm, or at least the industry itself is very active. So if you try to find something that that helps, you know, help you feel good about yourself. And that's where I ended up with the poultry side of things. So it's it's worked out quite well, actually.
Not every path to the program is the same. Taylor took a journey to get where he is.
Short, short and long of it. I was in the military. I joined when I was in my early twenties when I got out. You know, I was trying to find jobs, trying to find, you know, you know, come back to civilian life. And then I ended up at Athens Tech simply because I wanted to change up my career a little bit. Coming from the maintenance side of things. So I wanted to get in something again, more active for, you know, just to keep my life now a bit more interesting. But I ended up having. You go into Athens Tech. Simply because it was close to home, close to everything I wanted to do. And it offered. You know, small, selective, I shouldn't say selective, but small, smaller class sizes so that I could get more individual learning. And and that really, really drew me in right there was having the idea that there were going to be more individual learning.
So from the classroom to the field, the agricultural science program prepare students for the job.
I've I've actually worked in a in the industry style so I've worked on production side as well as breeders in the poultry industry. What what I found quite amazing was both sides of it. I've used all, if not everything that, you know, some, if not everything of what they have taught me in the classes. So agriculture is a very hands on, you know, field. We you you have to be there, you know, to get some of that experience. It's some things you just don't catch so simply off of a of a PowerPoint. So it, it came in handy to have that hands on experience and then go into the industry. And I was able to use that experience that I got there from Athens Tech. And this courses.
As Abbie will tell you, agricultural science can take you to places you might not expect that.
My name is Abbey Baker. I went through the Agriculture Science Program at Athens Tech. I was in the program from August of 2020 until I just finished. I am now was the I worked through the program as a legal secretary, and I'm doing that full time now. Also, the Hart County chair for the Soil and Water Conservation Commission. And I've been doing that for almost a year now. I'm always kind of in a save the Earth type person, and I felt like getting into something with agriculture, especially like I have, I got the ornamental horticultural production certificate with mine. So things to do with the plants. I love to be around plants. I looked into doing things like hemp farming after I graduated. So anything that just brought me closer to nature I thought was a good idea. So I felt like agriculture science was a great way to put myself back into that. So the first agriculture class I took was Intro to Agriculture. And I remember when I spoke with Dr. Morgan about it, he said, If you took an intro to agriculture class in high school, it's pretty much the same thing just on a college level. So I went in very happy about that with the description he gave me, and I think it was a perfect description because it was just a very good introduction to everything that you're going to learn, because in that class you'll learn about plants and soil and water and different kinds of animals and their digests, digestive systems and other things like that. And then the next class that really, really stuck out in my mind was our agronomy course, which I'm not sure if everyone is required to take it, but I know I had to. And it focuses more on the sciences and soil and water and. Plant science type things and why you would feed certain types of animals, certain types of plants and things like that. And that was my favorite class I think I've ever taken. And then we also something else that sticks out in my mind is that we take several business classes that are required to graduate. And I feel like, you know, is someone who with a degree will probably hold a managerial position at some point. Those classes are very, very helpful.
Gabe would probably agree.
So my name's Gabe Carver, finished the program in 2019, I think it was. There might have been 18, it was somewhere around there. But anyway, after I graduated there, I got a job at Jackson County Agricultural Facility with David Burton. He was a adjunct instructor there for the program, so he was kind of my professor. And then he hired me right out of the box to come work with him. I was just kind of laying out my options. I didn't know if I wanted to, you know, go ahead and jump right into a whole four year school. Because I was working at the time and I really didn't want to get into a bunch of student debt. And I heard that Athens Tech had just started up an agriculture program. So I went down there and I talked to Dr. Morgan and we just kind of sat there and kind of weighed out my options and figured that would be a good way for me to transfer until I figured out exactly what I wanted to do. I learned a heck of a lot of stuff from Dr. Morgan and Dr. Burton. I feel like if I were to win anywhere else, I wouldn't have learned a lot of the content and plot lessons that I would have learned somewhere else. You know.
We've heard from a student and graduates. Let's let the program chair take a deeper dive into the agricultural science program. My name is Chris Morgan.
I'm the program chair for Agricultural Science at Athens Technical College. I've got a background in agricultural education, agriculture and agriculture in general. My first degree in horticulture, and I have subsequent degrees in agricultural education. I've been at Athens Technical College since 2014. There was no program here at the time regarding agriculture. And so I started it from the ground up, developed several courses that are in use now, and in fact they're in use at other colleges as well. So agricultural science encompasses a lot of things. Our focus at our at the program is poultry science, animal science and horticulture. And the reason we focus on those three aspects of agricultural sciences, because those are the three focuses in this general area. All the technical colleges have to prepare students for jobs in their service area. And our service area is an 11 county service area in northeast Georgia. And those are the agricultural industries that are most predominant in that area or in our area.
So all the courses.
Are taught face to face, although currently we're going through a transition because we're moving into our new campus in Alberta, in Georgia, and which will start teaching classes full time there in the fall. So although most of our classes are face to face, we're also offering the lecture component online and I expect to continue to do that into the future in an effort to try to meet the needs of some of our students that have a longer commute to Alberta than maybe to the local county people within our program. We have we have a strong emphasis on business, and then we ask the students to choose one of the tracks. So let me just try to explain what we have here. They associates of science and agricultural science degree includes several general education courses like math, English, a science, chemistry or biology. And then we also have several courses that are agricultural agriculturally related. So that includes what we call our agricultural core courses, which we have six courses that are included there, including Introduction to Agriculture and several business courses, leadership management, finance, because we expect our students to be leaders and to be in a management position. You know, I don't I'm not training students to be laborers. I mean, obviously, labor may be part of it, but that's not what I'm training students to do.
What's wonderful about Athens tech is the number of programs they can offer you. Let's hear from Mark McKinnon to begin to learn about the conservation law enforcement program.
Okay. My name is Mark McKinnon. I am the public affairs officer for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division. And what I do is, is I assist the game wardens in handling media relations and in dealing with the public. Also, I teach at the Academy of that exact thing and also I help them in the field when they need help with those promotional type things or their trade shows. And I spend a lot of time with them. And so I know a lot about what they do. And and I promote, you know, what they do because they do great work. And and that's important. And I think people need to know the great work that they do. I think a lot of people think that a game warden goes out and does nothing but fishing license and hunting licenses all the time. But they do way more than that for their communities and for the state in general. And that's what that's the message I'm trying to get out there, because I think it's important for the taxpaying public to know where their dollars are going for for Georgia game wardens and the great work they do here. Here are a few things that the game wardens do, and I will not be able to tell you everything they do. That is just so much fun. But their primary responsibilities are enforcing hunting laws, enforcing fishing laws, and also enforcing boating laws. And then they they as an extra thing they do all the time is providing public safety. They are peace officers, just like a state patrol officer or a deputy sheriff. They are all peace officers. They have full arrest powers. And so they enforce the laws. They can enforce any law. But their primary responsibility is fish. Fish and game laws and boating enforcement.
So, Mark, what are some qualities that make a great game warden.
A good candidate for a conservation law enforcement professional would be someone certainly who enjoys being outdoors. It's not someone who wants to be behind a desk. It's not someone who wants the same routine every day. You've got to be very flexible because there are such a wide variety of duties that you may be called to do. And so, you know, every day doesn't look the same. And you've got to have someone who can who can move with that and who can it can do that without having a problem. You know, a lot of people need real strict structure as far as their everyday duties. That's not the case here. One day you might be on the water in a boat doing boating enforcement. The next day you might be in court testifying in a case that you were involved in enforcing the law. And so, you know, it's back and forth. A lot of flexibility, a flexible schedule. You know, sometimes you may have to work at night, you may have to go out and do a night hunting detail. You know, it's against the law to hunt deer at night in Georgia, and sometimes they have to go out and enforce those things. So that's the type of person it is. But, you know, and you've got to be very a person who can talk to people very easily because you're going to talk to a lot of people every single day. And and, of course, we want people who have good character. We, of course, can't accept people who who have been convicted felons. You know, those that's a problem. You know, obviously. So someone who's looking to get into this program, you know, those are the things they need to prepare their lives a little earlier, you know, to get the education, which, of course, is what Athens, Turkey is is providing. If someone wants to jump in there, it's great program and. So that's that's kind of the way you prepare yourself. But it is it's got to be someone who's flexible and who who enjoys being with people. And also, keep in mind, you know, it is a law enforcement job. You know, law enforcement is not for everyone. And so it needs to be someone who wants to be in the law enforcement community and wants to to provide law enforcement. And so that that's the type of person.
To round out our conservation law enforcement program conversation. Let's bring in the program chair.
So my name is Lexi Goodman. I am the program chair of the Conservation Law Enforcement Associate Degree Program here, Athens TEC. I graduated from UGA in 2018 with a wildlife biology degree, and then I went to the vet school at Tufts University and got my master's degree there and decided that I wanted to work in a technical community college setting, teaching wildlife biology. And so then I ended up here I was interested in wildlife biology in general, really? Really. So my dad started taking me fishing where I pretty much could walk. And so I've been interested since then. And I think that we have a lot of complicated or complex conservation issues right now climate change, habitat fragmentation, you know, environmental justice issues, inequity issues in the environmental field. And so I think that those really complicated and complex issues are what drives me to, you know, and. You know, increase the field or increase the expertise in our field and kind of pursue the. Complex issues, too. That's complex questions, I guess. Our program is a interdisciplinary program with a combination of classes from our criminal justice program or the Criminal Justice Department, and some new courses in Fish and Wildlife Management. And so our program aims to give the future conservation officers and game wardens in Georgia a well-rounded education so they get a background in criminal justice and Fish and Wildlife Management. The people who go through the program, the goal is to start them in a game warden or Conservation Law Enforcement Training Academy. But if that for some reason doesn't work out, or if that isn't what they decide to do, hopefully we're getting to where our courses will transfer to a four year university. So that's one of my goals for the program. Or they could go on to do a number of things with their associate's degree so they could do some technician type jobs in conservation biology or something like that. A lot of our courses are they have a lecture component and then they have a hands on laboratory or field work component. And those are obviously my favorite things to teach. We spend at least one day outside every week doing something. For example, this week we'll be putting out some game cameras on the Alberton campus to see what wildlife we have on campus and use those as a tool for our students to learn how to process, gain camera photos, and as an outreach tool to show the other members of campus kind of what wildlife we're co-existing with here.
