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Howard Botting | Student Testimonial | Written January 2003
How I came to Oswego State for Technology Education
Thinking back to when I was working towards my Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration in the mid to late 1980's, I had this idea I really wanted something else in my life. Unfortunately, as with most young people right out of high school I followed the path suggested by the high school guidance counselors. Being the first in my family to go to a four-year college, the pressure was on to get a business degree and possibly work in the family business. I enjoyed doing many hands on "building and fixing" activities with my high school vocational friends; but I wasn't willing to disappoint my parents. I never followed any other interests that I had at that time to move beyond the business field.
With a four year degree under my belt off I went into the "real world", and started selling construction products. I picked up good sales and managerial experience, while also learning about the products that I was selling. Sales in New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts expanded my knowledge base and helped me learn more working with regional differences in construction and architecture. After several years of good experience with my customers I had learned a great deal in activities that I found exciting and pleasurable.
The call of family brought my wife and I back to Central NY in the summer of 1993. The economy was less than “stimulated” in 1993 so I found work in manufacturing and received more experience in industrial areas. One thing I found was that this was not an area I enjoyed. After networking through old Oswego alumni friends, I began a career in the field of transportation in September 1994. Working with a family owned regional transportation resource company was a great experience. I think one of the reasons it was so enjoyable was that I had grown up in a family business and there were certainly corollaries between this and my past. Having learned about commercial transportation and mechanics of big trucks and tractor-trailers, I felt I added more to my overall knowledge base.
All this time I still had an idea that I should be doing something else. After adding two children to the family unit, I was able to focus and draw together a game plan on “what do I really want to do with my life?”
I looked towards what had brought me pleasure in my life- working with my hands; designing; building; plus working with children and young adults. During this time I had also volunteered to work with fellow SUNY Oswego alumni and current college students doing a large, private renovation project in Oswego. I enjoyed working with the college students and imparting what knowledge I had obtained in my experience. We worked together towards the restoration of an 1851 Anglo-Italian mansion in Oswego. It was tremendously satisfying to see students use their minds and hands to overcome problems and work out viable solutions.
With further networking through Oswego State alumni, I explored opportunities in teaching Technology Education. I received great reviews from all prior SUNY Oswego Students ranging from Industrial Arts graduates to the more recent Technology Education graduates. I was able to arrange visits to local high schools to see how their programs were developing and to see what had changed since my high school graduation in 1984. Everything I saw encouraged me more. Almost every teacher I interviewed was either an undergraduate from Oswego or had received his or her Master’s from Oswego. I arranged several meetings with the technology chairperson and was able to put together a complete outline for my return to college.
With my first semester under my belt, I feel as though I made the correct choice in coming back to Oswego. My professors are helpful, knowledgeable, and their experiences are presented daily. I someday hope to be an outstanding teacher and I feel my Oswego education will be the best route to a professional position in Technology Education.
Greg Andrejcak | Student Testimonial | Written May 2001
Everything was set. My wife and I were married in April, I would register for full-time study at the end of June at The College of (name deleted - not Oswego) and in August I would leave the security of my career as a Respiratory Therapist to become a full-time student. I had been accepted as a Junior, which would mean three semesters of course work and a semester of student teaching. The last week in June we met with a Counselor at (name deleted). He introduced himself as the head of the Psychology Department and apologized in advance for not knowing anything about this "new program" that he was "told" he would be in charge of. As he tried to throw me into a number of liberal arts courses, I explained to him that I was really interested in the Technology Courses that I would take. That’s when it all happened. He left the table for the first time to "get more information." He came back to inform me that the only courses that would be available for me would be a freshman level technology course. (Introduction to Microcomputers)
I explained that I had been accepted as a Junior. He said that the program, would be opening one year at a time and that it would take me four years to finish. Of all the literature that exists on this program this was the first time that I was informed that I would not be able to complete the course in 2 years. I proceeded to question him about what "freshman tech" courses were available for me. He left the table a second time. When he returned he informed me that the courses were actually being taught at (name deleted) Community College and that I was free to call there for more information. He also said that the computers weren’t prepared for this type of cross-scheduling on that day anyway. For $16,000 a year tuition, I had to make that call. I would be paying $16,000 tuition at one school yet driving to another school (which only costs $3,400) to take the courses. They had also set this program up so that you could not take the courses as a (name deleted) student. Additionally, within this conversation I learned that once I was a matriculated student at (name deleted), I could not take courses at any other schools. Not even with advanced permission.
Everything I had planned for my future came to a screeching halt with the help of this man who was being forced to advise me about a program he had no information about. I did not see this as a fault on his part, but a reaffirmation of what I had already suspected about The College of (name deleted). The phone calls that go unanswered. The questions that go unanswered. It was difficult to get a straight answer from anyone at this school.
In a panic my wife made a phone call to Mr. Gaines office (at the SUNY Oswego, Department of Technology). To her surprise the phone was answered on the second ring, by a person (Ms. Bishop). My wife explained the situation and we were given an appointment for the following Wednesday. That day we were on the road at 5:30 am to make our 9:00am appointment. Arriving early, we wandered around Park Hall looking into all the Technology Labs. This my wife said, is where I should have been when I was 18.
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