Foskey Lands Dream Job After Returning to College for Business Management
She had every excuse not to go back to school. She had a job, a family, and it had been 23 years since she’d been inside a college classroom. But Jenny Foskey wanted more.
A Management Career in Mind
After graduating high school, Foskey attended a four-year college. But she needed to go to work, and in the mid-nineties, there weren’t online options.
After raising her children, Foskey put her love for the medical field and keen organizational skills to work as an administrative assistant in a physician’s office. But deep down she knew she wanted to accomplish more.
“I was aspiring to reach an office management role which could encompass human resource duties,” Foskey shared. “I felt as though a business degree with special emphasis in HR would help me attain that position. However, if I decided to pursue other avenues this specific degree would give me more options.”
When considering her options, Foskey knew Oconee Fall Line Technical College (OFTC) had a local campus that was convenient and that tuition was affordable.
She enrolled in the online Business Management program and started taking classes in January 2019.
“What I liked most about OFTC’s classes was the format of the online class,” Foskey said. “I always knew at the beginning of each semester what to expect from the class. From due dates of homework and tests, to grading systems and expectations from each instructor, the online option was my favorite aspect.”
And the flexibility of the online degree allowed Foskey to fit an education into her lifestyle, not the other way around.
“Before starting, I knew juggling home and full-time work was already time consuming and I wondered how I would fit school in as well. I’m extremely glad I chose this option to pursue my education at OFTC because I was able to gain relative knowledge in a way that suited my current stage of life. I met great instructors and genuine people who always seemed to want to help me.”
“In my opinion,” she added, “a college like OFTC makes older, returning students like me feel comfortable about starting back and pursuing a degree or continuing their education. When I started taking classes, I had been out of school for 23 years and was afraid of failing. I had to learn how to think like a student again, how to study and retain what I read. But the willingness of my instructors and fellow classmates to help me gave me confidence.”
A Goal Realized
Just a few months before completing the business management program, Foskey was offered a position with Sound Physicians as a Hospitalist Coordinator. She manages day-to-day- operations of her office, including tasks related to maintaining patient data, scheduling, office communication, human resources, payroll, and more.
Foskey completed the Business Management program and graduated in May 2021. “Now that I have completed the program, I feel I am so much more prepared having the education to back up my experience,” she said.
“The specific classes I took and specialized curriculum have helped me feel more confident in my ability to tackle whatever may come up in my daily work life,” Foskey added. “I feel I can be successful because of the educational foundation OFTC has given me.”
Making the decision to return to school wasn’t easy and required sacrifice, but Foskey is confident she made the right choice to further her education and in choosing to attend OFTC.
“I appreciate OFTC’s commitment to its older, returning students like me who need a little extra help and encouragement,” Foskey said. “The atmosphere I experienced on campus and in my online classes was one of true respect for me as a student and one of genuine helpfulness.”
“If I had a question or a problem there were always people willing to help solve the issue and make sure I had what I needed to succeed,” she added. “I’m not sure I would have been treated the same way at a larger college. OFTC’s staff showed me kindness, and it really made all the difference in my experience there.”
OFTC’s Business Management program offers specializations in Hospitality Operations, Human Resources, Logistics, and Small Business Management.
For more info about OFTC’s Business Management Program or other 130+ programs of study, visit the College’s website, OFTC.edu.
###
