Joanne Diz A.A./University Transfer, 1996 Florida Community College

Engineering a Mid-Life Career Change

Joanne Diz
Florida Community College, Class of 1996

When Joanne Diz left her job with the U.S. Postal Service to become a home-based decorator, it was just a taste of the changes she would experience in coming years. Her next career change was an even bigger leap — from decorator to engineer. But she made it successfully, with a big help from FCCJ along the way. And it never would have happened without one fateful, chance encounter.

“One of my decorating clients was an engineer,” Joanne says. “I had never met an engineer, let alone a woman engineer, and as we talked she saw something in me that I myself had never recognized. In one conversation, she convinced me that engineering was my fate and that it could be done.”

In fact, at the very same time, Joanne had been considering a return to school. But as a mother, she was concerned about being able to balance family and classes. That same week, she called FCCJ and met with a counselor.

“I discovered that not only could I go back, but I could even ease back into the discipline of school by taking telecourses, which allowed me to tape my classes and watch them while my children slept. I took my first ten classes over the television, going to campus for orientations and tests. This gave me the confidence to physically step back into the classroom. This just happened to be at the same time that our youngest child was entering kindergarten, so the timing was perfect.”

Today, FCCJ offers classroom, online and hybrid options that make it easy to balance family, school and career.

“I have to say that being a 33-year-old married mother of four will give you a razor-sharp focus on what your goal is when you return to school,” Joanne said. “This for me was a one-shot deal, and I am proud to say that once I made the commitment I never wavered.”

If Joanne needed any extra inspiration, she found it in her teachers at FCCJ. “I came from an era when ‘girls don’t do math’,” Joanne said, “so you might imagine my trepidation. But that fear completely disappeared at FCCJ. I am forever indebted to Dr. Chandarana and Dr. Kitto who will probably never really know how much their influence has had over my career.”

With hard work and perseverance, Joanne eventually transferred to the University of Florida and, commuting to classes from Jacksonville daily, earned a degree in civil engineering in 1999.

“Today, I am a licensed professional engineer working on roadway projects as a part of the design team for the Jacksonville Transportation Authority,” Joanne said. “Every step of my journey has prepared me for the position I have with this wonderful organization. I have always felt that I am where I need to be when I need to be there, and as long as I can continue to look forward to going to work every day, I am truly blessed.”