News Article

Never too late to learn


6/1/2011 9:13:07 AM


Patsy Blundon, a three-time graduate of College of the North Atlantic, found employment in the welding sector before graduating from her program.

It’s never too late to go after your dream. Truer words could never apply than in the case of Patsy Blundon. The mother of three has held jobs in many sectors; as a fisherperson, a courier and an office worker, but she finally found a career as she entered her 40s.

Patsy is well on her way to becoming a three-time graduate of College of the North Atlantic (CNA), graduating with honours from each of the programs she enrolled in. Her most recent venture into the world of post-secondary education was through the Welding Engineering Technician program and she has found employment in the field even before graduating.

“I was a fisherperson and I owned my own boat and licence. I fished with my father who is soon going to retire, and I didn’t want to fish for the rest of my life. I wanted to go back to school while I was still young enough to do it, so that’s what I did. With the help of my husband, I put myself through school.”

Like a moth to a flame she was drawn to the CNA program, and although she considered entry into the program over a decade ago, the timing just wasn’t right.

“I thought about doing this course in 2000 and did go back to school at that time, but I did Programmer Analyst. Doing the welding course at that time wasn’t possible – I would have had to be away from my family so I held off. I waited until I had more mobility for work.”

But those barriers were no longer a factor two years ago.

“I think the most important reason I decided to take (the Welding Engineering Technician program) was the rise in employment in the workforce. When I first applied to take this program there were a lot of jobs available in Alberta. My youngest is now in Grade 12 and I wanted to time it so I would finish school when she finished, so I would have flexibility where I could work.”

It’s been a decision she hasn’t regretted.

“I loved it. It was very challenging, especially as a 40-year-old going back to school. I didn’t do physics or chemistry before in my life, and then was thrown into a program that had those courses, so it was a challenge. I wasn’t overwhelmed because I spent the time needed to understand it. You have to be willing to put the time into it to get good grades and succeed,” says Patsy.

“I buckled down and worked hard every day and every night. I studied until at least 10:30 or 11 p.m. every single day. I found I had to sacrifice some things, but I felt it was better to make the sacrifice now for those two years to make myself more employable in the end. That was basically my motto.”

The classroom atmosphere also holds a special place in her heart.

“The part I loved the most, I think, was my classmates. We studied together every night. We had a class party after every single semester, took trips together and ate lunch together every day. That’s something I will always remember about the program. The instructors were fabulous. They even came to all the class parties as well. We were almost like a family. We even had people who stayed at residence and they’d come to my house for meals a couple of times a week. I was the oldest in the class too. Most were below 25 so I was the class mom.”

She literally was the “class mom” to one student. Her daughter Jessica is enrolled in the program.

“I have three kids and my oldest is graduating from the same program in June. We started the same time and did the program entirely together...we studied together all the time. She helped me a lot because she was only out of school a few years but she had done physics and math so she helped me a lot with that as well.”

While Patsy thrived in the academic side of the program, it was the hands-on training that she looked forward to each week.

“I loved welding. It’s the hands-on part I loved – the lab time was really good. I couldn’t wait for shop on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

A work-term is optional for the college’s Welding Engineering Technician program, but Patsy felt it was an important step to get a feel for the type of career she was embarking on. She received a break shortly after finishing that work-term at North Atlantic’s Come By Chance refinery.

“They accepted me as a work term placement in the Quality Assurance Quality Control office,” says Patsy “After I finished my work term and went back to school, I was talking to my instructors about how busy it was there and mentioned how I wished I could have stayed on. They asked why I didn’t, but I didn’t realize I could. They told me if I could get employment there they would help me as much as they could to finish the program.”

And that’s exactly what the college has done.

“I can appreciate the effort it takes to complete this program and the challenge of finding employment upon completion,” says instructor Murray Cribb. “So when Patsy had the opportunity to gain immediate employment in Newfoundland, I do not believe there was any hesitation on the part of the campus staff and instructors to accommodate her in any way we could.”

CNA has agreed to let Patsy complete her course via distance education.

“Everyone stepped up and encouraged her to do so, stating that we will work together to get her through the program. I think everyone realizes that these opportunities do not always come along and we must allow our students this opportunity for success,” Murray continues.

“Although I have only known her for a limited time, I can see that she is a real go-getter and class leader. She has a real appreciation for the hard work and dedication that it takes to achieve your goals, and I do not believe that she is going to let anything get in her way. It is not an easy adjustment to leave the workforce when you are older and return to school. It can be very intimidating… I can see that she has responded to the challenge very well.”

She has a few weeks left to complete of the two-year program and while it can be overwhelming to work and go to school at the same time, she feels it will be worth it.

“Right now this position is for three months but who knows what it will bring down the road,” says Patsy. “It feels very overwhelming since I’m working 12 and a half hour days and still have to do homework and assignments and tests. It’s a lot of work but I feel it will be worth it in the long run.”

She credits her success to hard work, dedication and a fantastic support system at CNA.

“I wouldn’t have been able to do this course without the instructors. They have been absolutely amazing. The instructors, I think, make the course what it is. They’re supportive, helpful and go above and beyond. We can ask for help during school, after school, we can email or call them – they’re always there for us.”

While Patsy is just starting out in her career, she has grand plans for her future.

“I see myself working in this field for many years... at least 20 years. Retirement is not even an option in the near future. I found what I want to do for the rest of my life. This program offers so many varieties of work because you can branch off. There are dozens and dozens of things you can do with this program,” she continues.

After getting some experience under her belt she has plans to fuse all of her education into one dream job.

“I did Business Administration – Accounting at CNA in 1994 and Programmer Analyst – Accounting in 2000. I decided to go back to school and do this welding course because if I combine my business administration training with this course, I could hopefully own my own company and have employees of my own.”

Regardless of where this industry takes her, Patsy, and her instructors, believe she has a bright future ahead.

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Media Contact:
Glenda McCarthy
Public Relations Assistant
College of the North Atlantic
709.643.6408
glenda.mccarthy@cna.nl.ca