Representatives from 54 educational institutions were on Fort Jackson Jan. 15 to take part in the post’s Education Fair held in the 1917 Club.
The fair was held to “encourage Soldiers to continue their education and also to give them the opportunity to meet schools that are on post, but also others that are not on post,” said Veronica Fields-Cox, post education services officer.
The fair also let the community know what educational opportunities there are.
It shows “the community that there are schools available to them throughout the country, not just what is on post,” Fields-Cox added.
There were a variety of institutions at the fair including professional colleges, but also trade schools as well.
“In today’s society you really need those extra skills,” Fields-Cox said, “not necessarily the professional skills, but you need higher education to make you a better candidate for whatever job opportunities you want to go for.
“If you want to own your own business, you need to have those skills to operate that business. So continuing your education not only affects you, makes you a better person to pursue your dreams, but also if you have a family and better serve them and be a role model to any children you may have.”
Post Command Sgt. Maj. Erick Ochs knows the value of education and the discipline it takes to succeed. These would translate to the schools could have better students.
“I went to a very expensive liberal arts college in Pennsylvania ... and realized I was not disciplined enough, pulled the rip cord and got out of college because I knew I was going to have a lot of debt and nothing to show for it,” he said the educational institution representatives at the beginning of the fair.
The Army instilled the discipline he needed to excel in his educational endeavors.
“I treated it like a military operation, and I succeeded,” he added.
Ochs went from dropping out of college with a 2.7 GPA to earning an associate’s degree, a bachelor’s degree with a 4.0 in every class and then earning a master’s degree with a 3.9 GPA.
The fair is not the only educational assistance the Army Continuing Education System offers.
“We have financial aid seminars, we have academic counselors,” Fields-Cox said. “If you’re not sure what you want to do, you can come talk with them, and we can lay out an educational plan for you. For the Soldiers, they have tuition assistance that they don’t to pay back - $4,500 a year to go to school.”
She added that Soldiers should take advantage of these educational opportunities while they are in uniform.
“It’s just better to continue your education while you’re in the military, because you get those tuition assistance benefits and once you get out, you no longer have them,” she said.
For more information, call (803) 751-5341.
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