Treating School Like Work Leads to Promising Career

Gerffrid Medelus had been trying for years to build a career that could support his family but even after attending a university, he was feeling stuck. It wasn’t until he enrolled in Florida Career College’s Computer and Network Technician program that he gained skills that helped him find a job he could build on.

As soon as he graduated from FCC’s Margate campus, Gerffrid was hired as the IT person for a nursing college.

“Before FCC, I didn’t know what to expect of the future,” he said. “Even though I graduated school, the competition is hard out there. It’s competitive. I didn’t know what life was going to bring. While I was in the program, I started looking at things differently. Everything I learned from FCC, I’ve been able to apply it.”

‘TREAT SCHOOL LIKE WORK‘

Gerffrid was still working as a line cook when he came across FCC.

“I did graduate from another college but I didn’t have much experience, so it was hard for me to find jobs out there,” he said. “When I graduated school, I went and looked for a trade school. With the experience I’ve gained from the past, from the college I graduated from, FCC made everything much clearer.”

What was intriguing about FCC’s program was the opportunity for hands-on learning.

“We were at school, but we were also work,” Gerffrid said. “We had hands-on experience, running wires on the ceiling. We had protective gear. It was a great experience. You are learning in school but working at the same time. Our professor told us to treat school like work.”

“I gave him some simple instructions in the beginning: Come to school. Follow my instructions. Be in charge of yourself and make sure you are putting yourself first,” said Romaine Lindo, Gerffrid’s instructor. “That’s exactly what he did. When he got the hang of everything, he was trying to help other students follow suit because if you follow what this gentleman is saying, good things happen.”

With a pregnant wife at home, Gerffrid followed that advice with precision.

“There was nothing that was going to stop me from attending school,” he said. “Most students were younger than me. I was motivating them throughout the program, telling them to take it more seriously and teaching them the things I learned from Mr. Lindo as well, things they may not understand. I was there to help them understand certain things to help them understand in a different way.”

‘I KNEW SOMETHING GOOD WAS GOING TO TURN UP‘

As graduation neared, Gerffrid got help from the school’s Career Services department to update his resume. He was able to find a job just weeks after his classes ended.

“When he went to the interviews, he was sure of himself,” Mr. Lindo said. “All of their questions, he was ready. It’s just proof positive that if you follow the path we give, and you accept that this is your role, and this is what you need to do, and if you follow that to the best of your ability, very good things will happen. He’s just proof of that.”

“When I was attending FCC, I knew something good was going to turn up for me right when I graduated,” Gerffrid said. “Even before I graduated, I knew something good was going to happen. What I was looking for, that’s what I received. Whatever I expected that’s what I got. If someone was looking into FCC I would tell them to do it.”