Fri Nov 20 2009
By JARED ORZOLEK
PAULDING -- Todd Switzer knows that it's going to be difficult for him to find a factory job that will replace the one he held at Thompson Steel in Paulding for more than 20 years.
Switzer, 40, was laid off in May and is now a freshman at Northwest State Community College, studying to become a registered nurse.
What makes his story different from the thousands of other workers displaced from jobs by the recession?
Switzer's daughter, Ashley, is also a college freshman, studying forensic science at Defiance College.
"There are a lot of people going back to school, they don't think the factory work will pick up for sometime," Todd said. "It's different, but it might be easier now than if I had went to college straight out of high school. I now have the motivation to get out and do something different."
A 1987 graduate of Paulding High School, he is taking five classes this fall at Northwest State.
Ashley, 19, is a 2009 graduate of Paulding High School. She lives in a residence hall at DC. She is taking 17.5 credit hours this fall and plans to play softball for the college this spring.
The two do not study regularly together, but do meet to catch up on their progress at school.
"She works at school and I usually go home to study where it is quiet," Todd said.
Seeking higher education is a legacy left to the Switzers by Todd's late wife and Ashley's mother, Angi, who passed away four years ago.
Mrs. Switzer had obtained a certificate from Northwest State and bachelor's and master's degrees in elementary education from DC.
Ashley said she is enjoying her time at DC. She hopes to get a job working as a crime scene investigator after graduation.
"I like it here. It's a very personal touch that you get from the teachers," she said.
Todd said his time at Northwest State has been worthwhile. He has already earned enough credits to become a nurses' aide, but must take a state test before he can apply for these positions.
"I'm just taking the general classes right now. Some of them are interesting. Chemistry and anatomy have been interesting," Todd said. "If you work in a factory and you always do the same job, you don't usually have to think that much. I don't want to be boxed into one area -- the factory -- again."
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