So finally, who should go into the conservation law enforcement program?
I think that just because of the nature of the job itself, so going out and you're doing a lot of your a lot of your even your police work, essentially it's police work. If you're a game warden, you're doing it usually in a kind of rural setting or in an outdoor setting. A lot of the stuff that they do is besides, you know, enforcing conservation laws and natural resource laws is doing like rescues and recoveries and things like that. Working on our beautiful bodies of water that we have in Georgia. And so if you don't enjoy being outside too much, I don't know if this would be the best thing for you. But, you know, you never know.
You might be considering taking on the agricultural science program or perhaps conservation law enforcement sounds more interesting. The fact is, no matter which program you choose, Athens Technical College will prepare you for future success. Thanks for listening. To achieve more with Athens Tech, the official podcasts of Athens Technical College. For more information, visit Athens Text Edu.
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In this episode, we will find out the details of the Athens Tech Social Work Assistant program.
Achieve More with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College.
A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia. Equal Opportunity Institution.
Welcome to achieve more with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College. This is where you'll discover how the programs at Athens Tech can connect you with in-demand and high paying careers. Today, we're going to look at the social work assistant program at Athens Tech.00:00:19S2Literally the day after she passed away. I said, I have to do this for my mom.00:00:23S3But I tell my students when I come into class on the very first day that we all come to social work for our own reasons.00:00:29S4It changes your life. I mean, it really I can honestly say that about that program.00:00:34S1Social work, assistance, work with individuals experiencing natural life transitions or unexpected life crises to assist them in obtaining the help needed while also making certain that they can reach their maximum level of independent functioning. Social Work Assistance have many social service job titles such as Casework, Aide, Clinical, Social Work, Aide, Family Service, Assistant, Addictions Counselor, Assistant and Human Service Worker. The populations with which social work assistance provide services are quite varied. They may work with children and families, people with mental illnesses or disabilities, the elderly, the homeless or the unemployed, to name a few. Social work assistance may work in schools, medical facilities, offices, residential facilities, shelters, or directly in homes and communities. The Social Work Assistance Program at Athens Tech prepares you to take on any of these roles.00:01:32S3Okay. Well, my buddy was the program chair for the Social Work Assistant Program known as OpenStack. And I have a master's in social work and I am a licensed master social worker and I do. My background is mental health and I've done a lot with disaster, mental health and emergency response over the years. And obviously the last 14 years I've been involved in the higher education and also development for social work in the field. So I do a lot of training in the field as well. When you look at social work profession as a whole, you have different levels of social work. So the social work assistant would be the first level. It is a pathway in the social work, so it provides education and training all the same concepts and theories and all of that as bachelors level social workers. But the mission and purpose is really to provide education and training for our students so that they can go into these agencies and seamlessly assist and work with the bachelors level, master's level and licensed social workers. So that's really the entryway to the profession.00:02:34S1We have an idea of what the program is and we have an idea of how it can work for you. But when we're looking at the social work assistant program, the real question is why?00:02:45S3So I think the person who is a good candidate is someone who is passionate about either making a change, maybe within their own lives, but also within the lives of people that's actually struggling. So what I would say is the person who comes in and they have this strong belief in the ability of a person to change. And what I tell my students when I come into class on the very first day is that we all come to social work for our own reasons. Now, some of it that we may have gone through something really difficult and we really needed some help and wished that somebody had been there to help us through that change. And, you know, or we have walked in on somebody that's endorsed something pretty difficult and we want to come in and make a difference in their lives and make sure that other people don't have to walk that walk alone.00:03:33S2Yeah, I'm my name is Todd Waller. I am still right now a student at Athens Technical College. Guess a little about me. I currently works social worker at a place called Fresh Look Recovery, but I also really like other things like running. And I'm a big runner trying to run a marathon next year. And I am an avid reader. I guess I'm kind of a nerd. The truth is, I kind of had a strange childhood and I was involved with defects and defects for a while as a child. And there was one social worker, I guess I'm pretty sure you have social workers image John Barksdale And the guy just loved me and really took care of me and made things happen for me that no one else was able to do. And he always stuck in my head and for years I worked in logistics and it was a good job and I was doing well, but it was a hard job and I was talking to my mom and she really wanted me to graduate from college at some point, and I didn't think I would ever go back to college simply because I just didn't think I needed it. She always wanted it and she she ended up passing away 2020. And literally the day after she passed away, I said, I have to do this for my mom. And so I toured the campus in athletics. All everything is all small classes. And the people I met, the teachers and I saw the social work program and I said, that's, that's it. That's what I want to be doing with my life. And fortunately I did end up loving it.00:05:10S1Todd Story is unique, but having a connection to social work in some way driving you to want to be part of the field is not uncommon.00:05:19S3So my name is Michelle Medlock. I am the program coordinator at Acceptance Recovery Center in Athens, Georgia. That is a 12 month long term intensive residential recovery center for adults seeking recovery from addiction and co-occurring mental health disorders. I graduated from the Social Work Assistant Program at Athens Tech last year and I'm currently pursuing my B.S. w. And really excited to be here. I chose social work because my passion is addiction recovery. I'm a person in long term recovery myself, and so it was really important to me to be able to give back in a field that fro so freely gave to me. And to be able to most effectively serve the people that I work with. So I was I was already working in the field as a as from a peer support perspective. And so it was really important for me to to learn some new skills and to be able to clinically serve people.00:06:31S1Let me see this. Having a connection to social work the way that Todd Michel do is not a requirement for this program. However, having the desire to help people is a must, and it seems that being in the social work industry is a very good way to fulfill that desire.00:06:48S2When I was younger, I was removed from my house a few times for some familial issues, and when I met Mr. Barksdale, what the state was basically trying to do, they didn't I was they didn't have a placement for me. And so the only option they had was to put me in what was called a youth detention center, which was loud to me. And Mr. Barksdale put his foot down and made it possible for me to be accepted into another person's. My aunt's home for a few months while things got sorted out with my family. That was it. One example, he also did things where he would obviously do the social work stuff with me and fill out forms and take care of business. But he got to know me and build rapport with me on a personal level. And so for years, I considered Mr. Barksdale a mentor and a friend more than a social worker, even though he was doing the social work work itself. But I trusted him so much that I could talk to him like a friend. And I think that's a skill that I had admired in him as a social worker. And it's one I'd like to have with my clients. I think the biggest thing that he taught me, he never said these words, but it's true. He's I think the biggest thing he taught me is that, you know, in helping feel all help flows through relationships, right? I can be the best social worker in the world by, you know, helping people get funding from the government to do things, grants and scholarships that do all the paperwork. But if I can't build a relationship, even on a small level with the people that I work with, then I can't accomplish much. And I learned that from John Barksdale, that most relationships are so important, and I focus on that with my clients. Now, you know, of course I'm doing the work with them on helping them, but I need to know who they are. I need them to trust me, you know, I need them to want to talk to. And the truth is, a lot of social workers don't have that skill or they come in and fill out the forms and they're gone. And people are left with that with a thought like, well, he does. He doesn't care. He's just getting a paycheck. I don't want to get a paycheck. I like paychecks. But it's not about the paycheck. It's about I want to serve. And the best way to do that is through relationships, I find.00:09:02S1So those the skills that you'll learn in Athens tech. Yes, they are.00:09:07S3We have I think we have the best program. We have a really incredible group of students. We work really hard as a as a program, which is our instructor. They've got incredible instructors that are all our social workers. So they bring their experience into the classroom every day. And our student students learn from that, from that, you know, that experience that they have. So our classes are small start classes. I've never more than 20 students in number and we want our students to learn to develop relationships with their colleagues. So all of our classes are very active, engaged classes we're doing where you're reading out, you're seeing it, you're doing it a lot of hands on work in the classroom. So the classes that students will take, there's the basic intro classes where you learn about social work in the practice areas. And we are a very broad profession. We have, you know, many, many practice areas you can go into. So the first class really goes into the practice areas. And we also teach about case management, human behavior, behavioral health group work. We've got a couple of courses, one on addictions and one in domestic and family violence. We have a couple of specialty courses where students will learn about working with children in their families. Another one is working with people who are older. That's the area of gerontology, and that's actually one of the fastest growing areas of social work. So we've got a really wide range of 14 social work courses. Of the 1412 we're required and then we have two internships. So once a student works their way through the first part of the program, at the end of their program, they'll do a capstone course, which is a group work intervention course, and then they'll do two internships. And a partner agency in the community. And we tried to make sure that we connect with our partners in our 11 counties in this area. And our goal is to prepare our students again, to get out into the workforce and be workforce ready so they go out ready to work. That said, many, if not most of our students plan to go on to earn their bachelors in social work and even amounts in social work. So they're getting out and they're working, but they're also going on to their four year degree and beyond. The classes were amazing, really hands on. The instructors were I'll never forget, especially Miss Watts. Rather than really abstract concepts, I felt like it was directly the things that are need to know in the field. What I found in my bachelor's program is there's a lot of kind of there's a lot of concepts which of course, we learned at Athens Tech. But I think starting at Athens Tech, we it was starting out with just the foundation, like what you need to know to really get into the field, the basics without adding in all