(ROSENBERG, Texas) – A career change can keep things fresh, especially when it helps align someone’s interests with their work.
Paul Block, a third-semester student in the Cybersecurity program at Texas State Technical College’s Fort Bend County campus, hopes to do just that. After 25 years in the oil and gas industry, he decided it was time for a change.
“Things were getting rough where I was in the industry, so I decided it was time to switch careers,” Block said. “This will actually be my third career as I was in the medical field prior to oil and gas.”
When looking at available options, TSTC was one of his first choices. The reason? His son had attended the college’s Electrical Power and Controls program.
“My son was looking into HVAC programs at the time, and the guy who does our air conditioning said everyone he hired was from TSTC,” Block said. “My son ended up taking the Electrical Power and Controls program and loved it, so when I wanted to change careers, I decided to look and see if they had anything I could do.”
After taking a tour, Block had his choices narrowed down to the Precision Machining Technology program and the Cybersecurity program. Ultimately he chose cyber due to the less strenuous nature of the work and how it fit better with his interests.
“I’m a computer geek,” he said. “So the program just felt like a good fit.”
While he still has a few semesters left before he earns his associate degree, Block spends time attending each of the job fairs the college hosts. He said he hopes to find a job that does not confine him completely to a desk and allows him to use both his prior knowledge and experience, as well as his new degree.
Luckily there are jobs in the industry that fit the bill. Andrew Phillips, lead instructor for the program at TSTC’s Fort Bend County campus, says many cybersecurity roles are hybrid in nature.
“Depending on the size of the company hiring, many students end up in a hybrid IT and cybersecurity role after graduation,” Phillips said. “There’s a lot of different options outside of just the imagined sit-at-a-desk role.”
In addition to TSTC’s Fort Bend County campus, Cybersecurity is available online and at the college’s Harlingen, Marshall, North Texas, Waco and Williamson County campuses.
Registration for TSTC’s fall semester is open. For more information, go to tstc.edu.