50 Years In, MCC Continues to Help Students with Their Careers

Middlesex Community College provides opportunity. The Community Education and Training (CET) department at Middlesex prepares students with the professional and personal development necessary to lead successful careers and enriched lives.

“Life-long learning is valuable in any economy, but more so now during the pandemic,” said Judy Burke, MCC’s Executive Director of Institutional Advancement. “Middlesex and CET have been helping the community for over 30 years and have made a tremendous impact on the Massachusetts’ workforce and economy. Working closely with employers helps us to understand what students need to help them develop their professional skills and the knowledge base necessary for continued success in their careers and lives.”

For three alums of the CET programs, MCC was their fresh start.

In 1976, a pregnant LouAnn Jendro moved with her husband and young son from upstate New York to a townhouse complex in Dracut. She previously had graduated from State University of New York in Oneonta and taught junior high. After arriving in Massachusetts, the family had one car and Jendro did not have many connections to her new area.

When her 5-year-old son came home from school with a flyer from Middlesex, she asked her husband if she should go. He asked her, “What have you got to lose?”

“They were going to be offering some community ed. courses at Dracut High a few evenings a week and the cost was nominal,” she said. “I signed up and went to the first class despite the fact that I hadn’t baked the heart cookies yet for the kindergarten party the next day.”

Jendro found the Assertiveness Training class to be interesting – learning how to make choices in a way that is positive and life enriching. After finishing, she went on to take the companion course, Personal Growth and Development. She used the skills she learned from the class immediately in real-life situations. It changed her life.

“I went to the next PTO meeting and used my assertiveness to volunteer to be the secretary,” she said. “When I heard that no one was running in the next School Committee election, I took out papers and won. When I found out the Dracut Scholarship Foundation was looking for new members, I joined. When cable TV was starting a local access channel, my husband and I decided to take the training course, so I decided to put a show together. Before long, I was hosting an hour-long show, All Around Town.”

These experiences gave Jendro the confidence to do more within the community and in her professional life. After leaving the School Committee, a friend asked her to start a newspaper and even though she did not have experience as a journalist, she wanted to try it. She went on to work as the editor and chief writer of the Merrimack Journal.

When she needed the inspiration most, MCC provided Jendro with tools to set herself up for success and to take a chance on herself.

“I don’t think I would have raised my hand to be secretary of the PTO in 1976 without MCC,” she said. “I have had a varied life with amazing experiences. MCC offered a convenient and affordable way for me to move beyond that townhouse into a world of opportunities.”

For Zoe Lawson, Middlesex also changed the path of her professional journey. The college is important to her because as she said, “MCC gave me my career.”

Middlesex has been a consistent part of Lawson’s life. From Billerica, she grew up near MCC’s Bedford campus and took electrical engineering courses for kids when she was younger.

After Lawson graduated from Bates College with a bachelor’s in East Asian Studies, she worked in a few different positions, but nothing felt quite right. She learned about a career in Technical Writing at one of her jobs and wanted to know more. MCC’s program stood out because it was the “premiere program at the time.”

“MCC gave me the foundation of how to be a tech writer that I have used ever since,” she said. “I learned what questions to ask, how to structure information, and a few industry standard tools.”

Now working in the industry, Lawson writes instructions and conceptual information, as well as designs content for how to best present software information to users. Because the field is always changing, Lawson continues to learn by taking seminars and collaborating with fellow writers.

Having completed MCC’s Software Technical Writing Program in 2001-2002, Lawson now teaches in the Technical Writing Certificate program for Middlesex.

“The program gave me my start,” she said. “I’m glad to give back and hope I’m helping others find their start in what has become a very fulfilling career.”

Lawson also looks forward to the future when she reaches the 55+ mark and can engage in MCC’s Middlesex Institute for Lifelong Education for Seniors (MILES) programs.

“I'm glad the school has been around,” she said. “I'm glad for the various classes and programs I have taken over the years.”

The newest alumni of CET Surbhi Patel finished MCC’s Pharmacy Technician program this year. A mom of twins, Patel – who is from Billerica – was interested in working in a job that allows for flexible hours and weekend availability. Patel was looking to get into a healthcare field and Middlesex provided her with the medical training and knowledge she needed in order to break into the industry.

“You have better exposure to the subject with someone guiding you instead of learning on your own,” she said. “Professor George gave us thorough information and explanation of the material.”

Although the idea of taking online classes made her nervous, Patel said her professor and MCC helped ease her fears after just the first class. The “helpful and coordinating staff” made a difference in her education.

“MCC classes helped me a lot,” she said. “Professor George went above and beyond in the situation we faced with COVID-19.”

As a leader in professional development and career training opportunities for 50 years, Middlesex is prepared to get students on the paths to the jobs they want now. With a variety of online certificate and course options, students are set up for success – both in their professional and personal lives –with the knowledge and skills they need to start or advance in their careers.

It is not too late to register for MCC’s CET courses this Fall. For more information and to browse course options, visit https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/careertraining/default.aspx or contact Sheila Morin at 781-280-3608 or MorinS@middlesex.mass.edu.

Discover your path at Middlesex Community College. As one of the largest, most comprehensive community colleges in Massachusetts, MCC has been a proven leader in online education for more than 20 years. We educate, engage and empower a diverse community of learners, offering more than 80 degree and certificate programs – plus hundreds of noncredit courses. Middlesex Community College: Student success starts here!