As the son of an electrician, Jeremy Mescher was maybe always destined to work in electrical engineering. Yet, as a non-traditional student at 41, it’s taken him a while to realize that goal.

“I think it will give me more opportunities for advancement,” he explained.

Mescher grew up in Dyersville, Iowa. Although he went to trade school in Wyoming, his path took him to being a grocery store clerk for many years. When he felt it was time for a change, he became an industrial maintenance technician.

By this time, Mescher’s wife was pursuing a degree at UNI. Their daughter attended the on-campus childcare center, and he decided to go back to school to earn his degree in electrical engineering technology.

“It had to be for something in a field I thought was interesting and I would enjoy.”

Mescher was also motivated by a friend who had earned his degree and spoke highly of the program. Mescher decided to come back primarily in person, meaning he had to work third shift at his job.

“It's really hard to swap your schedule every day,” he explained, while describing long work days and classes on top of family life. “But mostly everybody's been understanding, whether it be on the job or the professors at UNI. So that really helps.”

There have even been times when Mescher’s daughter has tagged along to his classes.

“My professors are always willing to handle whatever you throw at them, even if that means they got an extra four-year-old in their class to learn electronics that day.”

Something else Mescher appreciates about his instructors is how willing they are to help him whenever he has questions about the material.

“If you're not getting something, all you have to do is ask,” he said. “The professors are super smart. They know what they're talking about. They're always willing to help whenever you need it, whether it's online, in person or after class. They're just willing to help anybody in any way they can.”

Despite the challenges of being a non-traditional student, Mescher has never lost sight of his goal: he’s going back to school to build a better life for himself and his family. 

“Hopefully, with this degree, I will be able to advance into an automation technician role,” he said. “That means more money, better hours and a better lifestyle.”

He’s found significant overlap between his work as an industrial maintenance technician and the content of his classes. However, he’s also learning new skills in the classroom that he believes will help him take on his next professional challenge.

“It seems like everybody in the industrial world wants you to know how to do programmable logic control, so learning that was definitely a huge bonus.”

Now in his third year, Mescher looks forward to the day when he can finally say he’s earned his bachelor’s degree.

“I'm very glad to have come back and made it this far,” he said. “My degree hasn't been easy. It's been very challenging, but I wouldn't trade it.”