Getting a Degree on the Job: Quiana Ross

Quiana Ross had started and stopped her college education, but she knew that in order to take the next step in her career, she needed to make earning a degree a priority. As a single mother, she could not press pause on her life while she attended college. Through work-based learning, Ross can continue her position with the Beaufort County Tax Collections office while getting her associate’s degree at Beaufort County Community College in business administration.

Work-based learning differs from work-study in that students can work off-campus in their career field and earn competitive wages. Work-study students fill roles on campus. Work-based learning opportunities are available to students in a number of programs. Ross had worked as a customer service representative at Beaufort County Tax Collections since 2010, so attending college as a single parent could have threatened to put her progress on hold. Not one to shy away from seizing opportunities, Ross worked with Wyn Kinion, her supervisor, and Donna Dunn, lead instructor for business administration, to set up a work-based learning program for herself.

Kinion, the tax collector for Beaufort County, prides himself on pushing his employees to think about their next career move. His reputation at a previous job was as that of a trainer, as 25 people working for him had advanced to other positions.

On his work-based learning with Ross, Kinion said he has been “exposing her to different tasks so she can grow. I want to help develop not only her career, but to give her an educational base to help her promote herself after graduation.”

Even at workplaces where Ross knew that advancement would not be possible, she has taken the initiative to grow her skills. At the tax office, she completed the necessary coursework to earn her state certification as deputy collector II. She now handles complex tax delinquencies and works with property owners who are facing wage garnishment or foreclosure.

Ross hopes to earn a bachelor’s degree and eventually work at the federal level. She has to balance her roles as a tax collector, mother and student. Work-based learning is an ideal balance for the mother, who emphasizes, “Learn as much as you can.” Advancing her career does not have to hinder the advancement of her family.

Students interested in a work-based learning program can contact Gregg Allinson at 252-940-6428 or gregg.allinson@beaufortccc.edu.