Graduate Connections – Meet LaQuetta Ferguson

LaQuetta, 38, was born and raised in Miami, Florida. She completed the seven-month Refrigeration Technology program at Tulsa Welding School in Jacksonville in June 2023. 

Thanks for your time, LaQuetta. What did you do before coming to Tulsa Welding School?  

Back home, I played basketball at FIU (Florida International University) on a scholarship. After, I did a lot of basketball coaching – that was really my passion, but everyone knows you don’t make much money coaching unless you’re on a certain level. I was doing it for love, not money! I also worked in security for the Broward County School Board system – I did that for six years. In July 2022, I moved to Jacksonville; I went to work at Amazon. That’s when I finally decided to sign up for trade school.  

Where did the idea of going to a school to study refrigeration come from? 

To be completely honest, my girlfriend and I had a conversation because working 12-hour night shifts at Amazon was not working for me. I wanted to find something where I could make a good income. I just thought it about logically. I thought, we live in Florida and people are always going to need air conditioning. I’m good with my hands, so I could go to school and learn that! Anyway, you know how it goes, we were just talking. I did nothing about it. Maybe a month later, a commercial popped up for Tulsa Welding School. So, I filled out the online registration to have someone call me back. 

So, you got a call back and went in to have a look around? 

Yes, Ms. Kim in Admissions called me. I believe it was a week before the next classes were due to start in November. She convinced me to come in. I was still debating it, but I went to see her. She inspired me to just go for it. Even if it didn’t work out, at least I could say I tried. And that’s how it really started. 

Did you have any related experience? Electrical, or anything at all?

No, none at all. It was a completely new thing for me to learn at the age of 37.

Good for you for jumping in! How was the program with zero experience? 

It was a balance of good and bad days! There were days where I was like, “Oh yeah, I got this…” Then there were days like, “Oh my goodness, what are they talking about? Are you serious? How am I supposed to remember this?” I’ve always been the type to tackle anything; I’m going to always put my best foot forward; I never thought I couldn’t do it, but it was scary seeing certain things, trying to understand them. 

How did you overcome the bad days?

Well, first and foremost my family helped. I had group FaceTime calls with my entire family at 7am every day! That was a great help…and we still do that to this day! In school, when I was struggling, honestly I clung to classmates who were more experienced; they were very helpful. I still talk to some of those guys who helped me. My professors were also great, but I understood they had a job to do. There were more than 20 of us in class. I appreciated that they couldn’t spend their whole time with me, but they did take the time to help me through, to groom me for what we were going to face when we’re out in the real world, which is problem solving. I appreciated the fact that they weren’t all over us, just holding our hands. No, they’d tell us how to do something, then show us, and then tell us again, but they’d also say, “You have to figure it out yourself.” That’s problem solving. 

What did you enjoy most about your time at TWS? 

For me, the best moments were once I got something! They’d put something in front of me and I’d have no idea how to do it. But then, after putting in the work with my community of classmates and professors, that moment where I’d go, “Ah, I got it!” was the best. The hands-on stuff is incredible because you get an opportunity to fail, but then you can go back and succeed. Those “I got it” moments were the best; from not knowing anything to week later saying, “I got this!” It’s such a positive community there.

Were you still working at Amazon while at school? 

To start with yes, from 6pm to 6am, and then school started at 7.30am. There were days where I’d be dog tired and come in 30 minutes late. But the instructors were so supportive, and great with communication. They knew I was doing my best. They put in the extra effort to help me, and my classmates, get through. 

I’d go home after school, try and sleep for a few hours in the afternoon and do it all over again. 

That’s not sustainable for seven months? 

No, the workload was just too much. I was killing myself. The work at Amazon was very, very physical. So yeah, I had to let it go. I actually took unemployment for a while, then I got a part-time job at a Staples warehouse, and then I finished out.

So, tell us about finding a job after graduation?

So, the school puts on these career days where all these companies come out. They have them all lined up through the hallways. Well, I talked to every company that was there, literally everyone. But the company that I’m with now, I talked to them for a little longer. At that point I was still months away from graduating. 

So, anyway this company, Hobart Service, came back out some time later. They had their own presentation and invited everybody along. I figured I’d talked to them for long enough, I knew what they were going to say, so I didn’t need to go. Anyway, all my classmates went, so at the last minute I decided to go. I was the last one to walk in. Eric from Hobart was talking, and he just stopped. “Hey, I remember you,” he said. I was completely embarrassed because everybody turned and looked at me! 

Anyway, at the end I talked to Troy Richardson, who’s now my district boss. He gave me all the information on how to apply. So, I did it on a whim! I thought, “Okay, I’ll do it because you kind of called me out!” I got the job offer before the last couple of days of school in mid-June, and I started with them July 3rd. 

That’s how the world works sometimes! What do you do for them?

I’m a service technician in commercial kitchens. Actually, that’s the crazy part of the whole story. This company doesn’t even do HVAC, which is why I thought I’d get into refrigeration in Florida. They actually work on refrigeration; things like walk-in freezers, reach-in coolers, appliances like that. We also work on ovens, dishwashers, everything you’ll find in a commercial kitchen. So, I’m learning new stuff, but it’s all based off schematics, like refrigeration, and the electrical components are not dissimilar. 

Starting a new career at 37/38 means you’ve got a long way to go. But are you happy with the money? 

As far as in my field, I know I’m at the bottom of the ladder because I’m new, but personally I feel that I’m at the top. I’m making more money now than I’ve made in my life. That’s the honest truth.

You’re just starting out – what’s your career plan from here? 

I love it at Hobart. They’re welcoming, it’s like a family atmosphere. They really take the time to teach you. It’s not a rush. They weren’t immediately sending me out on 10 calls a day. They actually just sent me to school for a week in Tampa to help me along my journey. I don’t see myself leaving Hobart; I could spend my career here. There’s plenty of room to grow. The universe pointed me in the right direction!

What do you enjoy most about your new trade?

The best part of my job is when I walk into a situation and the customer, say a restaurant manager, is frantic because something’s not working. Then within a couple hours they’re smiling because you fixed it! That’s the best part about it. Sometimes, fixing a machine might just not work out, but if you give great customer service, that customer is still going to have that faith that I’m going do whatever it takes to get them back up and running. Seeing those customers happy, it’s almost like you’re God working miracles! 

Did you make some connections at school, people you want to stay in touch with?

Yeah, my class has a group chat. They’re all good, hardworking people; actually, all of them are ex-military.

What advice would you give to those considering Tulsa Welding School for electrical classes? 

I would say grab your fear by the throat; the fear that you are going to feel because this is something new. Take that fear and use it to drive you forward to the next class, the next phase; take it all session by session. Each class you’re going to learn something new, something different. Once you get to the latter classes, you’ll realize that somehow you’re still retaining information from the earliest classes because of how the school has put the program together. Stick with it through those hard times. I promise you all the smoke will clear, and you’ll see the light! Stick with it and use all the resources they give you.

If you’re a TWS graduate and would like to share your success and be an inspiration to others, please email [email protected] to be considered for a Graduate Connection interview. Please include details such as your graduation date (month/year), program, and campus name (Tulsa/Jacksonville/Houston/Dallas).