GOODE VIBRATIONS: BSCTC STUDENT JUGGLES WORK, SCHOOL WITH EYE ON COMPLETION | BSCTC

    GOODE VIBRATIONS: BSCTC STUDENT JUGGLES WORK, SCHOOL WITH EYE ON COMPLETION

    After completing one semester in the Electrical Technology program at Big Sandy Community and Technical College, David Goode found employment with ATamp;T. As a laid off coal miner, Goode attended BSCTC through the HOME program and is currently working towards his associate degree while working full time.

    The sign on the side of his work van reads Rethink Possible.

    Thats a good motto for David Goode.

    Just one day after completing his first semester in the electrical technology program at Big Sandy Community and Technical College (BSCTC), Goode found employment.

    But Goode, 48, isnt putting the brakes on his journey in higher education.

    Im finishing, said Goode, who resides in East Point. He is working as a technician for ATamp;T and is taking a full load of classes this semester with the goal of eventually earning an Associate in Science degree.

    Goode started at BSCTC in January as part of the HOME (Hiring Our Miners Everyday) program, funded through the East Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. A laid off coal miner, Goode was worried about entering college.

    I asked myself a hundred times: Can I do this? he said. Once I stepped foot on campus, I had a support structure that wasnt going to give up me.

    Goode started in the electrical technology program with Instructor C.W. Vanhoose on BSCTCs Mayo campus.

    I think I was at the right place at the right time, said Goode. What I learned from Mr. Vanhoose was exactly what I needed to know to get the position with ATamp;T.

    Vanhoose said students like Goode are destined to be successful. He had such a sincere desire to learn and grow within the course, he said. It came to no surprise when I learned the news he had found a great employment opportunity at ATamp;T.

    Goode had been the victim of two economic downturns. While living in Brunswick, Ga. and working in construction, he fell on hard times during the housing collapse. He moved home to Eastern Kentucky to work as a coal miner.

    A year later, he was back to square one.

    I wanted to be in a position to not rely on the booms and busts of the economy, he said. I knew that furthering my education would provide me with the essential tools to weather these storms better.

    What does the future hold?

    It holds great promise, he replied. I would not be here if it wasnt for Big Sandy Community and Technical College.