Student Stories
Animal Science & Industry
Scott Hobby
Scott Hobby is a 2002 graduate in Animal Science Industry.
In 1988, Scott was hired as a technician with the Georgia State Department of Agriculture in Ashburn, Georgia. At the time he had an associate degree, and found a good opportunity to work in his chosen field. Scott works in a quality assurance program, a regulatory lab which assures that labels are in compliance with seed law.
Eventually Scott was promoted to an analyst position, slowly climbing the ladder of advancement. However, he noted that the door to further promotion was closed to him because he did not have a bachelor's degree. It was time to go back to college.
Scott coaches youth baseball and basketball and has coached soccer. He has a wife, a nine-year-old son, and a five-year-old daughter; the time he spends with his family is very important to him. Scott didn't want to take time away from his children by pursuing a degree in a traditional classroom. He also noted that he was spending time from 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm watching television. Finally Scott reasoned, “;Since I'm watching TV from nine to eleven, why don't I go back to school during that time?
” So he began his search for distance degrees in agriculture by surfing the Web.
In 1999 Scott joined the Bachelor's Degree Completion Program. At first he took three to six hours of credit, and later took as many as four or five courses per semester. He normally studies from 9:00 pm to as late as 1:00 am. When Scott took biology and chemistry, his wife, who is a biology teacher, tutored him in those subjects.
Scott was promoted at work to supervisor based on his progress in his degree program. Recently, he was promoted again to manager. “I didn't know how many doors this would open for me. I went into it as a self-satisfaction thing,
” Scott shared.
How did Scott accomplish all this? He said he had so many people who helped him along the way at K-State. “You get to know people at K-State on a personal basis, unlike some other distance education schools,
” Scott revealed. One of the K-State staff who assisted him was his BDCP advisor, Daniel Butcher. “Daniel has been excellent. Every time I hit an obstacle, he really worked with me to find a solution.
”
Scott did have times when he was discouraged and had to give himself pep talks. His advice to other distance students is, “Just push yourself beyond that little thing in your mind telling you to quit.
” As students you need to “realize you're doing something you knew you could do all along, but in a different way.
”
Scott told us, “Sometimes you're more dedicated as an older student and more motivated when you have a family and know what you want to achieve in life.
”
Although Scott told us, “Now I can see the finish line,
” he still has more plans after graduation. He's going to take a year off, but is considering pursuing a master's degree at a distance. And, he's due for another promotion upon earning his bachelor's degree in December.
