Gary Johnson came to the former South Downs College 14 years ago, unsure where his path would lead him. Now, with a successful career in Colorado, USA, he advises the next generation of students to ‘fully embrace the experience’ – just like he did.
In 2004, Gary took on a Diploma in Sport. Now a Project Manager for Seagate Technology, Gary has spoken of how pivotal the College experience was for him in guiding him into his chosen profession.
And, despite not pursuing a subject-related career, Gary believes a lot of the skills he gained at College set him up for his professional life.
He said: “Being at HSDC gave me a great sense of structure and organisation which is vital in my career as a project manager.”
“The variety of learning strategies helped me realise which techniques served me best in absorbing new information and to see how that differs for each individual – this is extremely useful in my job when giving multiple instructions to a variety of people from different backgrounds and cultures.”
But it wasn’t just the teaching and learning that fulfilled Gary’s College experience. He continued: “The people at HSDC made the experience fully worthwhile for me.
“I made a lot of new friends quickly and easily as we shared similar interests. I was also lucky enough to have some great lecturers that were supportive, understanding and actually had a sense of humour!”
Now living in Longmont, Colorado with a well-established career, Gary has some advice for current students and those soon to be starting at HSDC.
“Fully embrace the experience and you will enjoy yourself,” he said.
“There are plenty of exciting moments to come. Trust yourself to overcome the challenges that may arise and don’t be disheartened by failure.
“Failure builds character and determination which will be vital traits in your future endeavours.”
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