this, this extra stuff that you learn in a bachelor's program. And so it was a really the best way for me to to get my foot in the door. From a social work perspective.00:12:18S2I'll literally be sitting in my favorite teachers class, Dr. Bernard Hill. He'll talk about things like we had this one class is called Interviewing Techniques, Fantastic class. And basically the whole idea of the classes, when you're in a therapeutic session, how do you behave and stuff like that. And he will talk a lot of a lot about things like even simple things like posture, how are you sitting? And I look back and I think of Mr. Barksdale and he was always sitting, attentive. He was into what I was saying, even if I was talking about a baseball game, you know what I mean? And then other things I've learned, this is a strange one, but like when you're in a therapeutic session, how emotionally involved are like do I reach out and touch the client on the shoulder with the crying? What feedback to do I give in a tough situation and that's a tough thing to navigate. You know, a lot of people aren't good at dealing with people who are very emotional in the moment. It's a skill I'm still developing. But Mr. Barksdale was very good at that. He kind of navigated that well. He was able to change the subject to a more positive subject when he needed to, but he was also able to stay in the moment and process the emotions that were actually happening. Now, interviewing techniques really helps me focus on how do I process these emotions with the client. It's just I practice it in my job every day. I mean, I, I work with men in recovery. So I'm constantly, you know, discussing really personal emotional details in my natural instinct is to go, oh, you know, I want to talk. That's uncomfortable. But the therapeutic techniques at your school, Mr. Barksdale, is you kind of feel you go into that uncomfortableness and become comfortable with it. I mean, that's a skill. Like I said, I'm still developing, but it's one I'm focused on in a way. I'm glad to have SEC focuses on it too. It's an important part of what I do, so do it at the set.00:14:05S1Let's talk to a real life employer that hires graduates from the Social Work Assistant Program at Athens Tech.00:14:11S3So I'm Grace Arthur. I am one of the clinical supervisors with bright paths. And Bright Paths has had several names over the years. We've actually been around for 30 years, but we were formerly called Prevent Child Abuse Athens, and that name is a little bit off of pudding. So we have in the last couple of years changed the name of our organization to Bright Paths. But with whatever name we have had, we've been involved with Athens Tech for probably over, I'd say close to 15 years now. We've worked with the social work program, specifically the social work assistant students have to do an internship or a practicum. And so we have had multiple students from that program come through our site as interns. And we've hired I want to say, we've hired four of those students that have come through full time.00:15:08S1What skills or traits do people need to be successful in the field.00:15:12S3To be good at? In the field of social work, you have to be interested in people and you have to you need a thick skin because people come in all kinds of situations and with all different needs, and that can be anybody. There's not one group that can benefit from a social worker. So you kind of have to be interested in people and you have to be willing to get to know people and meet people where they're at. And I think most people do not go into social work for the money. They go into it because they care about people. They're helpers, naturally so. Earnout is it's a big issue and it really does depend, I think, on where you're working and on the support that you get within your workplace. And but it's also very rewarding and it's not rewarding in the financial sense. It's rewarding in the sense that you actually have a job where you impact people's lives and you get to have, I don't know, a small place in making the world a little bit better. So to me that the the draw to the field is just knowing that you're literally doing something for a living that improves the world. But I think you have to be drawn to the field because you like people and you're interested in people and you like working with them. Something that was pretty common for people in the program where people who who's who started out doing something else, especially nurses, something like that. And what they found was they got a lot more out of helping the helping the person and learning about their life and helping them solve life's problems and reach goals than they did, you know, about the medical aspect or the body. And so I just think that if if you're someone who wants to work with people and you're not sure how to go about doing it, then starting their Athens tech and figuring out that the program really gives you an opportunity to figure out which specialty or which area you'd like to go into.00:17:24S2You know, a few of my classmates are in recovery themselves to have met, you know, an addiction counselor or something like that that have just changed their way of thinking. And some have had trauma in the past that they didn't get help with, but they dealt with the different ways. And now they now that they're whole, they want to help other people. They want to be the social worker that touches other people. And I think that's incredible. You know, that every single classmate I work with is in the social work program because they want to help. You know, it's not about the degree, it's not about the paychecks, it's not about the job. They're there because they love people and they want to serve their community. And I respect that so much. You know, Miss, what's my other favorite teacher? She says, know social workers what they really are agents of change. So I think if you're interested in a social work program, you need to sit back and say, you know, do I want to help change the community? Do I want to help change individuals lives for the better? What am I doing this for? Because if you're doing it just to go work an agency or fill out forms, you're not going to have fun. You're not going to enjoy it. But if you're interested in changing lives and the community around you, oh my gosh, it's the most rewarding for the job, the social work job. I got it right now. It's the most rewarding experience I've ever had. And I got it through Athens Tech, which is amazing.00:18:42S1Tell me about that.00:18:43S2Sure. Yeah. So, Dr. Barner, I had a class called the Community Service Class. Dr. Barnard, fantastic class. And we had a final project. As I'm doing all of our classes, it's kind of big. It was a huge paper, but in that class I had to interview or meet with 12 nonprofit agencies in the community. So I met with the program called Fresh Wind Recovery here in Athens. And what they do is they're a residential treatment center for men and women with addiction issues. And I met with the director and I talked to him and interviewed him. The interview was great. We got along really well. His name is Reverend Jerry Kaiser. It after the day after the interview, he called because I spoke to him a little bit about how I enjoyed teaching people that goal, setting in call. And he said, Hey, Todd, do you want to come lead a group like a process group about goal setting? And I thought, yes, I do. You know, it was a would be a volunteer gig, I guess I do. So I started teaching that class and then I started teaching other classes on career building and resume building and basic skills. Within four weeks he asked me if I'd like to come on full time as the case manager, and this is one semester into the social work program. I completed one semester of social work, so I was into it. I just didn't have all the knowledge yet and I accepted the job and it has changed my life. I am going to work here for a while probably, but I've made so many connections in the community at different agencies. I'm not. Can you? I get calls in. I'm good at what I do. I get calls all the time. People wanted me to come work there and I'm committed to work here, but it's just my life has opened up. I mean, I go through my phone, I probably have 100 contacts in Athens in the mental health field, you know. So working here has been a great thing and it's due to that class. I got this job because of that class, so it's incredible.00:20:30S4So my name is Michelle McSwain. I started in my forties for the first time attending college ever in my life. I stepped foot in a classroom at Athens Tech and graduated from there program. This was all around 2009, started here, started here at Athens Tech just taking some core classes and. And ended up in the social work program and really loved that program and enjoyed my time here very much at Athens Tech. I tell people this all the time when, you know, so now I work in the. Now I'm the associate director of undergraduate admissions at Piedmont University. And I'll have students come to me sometimes and they're like, I just don't know what I want to do. I'm not sure, you know, I'll ask them a couple of questions. And and when they just don't know what they want to do and they're, you know, they just they just sound like a fit for this social work program. To me. It changes your life. I mean, it really I can honestly say that about that program. It changed my life. It gave me confidence. It gave me an awareness for people around me. And I thought that I had that awareness. But when you're in classes learning about aging and respecting how people feel, just learning about how people feel as they get older and the challenges that they have in life and being mindful and respectful of that because you have an understanding of it instead of judging it and being impatient with it, people from other cultures, people from other walks of life. And I thought that I knew that and I thought that I had that. But when I went through the social work program and took an entire class on those topics, then it really gave me an understanding of things and opened my eyes in ways that I appreciate so much, because it's it is good knowledge for anyone to have spending the time to go through that program and learn about people and respecting other people and learning about what they may be going through is, I would say, never a waste of time.00:22:31S1Can you achieve more with Athens Tech in the Social Work Assistant Program?00:22:36S2If you're interested in it, do you think you can serve from the very first class forward? You know, if you're going to be at the Athens campus with Miss Watson, Dr. Barnett from the very first class, you're going to sit there and go, Oh, yeah, this is it. Because it's an interesting class, right? You're going to learn about things that are new and fascinating and exciting. You're going to learn about things that you can not only apply at work, but in your day to day relationships. You know, a lot of the stuff I learned in school actually is with my friends, not in a therapeutic way, but just in a relational with so immediately you'll be engaged, you know, you'll get to a point where you'll you'll be reading your textbook. And I remember reading textbooks in high school and I'd be super bored. But now I read my textbooks. I'm like, This is so cool, so I want to use it in this chapter. I bought all my textbooks so I could save them and look at them later. Like, it's a fascinating book. The teachers Ms.. Watts and Dr. Barter are engaging. They're not. They don't sit there and lecture. You like crazy, right? It's a discussion. Every class is a discussion. So I get to participate and ask questions. And I love that, you know, if I have a problem or an issue, I walk down the hall and I literally go to Mrs. Watts and Dr. Boehner's office, knock on the door, and they welcome me in. And I talk to them about whatever at any time during their office hours, I guess. But they are just amazing, incredible teachers that legitimately care not just about my life, but my career. They want me to be successful.00:24:02S1Thanks for listening. To achieve more with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College. For more information on the Social Work Assistant Program, be sure to visit Athens Tech Dot Edu.00:24:17S5This podcast is a production of BG Ad Group. Darren Sutherland Executive Producer. Jeremy Powell Creative Director. Jacob Sutherland Director Producers. Jason Controller and Matt Golden and Ketchum Copywriter. All rights reserved.
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In this episode, we will find out the details of the Athens Tech Paralegal Studies program.
Achieve More with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College.
A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia. Equal Opportunity Institution.
