After high school, I entered the Air Force and became a Loadmaster on C-130 cargo aircraft. I eventually retired after a great career of traveling all over the world. As a civilian, I worked several unfulfilling jobs until I realized I was going nowhere and needed to go back to school. At 48 years old, I was not your typical 20-something college student! I used my Veterans Administration disability and enrolled at Shasta College where I met professors like Randy Reed who made all the difference in my life and my career.
I graduated from Shasta College with an Associate of Arts in Geology and I went on to graduate from CSU, Chico with honors and a bachelor’s in Geology. My first job after graduation involved doing everything from cutting down brush to planting and watering trees. If you find yourself with a diploma in one hand and a shovel in the other, you are on the right path! Within two years of graduation, I landed my current full-time position as the Forest Geologist in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
My “office” encompasses over 2.1 million acres and contains nearly every type of geology there is. It takes about five hours to drive from one side of the Forest to the other side. The education and training I received in the Earth Sciences Department at Shasta College gave me the skills I needed for the career I have today. If you’re starting a new journey in life, Shasta College is the perfect place to begin.
Dennis
Shasta College Knight