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 Life
sometimes throws you a curve ball. That's a lesson Sen. Cal Hobson
learned back in 1974 after he left the U.S. Air Force after six
years of service. At the time he was struggling to support his
wife and young family.
"I went to grad school but that was not paying the bills,"
he said. Hobson found his silver lining
when he was driving past a new building close to where he lived.
That building turned out to be Mid-America Technology Center
(then called Mid-America Vo-Tech Center), Wayne.
Hobson stopped at the technology center and decided to enroll
in real estate classes to learn a new skill so he could provide
a steady source of income for his family. His training lasted
about 12 weeks and he later received a real estate license. Hobson
said that he was grateful for the opportunity.
"My CareerTech training 'saved
the bacon' for several years," said Hobson. That is why
he is being recognized as a CareerTech champion. Champions
are alumni of the system's programs or student organizations
who attribute much of their success to their CareerTech
experience.
 What
impressed Hobson most about his CareerTech experience
were the small classes, professional instructors and the clean,
modern facilities. These are attributes of technology centers
still present today.
"A quarter of a century later the place is still spotless,"
he said.
Hobson sold real estate for about six years before he got involved
with politics. The skills he learned in the real estate business
were also useful on the campaign trail.
"You have to be an effective communicator whether you want
to succeed in real estate or politics," he said. "You've
got to communicate if you want to get votes."
As a graduate of Lexington High School
(where he was valedictorian), the University of Oklahoma and
Air War College, Hobson believes that young people should take
advantage of all educational opportunities available -- including
CareerTech.
"CareerTech is the way to meaningful jobs for many
of our young people," he said. "Three quarters of young
people are employed in jobs that do not require college degrees,
but do require high skills."
He said CareerTech training is also helpful when people
switch careers as he did nearly 30 years ago.
"The average person will change careers about eight to 12
times in their life," Hobson said. "CareerTech
can play a big role in making sure they have the skills for the
next job."
Related Link
Oklahoma Senate Link
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