Welcome to achieve more with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College. This is where you'll discover how the programs at Athens Tech can connect you with in-demand and high paying careers. Today, we're going to hear how the Paralegal Studies Program has changed people's lives.00:00:19S2Without Athens Tech, I would not be sitting here as a lawyer. I certainly wouldn't have gone on to get a bachelor's degree in paralegal studies. I would never have gotten a job as a paralegal in the first place. And Athens tech, at least for me, was an institution that was there at the exact right time for a price that I could certainly afford with a schedule I could certainly make, and literally set me up in a whole different trajectory than I even imagined. But she let me go all the way through and in just a handful of years end up going to law school, passing the bar, joining a law firm and making partner with two attorneys that are better than I am. So I don't think any of that was possible without them.00:01:02S1We'll also hear from graduates who've come back and are now professional lawyers.00:01:08S3I talk to people all the time and they say, I'm thinking about going back to school and thinking about this and thinking about this. And something that that attorneys tech will allow people to do is to kind of dip their toe into the water, take a class or two and see if they like it. But in Athens tech, it's affordable. And I think that you can experiment a little bit without jumping completely into the pool. For those of you who are kind of on the fence about it, I would just say if your heart is telling you to that you may be interested in it, why not just try it? Pick one class that you may be interested in. Take the class. And if you don't like it, fine, and you have it and you're not out thousands and thousands of dollars like you would be at a university. My advice would just be to just just try a little bit and see it and see if you like it or maybe even speak to a lawyer close to you about what they do and maybe go shadow them for a day and see if there's something that you're interested in as well.00:02:04S1Kai Hamer is the program chair for paralegal studies at Athens Tech, and she recalls a student who returned to give back to the community.00:02:11S4My name is Tai Chi Moore. I am the program chair for paralegal studies here at Athens Technical College. Andrew Prater, he is actually a graduate of the program. He finished his undergraduate degree and then decided that he wanted to pursue something in the legal field. So he came back and got his an additional associate's degree in parallel studies and then went onto Fossil. So he's been working in the legal field for a while and he wanted to come back and give back to the program where he got his start. And so he is teaching in our program.00:02:58S3So my name is Andrew Prater. I am an attorney based out of Winer, Georgia. I did graduate from the state and paralegal program, I believe, about ten years ago after I did that work as a paralegal in Athens, Georgia, for about four or five years, and then decided to go back to law school, went to law school at Georgia State University, worked in Atlanta for a couple of years and taught at other places. And now I'm back up in Athens and teaching at Athens Tech. So it's good to be kind of back in the.00:03:36S1Athens tag paralegal program will prepare you to enter the workforce and get ahead of the competition.00:03:41S2My name is Brian Cathy. I'm currently a partner at Jordan Woodward. Kathy we're a medical malpractice firm in Atlanta, Georgia, and recently opened an office in Athens, Georgia. And I went through the Athens tech paralegal program. Several classes had me prepare a project, prepare pleadings, prepared to see a case all the way through, bringing the case in. It intake through, working it up all the way up to filing a complaint. And that project in particular, when I ended up at a firm that did some contract litigation and was moving over into doing personal injury litigation, I actually use my project from Athens Tech to double check myself behind the scenes. Sometimes before I would present it to the attorney. I worked for it and it gave me almost a cheat sheet and a little bit of extra confidence so that as I was putting this together and acting like I'm somewhat knew what I was doing in a law firm, I gave it an extra boost of confidence, an extra little thing I could check to make sure I was doing it the way I'd done it before and prepared me for a way that probably convinced my boss I knew maybe even a little bit more than I actually did.00:04:46S1The paralegal studies program is not just a certificate, it's a real accredited degree. Professor Andrew Prater explains.00:04:54S3Right. So I think that one of the things that I've said this before is the ABA is sort of sort of. The occasion I think is important. I felt proud being able to put that. I had a degree that was certified by the ABA on my resume. I thought that that would help my resume stand out to against an applicant who may just have a paralegal certificate. Not to diminish other programs because they are excellent programs. But it is the fact is that those are certificates. They are not degrees. Another something that I think students that are considering this program should take into account is that you never know what you're going to necessarily want to do in the future. You may want to go to go on with your education, get a bachelor's degree, you may want to go on and get after your bachelor's degree. You may want to go to law school. So if you instead of getting a certificate, which is going to help you in that journey in the same way and allows you to get a degree which is, you know, halfway through in a lot of cases, halfway through a bachelor's degree. So that was hugely important to me, and I think that's a huge advantage of the program.00:06:18S1It's not only a quality accredited program, it's even recognized by the American Bar Association.00:06:25S4Definitely it is a quality program. We are an FDA approved paralegal program. And in fact, Athens TEC was the first school in Georgia to get ABA approval in 1992. So it has been recognized as a quality program for a good while. We are because of our ABA approval. That means that in addition to the state regulations, the state standards that we are operating under through the technical college system of Georgia, we also have standards from the American Bar Association that we have to adhere to. And in fact, I actually just hit submit on our re approval report to the American Bar Association. I feel confident in that. We you know, we produce excellent products. I have had nothing but positive reviews from the employers in our local legal community. So I feel good about our program and I think it is a wise investment, especially with the, you know, the affordable tuition from the technical colleges in our state.00:07:55S1The Athens TAC Paralegal Studies Program prepares you for law school and can lead to further opportunities within the community.00:08:01S2I think the few of us that were paralegals just to start there, the few of us that had paralegal experience before law school, the whole first year of law school was much, much easier than it was for anybody else. We had somewhat already adjusted our thinking, already knew somewhat what to expect coming into it, and knew the basics of law in at least several of the areas that we could build on. So for anybody going that even thinks about going to law school as part of a long term plan, I think paralegal school is definitely worth it. I don't actually recall anybody else in law school that I can remember which paralegal program they went through to necessarily compare. But I can say that I have never met anybody that came through the Athens tech program that got out of the other side and seemed like they didn't have a pretty good handle on what they were doing. So even though I didn't see it in law school, I have seen it in other firms, I have seen it in other people I've met. And currently I've been doing an internship where I was an internship site for a Athens tech paralegal student, and she was so incredible that we literally offered her a job last Friday. Not not only can I speak to what it did for me, but now I'm kind of going back to the well to look for new talent and take advantage of how good the program is.00:09:17S3Working as a paralegal before law school, I do think people ask me all the time if that gave me a leg up in law. So I think it I definitely think it did. I think it's given me more of a leg up now that I'm on the other side of law school, because as is paralegals that are working in the profession, know, you're the one doing a lot of the actual work. So so learning how to do that and doing the actual work before law school and then keeping that in the back of my mind as I was, you know, going through law school. And it's really made a big difference to me.00:09:51S4So if someone is, number one interested in the law and they may or may not be interested. And ultimately go into law school, but they want to be involved in the legal profession. Paralegal is a awesome opportunity and option if you enjoy being in a support position and not necessarily being the person in the limelight, it's a great position for you. I would say that some of your skills that you probably want to already have, but that you could also develop while in the program are being well-organized, detail oriented. Curious about not just the law, but people. And you know what happens in our daily lives and because there's so much that, you know, we as as citizens are touched by the legal system. And it's a wonderful opportunity if you're curious about how the system works, if you are already working in a profession where you have, you know, worked with in customer service, you worked in areas where, you know, you are supporting others. You are already a great candidate to be a paralegal. It's not I don't think that it has to be something where, you know, you're blowing out an IQ test or you have the highest grades from high school or previous college. It's more about your your soft skills and your dedication to the profession and your dedication to to supporting your supervising attorney than it is anything else.00:11:49S1Are you still on the fence? Let's talk to Shelly Stevens. She's an Athens tech graduate and a practicing paralegal, and she tells us how rewarding the profession can be.00:11:59S4My name is Frances Michele Stevens, but I go by Shelly from for Michel. Do it. What are you waiting for? Like, I. I don't know. What why? I don't know why I chose culinary arts in the first place. Because paralegal studies is really where it's at. I am so I'm so comfortable in my life right now. I have I have two kids who both my daughter's going into middle school. My son's already in middle school. And and I have a husband and I live and work in my community. I work 6 minutes from home. I am 10 minutes from each of my children's school. If there's anything that me that I need to do, I have this amazing work life balance where I'm able to drop my kids off at school in the morning. I'm able to pick them up in the afternoons. I'm able to return to work and complete. It needs to be completed after after that, if necessary. And and and it's just rewarding. It's so rewarding. I see clients come in and they're going through some of the toughest times of their lives. And this this industry is not for the faint of heart, but it's so rewarding to be able to help them see something to fruition, see something to the end, one of one of the hardest parts about the area of law that we practice, we practice in as a we, not me. I don't practice law. My supervisor, an attorney practices law and I assistant. So that area of law that we're in is as a personal injury. Mostly we do mostly personal injury. We do some family law, but mostly personal injury. And I have to say, these people are coming to us broken and bruised and hurting, and they're just looking for some form of relief. They're they're looking for somebody to say, oh, yeah, this definitely should not have happened to you, and we're going to help you get back to as good or better, because that's what the law says, is that there should be or they should be returned back to as good or better. And so when that happens, we actually get to see them live. When we settle something and you see them go like it's like a relief that comes off of them and you're like, we did it. You know, this was really the most rewarding day to see you take a deep breath and actually able to exhale finally. And and that's really what it's about is actually, you know, helping them. And it's as if this person that I'm speaking to is is if you're on the edge or on the fence about whether or not this is the right thing for you, if you want to see somebody be put back together, be put whole, made whole again, you want to see that that this is the place for you because you get to do that. You get to help them do that. And I mean, it's rewarding. It's rewarding. Absolutely. To be able to put those pieces back in the right place.00:14:55S1The paralegal studies program at Athens Tech not only prepares you for law school and. On the learning about the mom can be fun.00:15:04S3I think this is fun. The law is fun. It's interesting. It's engaging. I think that this this career as a paralegal is suited to people who are just curious. Curious people by nature. Because. It is impossible to know everything, even if you've been practicing law for 25 years. I would wager that if you talk to lawyers that have been practicing that long or paralegals have been doing it that long. They'll probably tell you that they still learn something new almost every day because the facts that your clients will present you with and the situations where you may be called upon to to help or do research are just so varied. So it's a good opportunity to learn something new every day and to into a thing. So I think being a curious person is hugely important. I think it's also important. It would be a good profession for people who enjoy writing, because the law, if you ask me, is it's just words where the word oriented people are written and spoken. So for those of you who like to write, this might be a good program to look into.00:16:22S1Earning a degree in paralegal studies at Athens Tech can also translate to financial stability.00:16:29S2I know in firms that I have worked in, I've seen ranges, you know, from about $15 up to somebody who's been doing it for, you know, five or six years. That can certainly get up to 25, 30. And really the sky's almost the limit. You know, if a paralegal is able to help the attorney make money, then it's certainly in the attorneys best interest to keep the paralegal happy and keep the money flowing, keep that relationship going.00:16:54S3I have seen, I think, the typical salary range for paralegals that I see right now is somewhere between that maybe 35, 30, 35 on the very low side, all the way up to 70 or more. I know plenty of people that are earning $70,000 as a salary, as a paralegal, which is more than some attorneys make. To be frank. So it's an excellent profession to to to get into. And I think that the probably average is somewhere between 40 and 50.00:17:37S1Whether you're a new student or someone with a postgraduate degree who's looking to change careers, Athans Tex offers multiple options to accommodate you.00:17:46S4Well, we actually have two program options. One is our associate's degree, which is the degree that we've had since the beginning of the program. It's a two year degree, and it is composed of some general education courses in addition to the paralegal courses. We then have also gotten ABA approval to offer a post baccalaureate certificate in paralegal studies in order to qualify for that program. You obviously because it's post back, you have to have an undergraduate degree already, doesn't matter what it's in. And so then you come in already having those gen ed classes and so you only take paralegal courses and it has a shorter time period. It is actually the only post baccalaureate certificate that the technical college system of Georgia is currently offering is being offered at several schools who have paralegal programs, but it is the only post back certificate in the system.00:19:00S1At Athens Tech. You can achieve more and start a new career.00:19:04S3And I have said this many times and I'm in I mean it. Athens Tech, literally. I mean, it changed my life completely. I, I did have a bachelor's degree, but when I came there to Athens Tech and like I said, I had I had mostly worked in the service industry and I was 30 years old. And I didn't I had never worked in an office in my life. I certainly didn't know how to tie a tie, but I went to Athens Tech. The program exposed me to a variety of ideas and subjects within the law that allowed me to exercise more control over my life. It allowed me to apply for jobs in a variety of legal settings. And like I said, yeah, that was important that it was ABA certified and it exposed me to like I said a moment ago, the curriculum in the program is going to expose you to a variety of legal practice areas criminal law, bankruptcy, family law, more transactional stuff like contracts or business. And surely between all these ideas, a student will find something that they are interested in. In again. And control, I think is is a good word. More and more agency over your own life and giving yourself more options is really important. And when you graduate with an associate's degree in paralegal studies, I think that a student has a lot more control and many more options available to them.00:20:46S1Thanks for listening to achieve more with Athens ten, the official podcast of Athens Technical College. For more information, visit Athens text edu.
