Georgia Magazine - January 2021 - 18

cloud computing. Other courses are offered in e-learning
design, Android mobile programming, cybersecurity and the
only major-appliance-technology program in the state.
" With technology constantly evolving, we have to change
as well, " says Cheryl Myers, Columbus Tech's executive director of community and college relations. " That's our mission: to
prepare our students for the workforce. They can come out of
the gate making good money. "

COURTESY SOUTH GEORGIA TECHNICAL COLLEGE

A path to a bachelor's degree

Programs at South Georgia Technical College in Americus train future
lineworkers for Sumter Electric Membership Corp.

Study locally, work worldwide
One institution earning national recognition is South
Georgia Technical College, which draws students to its Americus campus from seven surrounding counties. Niche.com, a
Philadelphia, Pa.-based research organization, has named the
school the Best Community College in Georgia for its programs.
These include training partnerships aimed at filling positions with major companies, such as aviation mechanics for
Delta Air Lines; technicians for Caterpillar and John Deere
dealerships in the Southeast and lineworkers for Sumter Electric Membership Corp. And South Georgia Technical is the only
college in the system to have dormitories.
" Because of our residence halls, we have about 3,000
students from 82 counties and a multitude of states, " college
President John Watford says. " Our students can study locally but
work worldwide. We're here to train folks not just to have a job
but a career that will carry them through the rest of their lives. "
Students also find that the TCSG offers them access to a
career path at an affordable price, Watford says.
" The cost is $100 per credit-hour, and fees are around $300
a semester, " he says. " But under the HOPE career scholarship
program, many students come in with little or no tuition. We
also have high-demand career scholarships that do not require
a minimum GPA. "
At Columbus Technical College, 4,899 students from six
counties study cutting-edge technologies in the new Cloud
Academy, which has programs in Amazon web services and

Georgia Magazine

January 2021

TCSG students have another option open to them as well:
After earning an associate degree, they may opt to enroll in a
four-year college and earn a bachelor's degree. That was the
path Rah'Mere Williams, 21, followed after earning a two-year
degree in design and media production from Augusta Technical
College.
" I had gotten out of the foster care system and finished high
school, and I wanted to get into the workforce fast, " he says. " My
track coach recommended a technical school to give me handson lessons I could take forward.
" Since I was 7 years old I've wanted to be a graphic designer, and Augusta had a good program. And while I was there,
I had an internship, and [an ad agency] hired me full time as a
designer working on style guides, logos and a T-shirt campaign
that raised more than $250,000 for the community. "
At Augusta Tech, Williams found instructors who taught
more than technical skills.
" I learned everything, not just about design but about communication and life skills, too, " he says. " The instructors were so
passionate, and they got to know each and every one of us on a
personal level, even if it wasn't school-related. "
Williams graduated last summer and is now at Augusta
University working on a bachelor's degree in graphic design. He
was honored in September as the TCSG's student of the year.
" I had to give a speech about my life before technical
education and was picked from about 20 people at my college,
and then I went to a regional and a final competition with nine
people, " he says. " I talked about how it changed my life and got
me into the workforce faster. "
Like the hard work of two years of schooling, the speech
competition paid off handsomely.
" I did win a 2021 Kia car, " he says.
H.M. Cauley is a freelance writer from Atlanta.

An affordable education
The Technical College System of Georgia offers
courses at $100 per credit-hour, putting the cost for
a full 12-credit semester at $1,200 (not including
books and fees). Scholarships through the HOPE
program may pay all tuition expenses. In addition,
dual-enrollment high school students may take up
to 30 credit-hours without any tuition costs. More
information is available online at tcsg.edu.

http://www.Niche.com http://www.tcsg.edu

Georgia Magazine - January 2021

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