Battles Furthers Education with OFTC & Prepares for Promotion Possibilities
After 30 years of working in retail management, Maria Battles was ready for a change. She decided to pursue a new career, something completely different than what she’d spent the majority of her career doing.
“It was time for me to do something different,” Battles said. “At the time, I didn’t know how it would all play out but I took a leap of faith and applied for a position at Oconee Fall Line Technical College (OFTC).”
Battles currently serves as the Human Resources Training Coordinator at OFTC and is responsible for employee training, onboarding, and facilitating staff development events at the college.
Going Further
After she started working at OFTC, Battles was encouraged by her coworkers and college leadership to further her education and complete her associate degree.
“I’ve been out of the classroom for a long time,” Battles shared. “I’m a non-traditional student and I was very apprehensive about starting back to college after all these years.”
But despite her apprehension, Battles enrolled in the online Business Management program at OFTC.
“Everyone was so supportive of my decision and my instructors encouraged me in the classroom,” she said. “This gave me a sense of belonging – the people around me knew I had been out of the classroom for a while and still encouraged me to go further.”
Learning that Works
Once in the classroom, Battles was challenged to further her knowledge of the business concepts she practiced in the workforce, and expanded her understanding of the legal aspects of business.
The online format really worked with her schedule, too.
“Online classes are a terrific way to work around the busy schedules of non-traditional students like me,” she said.
After her first class, Battles was confident she could make it work, pursuing her education while working her full-time job.
Finishing Strong
One class at a time, Battles was motivated to finish strong. And she did – she graduated with honors in September, confident that the investment she made in her education was worth the sacrifice.
“These classes have helped to expand my knowledge of the business and human resources fields which will better prepare me for future advancement opportunities that may arise,” Battles shared.
“I cannot say it enough,” she added, “the OFTC staff is beyond amazing! If you are looking for a wonderful place to further your education, look no further than OFTC.”
For more info about OFTC’s Business Management program, or the 130+ other programs of study, visit OFTC.edu. OFTC offers online and in person options for many programs.
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OFTC us a Unit of the Technical College System of Georgia.