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In this episode, we will find out the details of the Athens Tech Bioscience programs.
Achieve More with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College.
A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia. Equal Opportunity Institution.
Welcome to achieve more with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College. This is where you'll discover how the programs at Athens Tech can connect you with in-demand and high paying careers. Today, we're going to look at the Bioscience program at Athens Tech.00:00:21S2I started out as just a lab tech, and I am now a senior protein chemist. And I just worked my way up the ladder here just with the skills that I gained and the knowledge that I gained from Athens Tech.00:00:38S3So we hire Athens tech students. We've hired a number of students. We, you know, interested in these students because they're trained in the skills that I need to do, the jobs that my clients want us to do.00:00:53S2On my first day, I walked in the door in the lab. Director said, Here's this, this, this, and this kind of looked at her and I knew exactly what to do, how to use the micro pipettes. I knew how to do everything.00:01:05S1Bioscience technicians used the principles and theories of science and mathematics to assist in research and development and in the invention and improvement of products and processes, which sounds incredibly cool. But the real story here is jobs. Lots of jobs in a growing industry.00:01:23S4With the partnership that we have with HTC is more than just being a student and it's more than just finding a job. It's you know, if you look at our charter at Athens Research, we're creating leaders in our company. We're creating leaders that are also better leaders outside these four walls. We called leaders in the community. And we're also creating leaders that we're respected in the industry.00:01:48S1We're going to get to that. But first, let's find out some details of what the Bioscience program actually is.00:01:56S3I'm Geoff Rap. I'm the program chair for Bioscience Spirit Athens Technical College. And I've been here about, well, since 2005. So we train people, it's a two year program and we train people to work in a laboratory or in a beer manufacturing facility, but mostly learning laboratory techniques, how to work in the lab and be comfortable working with equipment and taking measurements and recording things in a lab notebook, an environment manufacturing facility. Students would need to know the documentation that a company, for example, regulated by the FDA would want their employees to have. So documentation is important for for the companies they they love all of that stuff following standard operating procedures and batch records and that sort of thing. But overall, we we teach people how to work in a laboratory.00:02:52S5I'm Michael Marmot, and I teach biology and chemistry, general chemistry and organic chemistry. In addition, I teach what is called regulatory compliance for bio manufacturing and quality assurance and validation of bio manufacturing and patents and technology transfer. Prior to coming to Athens Technical College, I worked at a biotechnology company and I got experience then in the bio manufacturing process and the development of the process.00:03:39S1So what are the classes in this program really like?00:03:42S3There is a lot of chemistry in the program that a lot of chemistry classes. Also, microbiology is important in biology. So those types of classes, it's good for students to have some kind of background in algebra. That's about the highest level of math we use in our program college algebra and then computer some knowledge of computers and how they work. Because a lot of times our equipment is controlled by computers and we also record data from lab experiments with computers. So some knowledge of computers, but but mostly it's chemistry and microbiology classes.00:04:24S1And there's a hands on aspect to the bio science program at Athens Tech to.00:04:29S5Say about 60%, 65% ends on experimental work and then 35% lectures. So so 65% laboratory or so the clean room work and then that 35% lectures.00:04:52S3Yeah, we, we like to emphasize the hands on aspect of the program. We want students to learn how to use the equipment and feel comfortable in the lab and the best way to do that. By using the actual equipment that is used in a laboratory. So we try to match up the equipment in our labs that students would encounter and counter when they went out for a job and got a job in the laboratory. So we try to match the the brand names and the exact equipment as much as possible. And it's really it really is an emphasis on the hands on training so that the students are operating the equipment, they're put in their own petri dishes, making their own media that's going to help grow microbes, things like that. So trying to do as much as possible themselves gives them that confidence.00:05:43S5That goes through the process, that working in the clean room that say everything under sterile conditions and which I found really interesting, and that could go around looking like spacemen, you know, with the gown on and it was the first step on a techie mat is step up, test match, eliminate debris from your shoes and then spraying your hands with sanitizer and then donning gloves and and then a gown and then and then mask and then putting on shoe covers and so on. Steps over from the clean part. Well, from the dirty part. What's called the dirty part of the clean room to the clean part. It's holes, you know, it's all worked out. Like everything to minimize any contamination.00:06:32S1The hands on learning experience will prepare you for working in a lab, and there are plenty of jobs to be found.00:06:39S4Hey, I'm John Mitchell. I'm CEO here at Athens Research and Technology. Athens Research Technologies, a 35 year old company that provides key proteins, human and animal proteins for our drug research disease diagnosis all over the world. And we provide our products to over 1800 customers in 28 different countries. So I've been at Athens research now for 15 months, and one of the things that we realized that we were growing and we were kind of like, you know, it's a post-COVID environment, labor was fine. And so what we created was we worked on creating what we call a talent pipeline, and we looked at ourselves and we looked at the surrounding educational institutions. A mile and a half away is Athens. And so what we started to do was engaged leadership, Dr. Rapp over there and his team to say, how can your bioscience program students coming out with to your degree how can they fit into our our world in protein chemistry?00:07:38S1That's right. There's a major bio manufacturer working with Athens Tech to make sure that the bio science program teaches you what you need to know to hit the ground running with a job. But that's not all.00:07:50S3My name is David Bloom, and I am the director of the Bio Express and Fermentation Facility. So we are a contract research organization within the university and we provide services to different customers. That could be a huge faculty, it could be a company that's a startup company at UGA or any any company or any university outside of the the UGA. So we hire Athens tech students. We've hired a number of students. We are interested in these students because they're trained in the skills I need to do the jobs that my clients want us to do in a college environment. You're learning a lot of theory, but not a lot of practice. And so at Athens Tech, they're getting more of the hands on skills that you need to work in industry. They teach them how to do tasks that we're required for our projects.00:08:55S4These tech schools do a great job of gearing education towards the local industry need. So what Dr. Rock had done in looking at life science organizations and biotechnology in this area, his program is really geared toward providing the foundation necessary for laboratory technicians. And so here they are. They've got this custom program that's really closely aligned to my knee, and then I'm participating with them, sharing them where we're growing, and they're going to adjust and fine tune their program to meet our future needs. So now I've got this collaborative process for this talent pipeline. They're not just, you know, fill out a form, we'll send you an intern. You know, they're trying to understand my needs and adjust how they recruit, how they teach, so that the students can be better prepared to meet my needs.00:09:43S1Did you hear that? Athens Tech will teach you the skills you need to know so that you can get a job and a career and be ahead of the game.00:09:51S4That's right. That's exactly right. And the nice thing is, with them being so close, their students can actually come and work here halftime and go to school and will accelerate their training. So when they actually graduate. They've got a job here and they're starting at level two, not level one, not entry level.00:10:07S1After you finish the bio science program at Athens Tech. What exactly is the job that you'll be doing? Let's talk to Christi and Rene.00:10:16S2My name is Christi Hanson. I graduated from Athens Tech in 1991 and I have been employed at Athens research and technology for 28 years. I am Rene Russell Moore. I work at Essence Research and Technology. I am approaching senior protein chemist. I graduated from Athens Tech in May of 1998, a very long time ago, and I started working here June 1st, 1998, at Athens Research and Technology, and I've been here ever since.00:10:57S1Side note did you notice that both of them have been in their careers for a very long time?00:11:03S2Athens, Turkey We learned a broad spectrum of things. We hit on lots of topics in the science industries, and my favorite part was always the biochemistry part and the organic chemistry part, and the skills that I learned there have helped carry me through and learn even more skills. That was like my basis, my foundation for the skills that I've learned over the years. Without that foundation and the hands on experience and knowledge that I gained at Athens Tech, I think it would have it would have not been quite as easy to use and to see the field that I'm in now. On my first day, June 1st, 1998, I walked in the door and my David lab director, Jinx Patel said, Here's this, this, this, go ask these fractions. And I just kind of looked at it and I knew exactly what to do. I didn't need I knew how to use the micro pipette, so I knew how to do everything. And I think what I like the best about it is that I, I mean, I hit the ground running and I've never really stopped. And I like that because this, you know, I learn something new every day, especially about the bioscience world and everything that's going on that's been going on since 2020. Just it's pretty interesting. But the the fact that I know that my products that I purify and everybody else is purifying is going to help people. They're either going to researchers or they're going to companies that are still under researchers or they're going into like a pharmaceutical type. So that kind of a company, so that they can be reworked and redone, so that, you know, to eventually end up helping the world. And it's pretty is pretty interesting when you've got publications of work that you've done and people they people see your publications and they order from you or, you know, buy our products because other researchers have actually been published for it. And it's just a pretty cool thing I like. But I do. I do like helping others and I feel like it makes a difference.00:13:32S1The bio science program at Athens Tech will provide you with the training to work in an in-demand career that, just like Rene said, helps people and helps the world. Rene, what are some of the details of your job?00:13:44S2So I take human plasma and I purify out lipoproteins, which are your cholesterol's LDL, HDL, the LDL, your good, your bad. You're really ugly. When you go and have your