Reggie Holt was 39 when he realized that working nights, weekends, and holidays in his retail sales job was less than ideal for work-life balance. “I wanted to be become a better husband and father,” Holt says. “I realized the only way for me to do that was to re-educate myself for a new career.”

Holt quit his job, enrolled at Wake Tech, and two years later graduated with honors with an associate’s degree in Industrial Pharmaceutical Technology. He transferred to NC Central University, earned his bachelor’s degree, and promptly landed a job with Merck, in Durham, as an Employee Development Coordinator.

A fresh start – personal and professional – in five years, thanks to the high-quality instruction and career guidance he found at Wake Tech. “Having been out of school for so long, I worried that I would not be able to keep up with younger students,” says Holt. “The small classes and personal attention at Wake Tech brought me up to speed and gave me everything I needed to be successful.”