With Move to Sioux Falls, First-Generation College Student Starts on New Career Path
As published in pigeon605.com
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-Daniel Jimenez, system and network security |
Daniel Jimenez has a history of putting in the work it takes to succeed.
From the time he graduated high school in Nebraska, he “went pretty much straight into the workforce,” he said.
A move to northwest Iowa landed him on the night shift for a company where he worked as a robotic hydraulic press brake operator, working from 6:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. Without supervisors or mechanics overnight, “whatever happened, I had to break my brain to fix certain issues,” he said. “So the job taught me responsibility, and I appreciated my years there.”
He trained multiple team members on robots at his employer, and “I’ve always been kind of into computers,” he said.
So when a co-worker introduced him to his future wife — and her life was in Sioux Falls — Jimenez “came here to be with her and just decided to take that step and go to college,” he said.
While he hadn’t been in school since 2016, his mother-in-law convinced him to look into Southeast Technical College’s program for system and network security.
“She studied there to become a nurse and told me it’s a great school,” Jimenez said. “The professors are flexible, and there are a lot of resources. It was important to me to have a close connection to my professors, and that’s 100 percent been the case.”
He began classes in the fall, “and I’m absolutely enjoying it so far,” he said.
Jimenez also has become involved beyond academics at Southeast Tech, after the school’s ROOTS multicultural club captured his attention.
“They were doing a Hispanic Heritage Month event, and I went to a meeting and liked it,” he said. I’m first generation and also the first in my family to go to college, and it was important to me to join the club and learn about other cultures, plus I wanted to share a part of me and my heritage.”
He brought in traditional clothing, tapestries and other items from the area in Mexico where his family is from.
“Southeast Tech is a pretty diverse school,” he said. “We host different events like Hispanic Heritage Month, and we’re looking at doing something for the Chinese Lunar New Year, so we’re always looking at what we can do to celebrate different cultures.”
When he’s not in school, Jimenez works Friday through Sunday unloading freight at Walmart.
“I’m thinking about applying to internships now, so I can get work experience to go with my degree,” he said. “Sometimes, I feel a little out of place because I haven’t been in school since 2016, but getting out of your comfort zone is the most important thing. I’ve learned so much about myself getting out of the bubble I created around me. I’ve made friends here, and I’m just enjoying my time.”
He also has settled into Sioux Falls, which he describes as a good balance between the small town he lived in previously and the larger city in Nebraska he lived before that.
At Southeast Tech, his future degree in system and network security will position him to fill in-demand roles at many area companies.
“I like Sioux Falls,” he added. “And the opportunities Southeast Tech offers for people graduating is pretty amazing. I absolutely love everything about that school. I’m exactly where I need to be.”