cholesterol tested, it's your yearly doctors exam. We have purified the standards that your your blood is compared to. That's 50% of my day the rest of my days giving out the components of those lipoproteins because there's more proteins that go into those to the lipids that you make up the lipids, that's pretty I mean, lots of centrifuge and just gels and people in bioscience know what I'm talking about. Then HRT and just lots of column chromatography during the day.00:14:45S1And what are the skills that you learned in Athens tech that you use every day?00:14:49S2Let's see. Chemistry, similarity, knowing chemical properties, knowing how reactions between chemicals work column chromatography that's a daily basis ion exchange. Joe Filtration. You know, when they're there I'm trying to think of all the ones affinity chromatography grating A2 eighties absorbance just that's running gel electrophoresis that's a major part of my day. And that was one of the favorite things that I do. We actually did ultra centrifuge work in. So when I started the Athens research and technology, I realized, Oh, I know how to use this machine and didn't realize that 24 years later I was still going to be running that machine every day. So but I love it and it's great. But yes, I mean, everything in the bio science program.00:15:45S5That the demand you have for for people to have qualified people is is definitely there. Yeah, undoubtedly. Yeah. We try, you know, it's coming it like that. You know, you'll you'll be able to just walk into a job like, you know, go through the program. It's required. And and that's a job. Jobs available for you.00:16:12S1Can you achieve more with the bio science program at Athens Tech? It's definitely worth looking into.00:16:18S5Some of it may look a little scary, that said, but chemistry and general chemistry. Organic chemistry. The whole purpose, the purpose of the program is then to is to train you then. And so don't get frightened about, you know, what, what's involved so that there are many students total feeling, you know, that same way, you know, very apprehensive and and uncertain. And then somehow that's really not that bad. You get into the mix that so you can get the hang of it and it's it's actually quite fun. And, and and then you could feel the satisfaction that you've accomplished something that you never thought you could do it and you get through it and you'll feel so much better for it.00:17:07S4The partnership that we have with HTC is is more than just being a student and it's more than just finding a job. It's you know, if you look at our charter at Athens Research, we're creating leaders in our company. We're creating leaders that are also better leaders outside these four walls. We called leaders in the community. And we're also creating leaders that we're respected in the industry. So come join with us and at. Be on this journey with this company that's growing and be part of this program that feeds right into our company. And start your career. Accelerate your career with us. I partner with Etsy and we're working through their two year degree bio sciences program and being our intern program and then just launch your career with us for the next 20 years. And I think that's what's missing today. I think these kids oftentimes have these brilliant minds, but not sure exactly how to apply it. With what we're doing with Dr. Rapp's program is we're partnering with the intellectual side and we're partnering with mastery on the skill set side and showing them that there's a career, that there's this progression of steps where you'll learn more than just the protein chemistry side, but you also learn the leadership side and the program, all those functional skills that are so important to growing leaders in our industry, in our company, and in our community.00:18:23S3So, I mean, having these well-trained staff members helps us complete the projects on time, under budget, and, you know, we get a higher success rate than if we we had, you know, workers that weren't trained in Athens tech.00:18:41S2Our company has really started growing. We have been in business for 36 years, and the internship program at Athens that we have with Athens Tech has really helped us to grow as far as personally. If I had not gone to Athens to work, I wouldn't be in this this field. But and I, you know, I think where would I be if I had not gone to Athens Tech? But it has helped me to be able to work in a field that I love and a field that has allowed me to grow professionally and intellectually and and even emotionally. I mean, it has helped me grow in all areas of my life and leadership and everything. Athens Tech was really a great starting point for my career.00:19:50S1Thanks for listening. To achieve more with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College. For more information on the Bioscience program, be sure to visit Athens Tech Dot Edu.00:20:08S4This podcast is a production of BG Ed Group. Darren Sutherland Executive Producer. Jeremy Powell, Creative Director, and Jacob Sutherland, Director Producers.00:20:17S3Jason Ginger Zola and Matt Golden and Kezia May, copywriter.00:20:21S4All rights reserved.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode, we talk with students, instructors, and graduates of Athens Tech to hear first-hand about the College, its programs, and its impact.
Achieve More with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College.
A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia. Equal Opportunity Institution.
The faculty, if anything, has made this experience so much easier.
S2: I had never, ever pictured to have this career. It wasn't my goal when I first started this journey, but now I don't think I could picture me doing anything else.
S3: I didn't have the coffee that I have now. Like doing this has been huge for me.
S4: We have graduates from our programs that the entire graduating class has a job before they even graduate.
S5: Welcome to achieve more with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College. This is where you'll discover how the programs in Athens tech can connect you with in-demand and high paying careers. In today's episode, we'll find out what Athens Technical College is actually like from the students who attend in the instructors who teach. Plus, we'll hear a story of how Athens tech completely changed one man's life. Could it do the same for you? Maybe. First, let's hear from a couple of students.
S3: Hi, my name is Mary Bright, and I had the honor of receiving the 2022 Gold State of the Year at Athens Technical College. So right after right after I graduated from high school and I married my husband, we've been married for 27 years. I married my high school sweetheart. When I came back to school in 2018, I had been a pharmacy tech for 16 years, and the series of events that led me to go back to school was about 15 years ago. My dad had a heart attack and about six months after he had the heart attack, he had a whole bunch. He didn't work day. And after all the dental work was completed, the dentist actually told him that he prolonged his life by making the investment into his his oral health. There is a link between gum disease and heart disease. And I'm 45 years old and I'm a daddy's girl. And I feel like that if I can help one daughter keep her daddy in her life for a little bit longer, then the struggle and the journey would have been great for.
S1: All to start. My name is Urban Alvarez. Prior to my admission or acceptance, I have this tech. I was in the Marine Corps for four years and once I applied to Athens Tech, I am pursuing a two year degree or consumer economics and will continue to pursue my bachelor's degree at UGA in the School of Family Consumer Science.
S5: Irvin and Mary both came to Athens Tech from completely different backgrounds, but it seems that they found the help they needed here pretty easily.
S1: The faculty, if anything, has made this experience so much easier because especially my advisor, whenever I've had questions about what classes I should take, or is this the correct thing for my degree path or my goal of eventually going to UGA and finishing out my four year degree? She's provided an endless amount of support, answering all of those questions and even going above and beyond by taking my degree and going into my degree path and choosing workforce is what best fit my goal. So it's always been very hands on and very 1 to 1 whenever I needed it.
S3: Miss Burrell She believed in me before. I believed in me. She has completely changed my life and I will stay in contact with her accurate graduate.
S5: So what exactly does Athens Tech offered that makes students say things like that?
S4: My name is Stuart Frew. I'm the dean of the Life Sciences and Public Safety Division here in Athens Technical College. I started here at the college as the program chair for the radiography program and have since moved into a dean's position. Here.
S5: Dean through can answer the question of how Athens tech support students and instructors.
S4: It can be continuing education for instructors to learn how to use, let's say Blackboard our online learning environment, how to become a better user in that so that the students are getting more information in in a streamlined way. It can be equipment needed for dental hygiene, getting all new X X-ray equipment for them, brand new equipment for the radiography program, brand new equipment for we have new simulation mannequins that are upwards of 60 to $70000 to be bought for the EMT program. The nursing programs. Again, we are just anything and everything that these these programs are looking for. We we will look into and see if we can can get that for them so that student learning can continue to move forward. And I mean, those are kind of larger skills and equipment purchases. But again, it comes. Down to just resources for those instructors, making sure they understand the processes at the college. The extended services that we have here at ATC for students support, student support services, Veterans Affairs, so on and so forth. Those are all things that are available here. And I'm kind of a a conduit too, to help anybody that's looking for that information from an instructor, student standpoint, staff standpoint, to link them up with those resources so that they can be successful.
S5: Can you give us some more details?
S4: Well, disability services testing, we have a testing center. We have tutoring for specifically. It's in my division. We have an anatomy and physiology, open labs with student workers that are in there. We have tutors for anatomy and physiology. We have to use for master English. Those are outside of my division. Those are all student support services that are available here. Veteran services are available here at the college. In this division, we've gone above and beyond to provide what students need in order to be successful beyond just going home with the textbook or, you know, meeting with an instructor, which our instructors have open door policy here. They have office hours. They are more than willing to meet with students as they need to, which I would assume most higher education colleges or universities would do anyways. But again, for us to be able to provide those additional services is huge. And on top of that, we just remodeled and updated our entire library. It is it is spectacular. The online resources for students, whether it's databases like Sinal, as well as anything that we have hardback in that library, we have a tech nest where they can go in and play around with a 3D printer. We have individual study areas that are quiet rooms that they can reserve. Every one of the divisions now have laptops that can be checked out to instructors for classes. So if they want to do online testing or videos or whatever it is in the classroom, students need a laptop. We have those to to provide to those instructors so that students may not if they don't have a laptop to be able to do those things in the classroom environment, we can provide that to them.
