Brock Jester
...he was able to take classes, handle the demands of his new job and be there for his family.
Pensacola Fire Capt. Brock Jester first ventured into firefighting as volunteer in South Florida in 1992. He went on a call for a structure fire and became hooked with firefighting.
“I think it was the adrenaline, but it was also really getting out and doing something,” Jester explained. “As a firefighter, you are always where the action is and you are always there to help.”
After years of hard work, and a move, Jester rose up the ranks to become a captain with the Pensacola Fire Department where he coordinates training and development.
A year into the job, Jester decided to get “training” on his own by seeking a bachelor’s degree in fire science with CSU in 2009. “I had already had my two-year degree, but realized I should really have a full bachelor’s degree.”
Jester enrolled and soon enjoyed the flexibility of CSU. He was able to take classes, handle demands of his new administration job and be there for his family.
“Many nights I would be up late stressing about work or budgets. Since I couldn’t sleep, I would get up and do some classwork,” Jester, a 2010 graduate, said. “Or if my daughter said, ‘Hey, Dad I need to go to the store.’ Well, no problem. Since I’m working online, I can stop, take her and come back to continue my classwork.”
“You can do that with online education. You aren’t bound by the traditional classroom with CSU. With CSU, I can juggle my responsibilities. That freedom is nice, really nice,” Jester added.
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