As a teenager growing up in Milwaukee in the 1990s, Gary Crawford didn’t have much interest in school.
“Self-doubt was really ingrained in me for no reason at all,” he explains. “I was scared of academics, so I just didn’t care for education.”
Music, however, was a different story. Once he picked up a guitar, Gary found where he fit in. “At that point, I devoted my life to music, which was a really deep passion of mine,” he explains. “I ended up leaving high school and playing bass guitar in bands, eventually touring regionally.” One of his bands, Burial Ritual, was founded in 2005 and was a player in the Midwest metal scene, gaining a loyal following.
Gary started a family during that time as well, and the time came for him to leave the music scene and pursue a different career. Gary and his family relocated to Clintonville, where he started working as an assembler with Seagrave.
But there was a small part of him that wanted more.
“One day I was talking to a co-worker, and she said we should go back to school. I’m like ‘man, I’m too old for that.’ It felt like it was a young person’s journey. But we just kept on talking about it and I was getting all hyped on it and finally I thought, ‘You know what? I should do it. I’ll never know if I don’t do it.’ And I took that first step.”
Gary had always been interested in technology, so he decided to pursue a degree in IT. Before he could do that however, there was one last item to check off the list: he needed to get his high school diploma. Fortunately for Gary, there was an FVTC regional center just down the road that provided the opportunity.
Learning locally in Clintonville
Adult Education classes are one of the services provided by the Clintonville Regional Center, preparing students locally to complete their high school credential. This proximity was crucial for Gary, since he was working 50 to 60 hours per week at Seagrave while he took his classes.
“I took my GED classes at night, and I’m so glad the regional center was there, because otherwise it would have been a lot harder for me to do it,” he says. “Plus, the people there were so supportive. I was learning subjects that I hadn’t taken in 20-plus years, so it was tough. When you start to self-doubt, you need that person from the outside looking in to say, ‘You can do this’.”
An eye toward technology
With his high school credential in-hand, Gary was ready to pursue a career in a field he was passionate about—information technology.
It was a 1980s Tandy computer that sparked Gary’s interest in technology. His parents bought it for him from Radio Shack when he was a kid.
“I loved that computer,” he says. “I’d be at it all night.” Until, that is, his sister and her friends decided to smear peanut butter all over it. “It was probably fixable, but we ended up throwing it away and that was the end of it for quite some time.”
But the seed had been planted, and he always kept his eye on technology. So, after earning his high school credential, Gary enrolled in the FVTC Computer Support Specialist associate degree program, taking most of his classes online.
“I love this field because of the constant learning; it’s always evolving,” he says. “It keeps you on your toes because you’re always learning a new process and a new way of doing something.”
In tech, there’s no ceiling. You can go as high as you want if you have the right knowledge and drive to do it.
—Gary Crawford
If he got stuck on something in one of his classes, his instructors were always available to help. “They would make the time,” he says. “They were always there and that’s what I really appreciate, because it’s what I needed but did not get back in high school.”
So with the help of his family, his instructors, and the FVTC Foundation, Inc. (he’s a four-time scholarship recipient), Gary will earn his degree this December. He also started a job that he loves, working in computer support at the North Star Mohican Casino. “They’re really supportive too,” he explains. “I work at the casino, go home and put in a couple hours’ worth of homework and go to bed. But I’m proud of it because I’m seeing the results.”
And he’s just getting started. He decided to add another degree in Network Systems Administration.
“It’s just a few more classes, so why not push it further?” he says. “In tech, there’s no ceiling. You can go as high as you want if you have the right knowledge and drive to do it. I don’t have enough knowledge yet. But I do have the drive, and I plan on doing the best I can do. I’m just beside myself some days because, as someone who doubted themselves in this type of scenario, I’m like, ‘I did it!’
“I call myself reborn in tech.”
When you start to self-doubt, you need that person from the outside looking in to say, ‘You can do this’.
Leading the way for others
Gary’s drive may come from within himself, but he’s also proud of the example he’s setting for his three teenaged children.
“My path was definitely a struggle,” he explains. “But the key part is, don’t give up. I didn’t give up, and here I am, almost 50. I’m going to have my first associate degree. I’m going to be the first college graduate in my immediate family. I hope that inspires the nieces and nephews and my kids to get it together and go, because I did it too late in life.
“The light in the tunnel may seem really far, but you invoke the indomitable spirit inside yourself and just keep going. The next thing you know, you’ve accomplished what you set out for.
“I’m really proud of myself.”