S3: My name is Laurie Williams. I am the director of admissions here at Athens Technical College. A good candidate for a student here at Athens Technical College will be someone that wants good hands on training. Here at the college, we have a lot of great programs that are direct pathways into employment. So we have lots of opportunities that students get to jump right into direct core coursework for programs. Maybe they want to go into a health field more than that. Well, we have a lot of welding, automotive technology programs. So anybody that really wants to work with their hands do some problem solving. A lot of opportunities here for our students. We have a pretty diverse population of students. It may be someone that has just graduated high school and it can be somebody up into the 6070s that want to get retrained into a new endeavor.
S1: Yeah. Funny enough, I did encounter someone who was in their fifties, but even then, those individuals were. Were just as great. They. Some of them were. This was their first degree that they were pursuing and were actually very motivating because they were like, I didn't do it when I was in my twenties and now I'm here because I actually want to pursue and get my first degree in something. And I was like, That's just pretty inspiring.
S3: And we even have students that have graduated with bachelor's degrees that come back to look for more gainful employment or just get a new skill set to move up within their industry. So you do have a lot of students that just overcome a lot of barriers, a lot of trials and become successful in their workplaces.
S5: I want to introduce you to Jonathan.
S2: My name is Jonathan Smithberg, and I'm Program Chair for Industrial Systems Technology at Athens Technical College. So being a program chair, it's my job to manage the curriculum for the program and the faculty and the program and advise students on a course pass, along with delivering instruction and teaching students hands on lab activities.
S5: Yeah, Jonathan is an instructor here at Athens Tech, but his story is so much more than that.
S2: Here at the college, we have a whole range. So it's not just people coming out of high school or college, but that's that's another thing that's really, I think different about the technical college is we've got from people coming out of high school to last spring, I had somebody graduate who was 62 years old out of the program. So we've got to kind of everything in between. And so when it comes to apprehension, another thing I would say is people just think they can't do something or they like it's too late. I can't do that. I put that off and it's just too late to go back to school. Now, I'm here to tell you I'm a perfect example of that. So normally I'm on an instructor here at the college, but I actually came through the college's adult education program. I came to the college just looking to get a G.E.D. and here I am sitting as an instructor a few years later. So there's just so much to offer and it's not too late, you know, I didn't go. I'd had an eighth grade education, so I was 38 years old, you know. And today I'm sitting here talking to you with a career as a college instructor. So, you know, it's not too late to take those steps if you hadn't taken them already, even if the steps all the way to go back to get your diploma and get the kind of start out on that aspect, we can kind of take you through the whole thing from one end of the spectrum to the other. The another thing is, you know, I see is students going to maybe interested in a four year college coming out of high school and they don't get into their first pick, whatever they're picking. I have some I have four sons. And so, you know, them looking at schools and stuff like that, you know, they get so excited, you know, like looking at schools and kind of had their minds said, I want to get into this school or that school and they don't get in and then they kind of maybe just give up. And and a big thing you can do is go to a technical college and take general education credits and then enter the college system as a transfer student. And it's actually much easier to get into that college. And another big part of that is, is you save a lot of money because those years of transfer credits are much more expensive. It's a fraction of the cost of what that same tuition for those classes would cost at the four year university.
S5: I love Jonathan Storey and his excitement for the school. Is his story the norm? Probably not. Is his excitement for Athens tech the norm? Actually, yeah, it is.
S4: We're kind of this hidden gem here of that the college system in Georgia, $100 credit down. I mean, think about that $100 credit card. And then if you get hope scholarship, 80% of that is your tuition is covered. So you're paying 20% of that. That's 20 bucks a credit hour. That's that's pretty good. And then, you know, you can look at the success rates that come from the programs here in our division. Specifically, almost every one of our programs is at 100% pass rate on their national certification exams. If they're not at 100%, they're in the mid to high nineties. I don't know a lot of colleges that can brag on that on the way that we can. Job placement rates are all in near 100% from our programs within 12 months of graduation and then our attrition rates are great, but we don't lose students left and right. We're not here to weed students out. That's not our job. Our job is to bend over backwards to help students be successful. And our program effectiveness data shows that that's on our website. Every program has it. You can go look at it and each one of them, you're going to see that, that, that awesome number for each one of those categories.
S2: So yeah, my job is not to fail students is to make sure that students understand what I am teaching them. So if, if you know everything, then there's no use to come into a program and learn anything, right? The red ink is where the learning happens.
S3: Technical colleges are a great resource that are not utilized enough. They provide the foundation and the workforce that are really the backbone of these communities. They do the jobs that. Keep businesses building manufacturers going. And it actually is what helps drive some of the industry to come into our areas and help us economically that way. A lot of students even use this as a more affordable opportunity to go on to a four year institution. We have a lot of articulation agreements with four year institutions and a lot of our core classes with any of the university system schools articulate over. So it's a great opportunity to get a head start on those core classes and just more affordable, lower debt coming out of college. Little to no debt most of the time for our student. So it's just a great resource, great programs, great hands on knowledge in our instructors. Just ten years, the vast knowledge that they bring into their classrooms that give students real, real life examples of what they utilize out there in the workforce.
S5: Thanks for listening to achieve more with Athens Tech, the official podcasts of Athens Technical College.
S2: I'm a believer that to achieve more is to take care of the little things. I had made some mistakes earlier in life and I had a lot of big dreams of things I wanted to do and kind of walked around with my head in the clouds. It was just dreams. And I've learned that great things can happen to you if you can just kind of keep your head down and take care of the little things and just keep grinding away. And then one day you look up and you're on top of the world, you know, instead of having my head up in the clouds and never getting anywhere and and be open to things because I had never, ever pictured to be at a technical college instructor or have this career. It wasn't my goal when I first started this journey. And but now I don't think I could picture me doing anything else. So, you know, kind of just be open, take care of the little things and then see what opportunities present themselves.
S5: For more information, visit Athens. Text Edu.
S6: This podcast is a production of BG Ad Group. Darren Sutherland Executive Producer. Jeremy Powell Creative Director. Jacob Sutherland, Director Producers. Jason Genter, Ola and Matt Golden and Kezia May, copywriter. All rights reserved.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode, we will find out the details of the Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management program and the Culinary Arts program.
Achieve More with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College.
A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia. Equal Opportunity Institution.
S1: Welcome to achieve more with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College. This is where you'll discover how the programs and Athens tech can connect you with in-demand and high paying careers. Today, we're going to look at hotel, restaurant and tourism management and culinary arts.
S2: If you don't know what you want to do with your life but you love people, hospitality is for you.
S3: If you work for the right place, work for the right people, you will make you make a lot of money.
S4: You can always get a job anywhere as a cook or even a head chef, or even create your own bakery or your own restaurant. And so it will never hurt you to have that experience.
S1: People will forget what you said, forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Maya Angelou. In today's episode, we're going to talk to a graduate of the hotel, restaurant and tourism management program.
S3: My name's Aaron Mubarak. I am currently assistant manager of food and beverage operations at the Ritz-Carlton, Reynolds Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Georgia.
S1: We'll talk to a culinary arts student.
S4: I'm Morgan Pulse. I'm a mother of two. I've been married for. We'll see. We're going on seven years now. I'm currently going to Athens, Turkey. I started out as an accounting major. I've finished all my Céline classes and then switched over to the Culinary and Baking Program, and I am currently in that at the moment. And I'm possibly throwing the idea round of graduating this year with the accounting and then coming back to finish up the culinary and then eventually starting my own bakery.
S1: And we'll hear a story of triumph, of overcoming adversity to achieve a lot more.
S2: I come from a background where I grew up on the west side of Chicago, and so I didn't know if I would make it. And when I say I'd make make it. It was pretty violent back then in the eighties.
S1: Batman is very important to these programs. I'll let him introduce himself.
S2: My name is Dr. Alfonzo Boyd. I'm the program chair for Culinary Arts, as well as hotel, restaurant and tourism management. And if you put both of those together, I cover anything in hospitality, so that could be anywhere from owning your own business. You could own your own travel agency, your own restaurant. You can work in these empty seat entities. It could be hotels, convention and visitors bureaus as well as event planning. So anything dealing with putting on events for the general public, I, I would say that we're covered, you know, so anything that's disposable income that people love to do so and sometimes people forget what those are, even sports arenas like, it's endless because people love having a good time, right? So when we cover all those, there is I come from a background where I grew up on the west side of Chicago, and so I didn't know if I would make it. And when I say I'd make make it, it was pretty violent back then in the eighties. So for a young black person to like graduate from sixth grade, eighth grade or high school was was pretty slim because crime was just so bad. It was is more than likely you were going to join a gang or end up dead somewhere. And so for me to make it out of that and achieve everything I've done in my life, I look for more individuals like me or anyone who just wants to do more with their lives. And I get a lot of students who are just like by time they come to me, they're just kind of like lost and beaten down. And I encourage them that they can achieve more. You can earn your degree. You can have a better life. You know, I have one student graduate, and now she works for a pretty prestigious hotel making pretty good money. You know, she never thought that she would make them, you know, for her life. And so I just want to be able to give people make their dream a reality. That's what I want to do.
S1: We'll hear more from Dr. Bui about his background, qualifications and his journey in a bit. But first, that student he just mentioned, that's Aaron.
