Meet Ty Johnson, this week’s student highlight!
Ty Patrick-Vincent Johnson had attended College before but ran into some issues and had to withdraw from the course. Ty had enrolled in a different college for Mechanical Engineering. Sadly, he was not able to finish the program because of his life circumstances.
Ty was involved in a bad vehicle accident that left him in the hospital for about a week and unable to use or have any motor functions in his hands for about a month. The college could only give him a week off school until he had to start classes again. Ty knew he was not able to return to school within that time limit, so instead of getting kicked out and failing all of his courses, he decided to withdraw himself and pay back his student loans. That way, whenever he was able to return, he could start over from square one.
After he withdrew from school and healed up, Ty had to get a job and start his whole adult life and all the joys that follow being an adult. Ty ended up working various jobs and holding some decent titles along the way. He worked as a Frac Technician for an Oil and Gas Company called Pilot Logistics Services. Ty did that job for a few years and was a crew boss/site supervisor. He handled his crews out on the oil/gas rigg and handled the company men whom we were subcontracted through.
Their typical days were spent producing around 10 million dollars in 24 hours of natural gas. Ty worked his way up from the bottom to boss, so he had about 64 men he was in charge of. Ty was in charge of them to make sure they were doing their jobs correctly, to show them what needed to be done if they didn’t know, to make sure they had all their PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and it was all being used and up to code for the inspectors. Ty especially had to make sure everything was done by the book so they could safely make it home to their families.
Ty has seen a couple of people lose their lives out on the Riggs throughout his years, but he never lost a single person. The salary was great, but everyone got laid off, so he decided what better time than now to resume his career. So, Ty decided to go in a different direction; that is when he decided to enroll at West Virginia Junior College.
Ty Johnson chose WVJC because he thought it would be a better fit for someone in his situation/circumstances. He had to be able to keep a full-time job as he went to school to further his education. “Bills and rent do not wait for anyone, nor do food, groceries, gas, and necessities that we all need daily.” Ty was pleasantly surprised to learn that WVJC would be a good fit for him.
Ty chose the Information Technology program because he has always been fascinated with computers and technology. “How a computer functions to how technology works, and the many ways both things can be applied is really mind-blowing.” Ty is new to computers and Information Technology; he never had a computer in his house growing up. Ty just recently purchased a laptop and, almost two years later, is surprised that he is still learning. Still, he is happy to be a part of the program for Information Technology at West Virginia Junior College because “I know if I ever need help, all I have to do is ask.”
Ty says one of his favorite parts about attending WVJC is that the instructors are knowledgeable and ready/willing to help you in any way they can. “They will make sure that your style of learning and how you process information is tailored to you so that you better understand the material and it is easier to study whenever you need to understand the material properly,” Ty says that must be one of the best parts for him personally because sometimes he learns differently than others and the process he implements to better understand the information and process that information is unique to him.
Mrs. Robin Addis is the one he would nominate as the best teacher/instructor. She has helped whenever he needed help and always makes the information easier to understand and digest. She will go out of her way to make the class laugh and have an enjoyable time even when we are taking 300+ question exams every day. Ty can honestly say he does not remember ever seeing her having a dreadful day, and even if she was not in the best mood, she would always put aside anything that was going on in her life to make sure her students were taken care of and had everything that they needed. Mrs. Robin Addis is what he would call irreplaceable; she has over 30 years of teaching, which is a quality that you cannot just replace. Ty believes that WVJC is lucky to have her as an instructor.
Are you fascinated by computers and technology like Ty? If so, learn more about the IT training program at WVJC by requesting information here!