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SALT LAKE CITY — Jordan Dahl was on an eight-year track to a four-year degree.
He worked two-and-a-half jobs to pay tuition and couldn't find the time to focus on school.
"I felt like I was spinning my wheels, not really getting anywhere," he said.
Then he learned about the Utah College of Applied Techology, UCAT. Within 18 months, he had a $30,000 job as a medical assistant. He progressed in his career and could now support his young family.
"I wish someone would have told me a long time ago that this was an option, Dahl said. "It's made a world of difference."
Dahl is like many Utahns who don't realize their options in higher education. UCAT prepares students for certificates in high-demand jobs in a fraction of the time, and for pennies on the tuition dollar. It has an 89 percent placement rate.
"They can literally leave our campus, after being there for six months to a year and walk into a $60,000 or $70,000 a year job," said Jordan Rushton, spokesman for UCAT.
Not only did it give me a chance to earn better money to focus on my goal, it gave me the confidence to go back to it.
–Jordan Dahl, UCAT student
Highly skilled graduates in information systems, health care, machinists and welders can significantly boost their earning power.
That's what Jordan Dahl did.
And now, ironically, he can afford to return to a four-year college to become a physician's assistant. And he'll already have the clinical hours he needs.
"Not only did it give me a chance to earn better money to focus on my goal, it gave me the confidence to go back to it."
State leaders are trying to get the word out about UCAT in a campaign titled "Re-think Education." It dovetails with statewide goals to get 66 percent of Utah's population with a post-high school certificate or degree.
UCAT offers a more viable route for many, who viewed college as out of reach. For Dahl, it was an unfamiliar route, but one that has paid off.
"I feel like there are a lot of adults who feel stuck, either in their current career or are scared to go back to school. Don't be scared," he said. "It's a good, painless, rewarding process."
