By Mark Russell Johnson

Returning to civilian life after a 22-year stint in the U.S. Navy, Bobby Deaton sought to redirect his skill set — of leading teams, developing helicopter tactics and overseeing deployment logistics — into a fresh new challenge. He wanted something precision-minded, with problem-solving at its core, to offer a quick entry into a new career. That’s when he discovered the CAD program, or computer-aided drafting, at Central Oregon Community College (COCC).

“The ability to take abstract ideas and translate them into detailed, actionable plans for real-world construction and development is incredibly satisfying,” says Deaton, who earned a one-year certificate and now runs his own drafting studio.

It’s complex and involved work, Deaton shares — coordinating with surveyors, city planners, clients and stakeholders, securing permits and keeping on schedule — but the end result helps bring a vision to fruition. “What truly appeals to me is the problem-solving aspect, creating designs that are not only functional, but also efficient and aesthetically pleasing.”

The CAD training path for Deaton was condensed, yet thorough, and it’s one of many such career-starter options at COCC, in fields as diverse as Medical Coding, Cybersecurity, Public Health, Welding and Outdoor Leadership — with more than 50 certificate programs that require less than a year of study and tuition. 

“Short-term certificates provide a real opportunity for working adults to pivot quickly into new job opportunities in high-paying, high demand fields,” says Annemarie Hamlin, vice president of academic affairs. “We develop and run these programs according to the high standards set nationally by professional organizations, and I’m proud to say that our programs regularly get high marks from the agencies that accredit them.”

Up on the third floor of COCC’s Health Careers Center — a modern training facility that overlooks the heart of the Bend campus — students of the Nursing Assistant program are spending part of their day focusing on feet. They’re practicing the essentials of providing care by working on each other, learning the importance of connecting with the person as they provide nail care. In fact, students perform more than half of the skills on each other, perfecting fundamentals that open doors. 

“I love the team atmosphere and comrades you get in health care,” says Eva Bell, who was nervous about the amount of schooling — and competitive admissions process — a Nursing degree required, and chose to start with the Nursing Assistant route instead. She completed the program several years ago and was hired at St. Charles Health System, later augmenting her skills to become an emergency department technician. “The COCC instructors are incredibly knowledgeable and do a wonderful job teaching best practices, clinical judgment and the skills needed to be nurses,” says Bell.

The Nursing Assistant class takes just one term to complete, which means that students with no prior health care experience — after passing the state certification exam — can jump into the workforce after mere weeks of schooling. Earning COCC’s well-rounded Nursing Assistant 1-year certificate of completion, however, takes a three-term commitment and wraps in subjects like health psychology, interpersonal communication, as well as Community Health Worker certification.

In Oregon, CNA certification yields a skill set where certified nursing assistants can perform daily care essentials, from moving patients to feeding them to dressing them. They learn to monitor vitals, manage catheters, check blood sugars, as well as communicate with patients with dementia and work in close concert with nurses. 

Like many occupations in health care these days, it’s an in-demand profession — and, beginning next winter, the training will be available at COCC’s Madras campus. According to 2023 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Oregon ranked fourth in the nation for highest annual mean wage for nursing assistants, at $46,970.

“I love caring for people, and I love being an advocate,” adds Bell, “so nursing was really the best career for me. I would encourage anyone considering a career in health care to go for it.”

Over at the Redmond campus’s Manufacturing and Applied Technology Center, the unmistakable sounds of learning — buzzes and crackles, heat scorching metal — spill from some of the facility’s 15 welding booths. Students are practicing laying down sturdy welds, perfecting their technique.

It’s where Shayla Simms, newly hired by BasX Solutions in Redmond, refined an early interest. “Ever since I was younger, I was the chosen grandkid to be my grandfather’s repairman and mini weld helper around the ranch,” says Simms, who welded small dolls as a child. “It’s amazing how heat, gas and metal can go from fixing buildings to creating things like planes, all the way down to beautiful artwork.”

Simms recently worked on a 60-foot-long, 15-foot-wide metal base for her company, laying down foot-long welds. She’s proud of her talents — and appreciative of her formal training.

“My COCC instructors helped me so much and gave me so much advice and information,” she says. “They always made it known that whatever career path I wanted to take, whether it was welding for the military or doing custom body work on cars, they always knew where to guide me and how to achieve that goal.”

COCC’s spring term starts March 31; the admissions deadline is March 23. Visit cocc.edu to find your own fast track.