S3: My name is Aaron Brock. I am currently Assistant Manager of food and beverage operations at the Ritz Carlton, Reynolds Oconee in Greensboro, Georgia. I graduated from Athens Tech in May and started my job two weeks later. Already I. I had a job before I left, thanks to my professor. And that's about it. Been working really hard ever since. I learned a lot about the industry, perfecting my craft and just focusing on growing my career. I'm a nonexempt manager, so I have a salary, but if I work outside the means of that salary, I get compensated, meaning I make overtime and I work overtime every week. So my starting salary was 45 a year, 45,000 a year, which I was like, Oh my gosh, it's so amazing. But after overtime, I, I would imagine I'll probably make a lot closer to 60,000 a year. So it's definitely it can be very lucrative, but a lot of people don't don't really want management and want to stay in more like a typical position, like a bartender or server and servers at my and my property. They they make a lot of money. They easily make more money than I do. Just because it's expensive, we turntable so quickly, you can really make a lot of money. So a lot of people look at hospitality as kind of a industry. You don't really make a lot of money, but if you work for the right place, you work for the right people, you will make you will make a lot of money, especially if you're young, like I'm young, I'm not married, I don't have kids. This is a great amount of money for me. And I live very comfortably live by myself. I have my own house, but a lot of people live very, very comfortably working in hotels and working in restaurant management.
S1: What type of things do you need to know? What type of things do you learn in Athens Tech?
S3: I remember in one class, I think it had to have been business etiquette. Dr. Wilson, the professor, was teaching us things to say and things not to say. So like when? When a guest says thank you, the response is not no problem. You never say no problem. So every time I say it or I catch myself saying it like, stop, don't say it. Or Every time one of my employees says it, I want to say, I like you. Don't say that. It's my pleasure. It's absolutely. Of course, things like that. Stronger words. So we we were taught to to to use better verbiage. And I think that that's translated well into my career now, because I do work at a five star resort and I need to say the right thing. I can't just be casual.
S2: I think the one course there is and one thing that crosses over to even the culinary side is hospitality law. So not only do we teach legalities of it, we teach other things such as how to look for human trafficking. You know, what are liability issues for, let's say, someone doing something illegal in a guest room, in a hotel. So let's say someone is selling your paraphernalia or substances. Can you just go in their room? And so we teach how to properly handle these situations. Case in point, in one of the classes we teach, you know, privacy laws, and there's a scenario where we say, hey, what if a husband walks up to the front desk, shows a wedding picture and say, hey, my wife is staying here? I don't know which room can you give me a room key? Can't, you know, should you give them Urumqi? And then the answer would be no, because somebody could be fleeing from a situation where there was domestic violence and they're seeking safe refuge. So the next class, one of my students went through that exact scenario and she her mind was blown and she said, I never would have thought so. It actually happens quite often. And a coworker wound up giving the husband the key. And then they had a whole scenario where she had to be rushed to the hospital. And I don't know how that all turned out, but unfortunately, you know, there were some legal issues behind that repercussions because you gave the husband turnkey when you should now. So these are some of the things that we teach within the program that a lot of people may not even have thought of prior.
S3: It's it's it's common sense. But at the same time, you need to know. It's nice to see it all writing and see it'll all come together. It's my thing because I really like I know how to serve a table. I know how to talk to a guest. I know, I mean, I know back of house things. But for everything to come together and orchestrate in one class to really focus on a specific subject and take that and like, like roll with it like hospitality law study accounting for an office management back, house management, things like that. The classes are hyper focused on, on a specific thing. So. By the end of the semester. You're an expert on that. And so by the end of your entire course of study, you're an expert on everything. And you can do any career path and do anything, which I think is super cool. But it's, it's simple, but you still have to work hard, if that makes sense. Like you have to try.
S1: How about Morgan? She's studying culinary arts so she can tell us a little bit about what that entails.
S4: It's been awesome. They're very hands on. They're there to help. And so we go in. You're pretty much in the kitchen all day with Jamie. It's fun. It's a lot of people like, oh, all day class. No, but no. It's actually a lot of fun. We all have. We're small class, so we enjoy each other's. All the classmates time in the structure. He's there to help us and guide us to make sure that we're learning and knowing how to do things properly so. But no, every instructor that I've had so far, it's been wonderful and has really helped me learn and find my skills. With baking, there is a science to it. You have to do things in a certain order or else your cake may be flat or maybe dense and hard. So you have to do things in a certain order, in a certain way. And some people think, Oh, well, it's a cake. I can just toss it all in and mix it all up. We really can't. It's kind of like putting the cart before the horse. You have to figure out and learn the order.
S2: And that's probably the the the first thing that a lot of students in the culinary program don't know they need is, of course, safety and sanitation for safety. Sanitation, same thing with team. It basically it teaches you how to properly handle food so people don't become sick from food poisoning, how to cook food properly, how to store it. It could be simple things such as hand-washing techniques or complex things such as the internal cooking temperature of beef versus fish versus poultry, chicken products, how to store things, where to store. So it's so many things that they learn within the program. And just that course, it's like an eye opening course, like, whoa, this is this is serious. Like, yeah, you, you are responsible for people's lives.
S4: Coming out and say, it was my first time ever cooking in a commercial kitchen. I've always been a home baker. I've never used a commercial oven, anything commercial. So it was very nice to actually learn the different equipment and using as a commercial. Erin does cook differently than the actual home oven. Does it cook so normally a little hotter than home oven does. And so. Being able to use these different equipment and machinery and learning all these different things. As far as like did you learn how to do safety in a commercial kitchen, which is a very big, important thing because you could save someone's life by not having a disease from washing your hands, washing dishes properly and everything like that. So it's neat to learn these different things. So if you ever need to go work in a kitchen or something, you do have all those in the background. But then we also when we make bread. Jeff Ponder over at the pizza oven, which is really cool because I've never seen it or used one before, so it was neat to be able to do that. And then they do have like a laminate or to make Christians and puff pastry and different things like that, which is neat because not many people in their life will ever get to use one. And so because doing it by hand is not fun, it is not fun at all to roll cold the cold butter into, though it's hard. Even some of the strong guys had a hard time with it, but just the different pieces of equipment is just really neat because things you would you see, you're like, Oh wow, I didn't know they did that or me, I didn't know they made those. And so it's a very neat experience.
S2: No one really teaches you how to cook properly, right? Like you learn how to cook at home. But did anyone teach you? Oh, food needs to be done to a certain temperature. What's the degree of done this? You know why it's safe to eat a rare steak? These are things that no one teaches at home. So once again, in the course, they're just their minds are just blown and it's always great. I love that course. It's one of my favorites.
S1: If you're considering the hotel restaurant in Tourism Management or culinary arts program at Athens Technical College, you're going to be learning from very experienced people. Dr. Pou His knowledge is extensive.
S2: Well, I started off probably in high school was my first job in hospitality. I worked at a piece of place. Auto Pizza in Chicago was a great place. And the guy there in the owner and I developed a wonderful report to the point where I was opening the place on Sunday and I'm just in high school. I'm not realize I'm developing actual life skill sets then and now. I'm just trying to get my little paycheck in and take home free pizzas. And so from there I went off to college and I became a server and once I was doing my masters, I was almost done my masters. And now when I got done with my bachelor's, I actually worked for a convention and visitors bureau. So that's one area of hospitality. And so we were put on and then some things in nature and help direct people, whether it was weddings or government events just and then from there back to serving. And they asked me to be a manager, so I moved Chicago as a manager, move back to Chicago after college. And I was a manager for Longhorn Steakhouse, Montana Grill, as well as Cheddar's Casual Cafe manager, if you're familiar, any of those. But I work for all three of those concepts. That is my I took a break to finish my dissertation. That's why I worked as a overnight concierge. That was a crazy experience. I had some you know, the one thing by working overnight is very quiet until it isn't so is one or two extremes. You're going to have a crazy night or a very quiet night. And so to me, most of them were quiet nights. And then I'm in between. I work for a Virgin America, so I work for airlines. I kind of work all over the place in hospitality. And it wasn't until probably I actually became program hear someone say, Oh, you have a really expensive career in hospitality that you built. And I do. I do have an extensive career. I didn't do that great was probably my my most interesting experience when I worked over in China for four and a half years. And so I was a business professor and while living over there, I did a lot of restaurant consulting. And so that was a pretty cool experience. I did a little bit of hotel consulting on the side, but mainly was restaurants. So I was able to help teach serving practices, whether front of house or back in the house. And even though I'm grading a kitchen back in the house for some reason, it just took me longer to get the rent from the house. But once I got it out, you couldn't stop me. So that's kind of my, my all around overall, everywhere experience and in hospitality.
S4: I grew up, I've always loved sweets. That's me. But my grandmother, she was a well-loved woman in the community who loved to bake. Everybody loved her cakes. Everybody loved her parts. And over the years she has taught me about baking and everything on that. I started looking into the culinary program because I did love to bake and so I did want to just do a little something, I guess to say I wanted to spruce myself up to fine tune my abilities. So I wanted to learn just a little bit more where you can't really teach yourself more to the breads, the pastries and different things like that. And so that was my main goal as to going into the culinary program. Is to learn things that I've never been told. And so and that's why I'm in it now, is to just get that on to to help better myself and then also to better my bakery.
S3: App tech has given me a lot of obviously number one opportunity my employment but you know I have a resume and it says I went to Athens Tech. I can use my professor as a reference a job reference. There's so much to do and and in life and there's just a lot that you can do and a lot that I want to do. So I achieving more would be is my only option. I'm going to achieve everything I want to everything in life that I'm going to get. I'm going to get. You have to have drive and power and and and really want to be successful. And you will.
S2: If you don't know what you want to do with your life, but you love people. Hospitality is for you and if it's not, will direct you in the right direction. But I'm pretty sure it's for you. So if you love people, we're definitely the program for you. Sign up. We'll get you in culinary or hotel, restaurant tourism minister and also go after your dreams. You know, don't let anyone tell you that you can achieve because you can you can achieve whatever you want to in life. I promise you you can.
S1: Thanks for listening. To Achieve More with Athens Tag, the official podcast of Athens Technical College. For more information, visit Athens Tech Dot Edu.
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