Former EFE Student Secures Dream Job at Secant Technologies, Right Out of High School

By Raine Kuch, Kalamazoo RESA Communications Intern

The phrase ‘Education for Employment’ was never more accurate than when Christopher Blevins, a student enrolled in an Education for Employment (EFE) Computer Technology course, secured a job at Secant Technologies after a field trip to its facilities.

On an EFE tour of Secant, Blevins stepped away from the group to ask if they had any available jobs. “I expected them to say no because I was a high school student,” explained Blevins.

To his surprise, Blevins was offered a job as a summer temp before being promoted to his current position as a Secant Systems Technician. Thanks to the connections he made through EFE, Blevins was able to begin a career in his field directly after he graduated from Vicksburg High School in 2018.

Though his interest in technology started as far back as an elementary school typing class, Blevins said that his relationship with computers had a rocky start. “I remember the typing class made me so mad that I threatened the computer. It fell on deaf ears,” said Blevins.

Blevins’ continued interest in technology eventually led him to enroll in the EFE Computer Technology program.

“Basically, anything you wanted to learn was available,” said Blevins. “It taught me everything about computer hardware that I thought I knew. It also taught me about software, which I didn’t know at all.”

The EFE learning environment was more hands-on than traditional classroom learning, said Blevins, and was made less stressful by an attentive teacher guiding him every step of the way.   

Through EFE, Blevins was also able to gain better communication skills. He uses these soft skills every day in his job at Secant to assist customers and it has become one of his favorite parts of his job.

Blevins’ career goals do not end here. He hopes to someday become a systems engineer and continue to help people through his love of computers.

Learn more about the EFE computer Technology course on the EFE website.