Military service, management training lead to career successSeptember 22, 2020

After serving four years in the U.S. Army, Jacob Quinn moved to Midland and spent grueling 10- to 12-hour days working in various customer service and retail jobs.  Now, after receiving a Bachelor of Applied Technology degree in Organizational Management from Midland College, Quinn is enjoying a career as Operations manager at Texas Leadership Charter Academy in Midland.

“I grew up in the El Paso area and graduated from Fabens High School in 2007,” Quinn explained.  “When I was discharged from the army in 2011, I moved to Midland because the job outlook was better than in El Paso.  It wasn’t difficult finding a job in Midland, but without a college degree, I was often passed by for promotions.”

Quinn first earned an associate degree in management from Midland College and then continued taking classes toward a bachelor’s degree.  After six years of attending college, both full- and part-time, he graduated from Midland College in May 2019 with a Bachelor of Applied Technology degree.  Then it wasn’t long before he was hired in his current position at Texas Leadership Charter Academy.

“My job is to take care of the physical plant, maintenance, custodial services and transportation services so that the principal Maggie Speed can focus on overseeing the important aspects of teaching and learning,” Quinn said.  “A clean, well-maintained physical plant helps to facilitate productive learning.  I have a great team, and we take pride in the fact that we are an integral part of the school’s success.”

Quinn said that he learned the importance teamwork during his service in the military.  As a Specialist E-4, Quinn was stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso after having gone through basic training at Fort Sill, OK and airborne training at Fort Benning, GA.  He was assigned to Patriot Missiles Operations and spent a year from 2009-2010 in Qatar in support of Afghanistan. 

“We operated and maintained missiles, and I often served as a radio operator,” Quinn stated.  “Many times that meant working 24- to 36-hour shifts in the back of a truck.  We all had to work in tandem and rely on one another to get the job done.  I apply that same concept of teamwork to my current job.”

Quinn explained that there are 800 students at Texas Leadership Charter Academy, which is located at the corner of Midkiff and Illinois.  The physical plant is composed of three buildings totaling over 50,000 square feet.

“My management classes at Midland College helped prepare me to think outside the box,” Quinn said.  “There are some days when you can’t just ‘go by the books.’  Dealing with almost 1,000 people daily, including students, teachers and staff, and ensuring that everything is clean and equipment is working properly sometimes requires solving problems quickly.  I credit my Midland College classes in giving me the knowledge I need to handle those situations.”