TCC degree gave her the chance to further her career

Name:

Age: 30

Hometown: Portsmouth

Degree: Associate of Applied Science – Industrial, 2013

Employment: Jessica is a quality assurance nuclear coordinator at Electric Motor and Contracting in Chesapeake, which rebuilds and repairs industrial motors in a variety of fields, including nuclear, marine and water treatment.

Why Tidewater Community College: “They were local and offered a degree specific to quality assurance. That’s not readily available at other places.”

Her experience at TCC: “I really liked the fact that there were night classes available for just about anything. It was very rare that I couldn’t find something during the spring and fall, and most semesters I took a full credit load. I liked that TCC had professors who had actually worked in quality assurance. They could give examples based on their experience.”

Benefit of the degree: Jessica started at her current company as a receptionist after being laid off from a previous position. She moved into a position as assistant quality assurance manager, and a promotion required a degree. “My company supported the degree fully, so that gave me the incentive to do it. It was a great opportunity to further my career.”

Advice for other students considering a career in quality assurance: “You don’t always make friends in quality assurance, but if you like to be involved in ensuring things get done right and strive for doing things better, it’s definitely a career that has its rewards.”