(RED OAK, Texas) – Mitchell Duke, of Waxahachie, can see the progress he makes as he learns new skills.
Duke, an HVAC Technology student in his third semester at Texas State Technical College’s North Texas campus, is already doing fourth-semester work. He is doing this through the program’s performance-based education (PBE) model that allows him to set his own learning schedule. He is working toward a certificate of completion but said he will upgrade this semester to earn an Associate of Applied Science degree in HVAC Technology.
“If you are willing to be dedicated, PBE is one of the best things out there,” Duke said. “I was able to finish five classes each in my first and second semesters. I am left with six classes entirely.”
Duke spends up to nine hours a day on Mondays and Tuesdays and four hours on Wednesdays taking classes at TSTC. He works the rest of the week.
“You have to be able to speak up and ask the instructor for help,” he said. “That is what I had to learn. I could not have learned it without them guiding me.”
Jarrod Tawney, an instructor in TSTC’s HVAC Technology program, said it takes discipline for Duke and other students to hold themselves accountable in order to complete the online work and hands-on labs.
“He has gone above and beyond any of our expectations as far as understanding the material,” Tawney said of Duke. “We have noticed he is a fast learner and he is very open-minded.”
Duke is a graduate of Waxahachie High School, where he took automotive and agriculture classes. He earned an associate degree from Navarro College, with thoughts of studying environmental science. He took a semester off after graduating to work and think more about what he wanted to do next.
“I did not want a desk job,” Duke said. “I wanted to be outside working with my hands. I wanted to be able to make a living. I thought of the trades, and HVAC stuck out to me.”
Rachel Stem-Goolsby, of DeSoto, works with Duke and recommended that he look at TSTC. She is a fourth-semester Drafting and Design student at TSTC’s North Texas campus.
“TSTC is a good option,” Stem-Goolsby said. “He seems to be doing really well. I am happy seeing him succeed.”
Duke said he wants to pursue commercial or refrigeration work when he graduates. He said he chose those fields because of the pay, the complexity of the work, and how every day can be new and different.
For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.
