If you think there’s no way you can work and take on this challenge of education—if you think there’s no way you have the time—it’s doable. It just takes a lot of discipline and some exhausting days. Reminding yourself of your end goal and that this is what you’re passionate about will help you to remember that it’s all going to be worth it.
Jocelyn Myers
Jocelyn Myers found her way to TMCC after a 17-year career in the ski industry. This experience, especially her years as a medical responder and Ski Patroller, helped her to discover her true passion resides in helping others.
She grew up in the high elevations of Kirkwood, California, a community nestled into the valley next to the mountain resort of the same name. Even though she currently calls South Lake Tahoe home, she doesn’t intend to venture far from the alpine landscape. “The mountains have got my heart,” she said.
Myers, who graduated in 2011 from California State University with a Bachelor’s degree with a concentration in Business Management, chose that degree path because it seemed practical. “When you go to college right out of high school, you don’t always know what you want to do. I was super artistic, and I wanted to go to art school, but I’m also a realist and I asked myself: what am I going to do with an art degree? So, I got a business degree and that has been very valuable.”
Despite her success—Myers currently works as a full-time manager—she began to question if this was really the career she wanted for the rest of her life. “I asked myself how I could help people in a medical capacity and deliver patient care. That’s when I discovered the TMCC Radiologic Technology program, which is awesome—there are so many modalities you can do with medical imaging—and that’s what I’ve settled on.”
Among the prerequisite courses she’s taken so far, Anatomy and Physiology was her favorite, which reassured her that the choice to start a new career in this field was a good one. However, while she works to complete the prerequisites for the Radiologic Technology program, she’s had to face an old demon: math.
“Math is and always has been an incredibly difficult topic for me, and I avoided taking chemistry in high school,” she said. “So right out of the gate I knew I might be really bad at some of this stuff, but I had to get through it.” A straight-A student, Myers was devastated when she received a D on the first exam in her chemistry class. The realization that she might not pass the class, and what that would mean in the larger context of her goals, settled in.
“I’m paying for school myself, and so it was absolutely devastating,” she said. “My time and financial dedication are real. Failure is just not an option for me.”
Instead of giving up, Myers found ways to support her academic success in a class she knew would be difficult. A self-described “neurotically organized” person, Myers created a schedule for herself that optimized her time and attention, while respecting her full-time job. “I don’t hang out, I don’t do anything after work. Instead, I come home, I decompress a little, and then lock myself in the guest room and do my schoolwork,” she said.
She has developed a process that has enabled her to succeed. The key? “What has really helped me is to stay ahead of the lectures. [In fact], I really start a week ahead of the class, so I go through all the content and workbook problems the week before it’s presented to the class. I have everything done before I enter the live lecture so I have an idea of what [the instructor] is talking about, and I already understand it 100%,” she said. Working to stay ahead of the class has required “ruthless time management,” but these days Myers maintains a high-B in a class she had once feared failing.
In addition to the lessons offered by Chemistry 121, Myers has learned goals are attainable if you’re willing to do what needs to be done. “If you think there’s no way you can work and take on this challenge of education—if you think there’s no way you have the time—it’s doable. It just takes a lot of discipline and some exhausting days,” she said.
She also cites the support of her instructors as key to her ability to succeed this semester. “I’ve had instructors this semester, especially for classes that have been really challenging, who pointed me toward the resources I would need to be successful,” she said. These include lecture notes, workbooks, videos, and assignments. “These aren’t tasks to eat up your time,” said Myers. “These are tools that can help you to succeed in the class.”
While Myers hasn’t landed on one specialty she’ll focus on in the Radiologic Technology program, she looks forward to the process of learning more about her future education...and career. “Reminding yourself of your end goals and what you’re passionate about will help you to be successful," she said.
For more information about TMCC’s Radiologic Technology Program, contact the department at 775-850-4003.