{"id":968,"date":"2018-08-07T15:02:13","date_gmt":"2018-08-07T22:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/?p=968"},"modified":"2024-04-02T14:15:08","modified_gmt":"2024-04-02T21:15:08","slug":"chris-holt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/chris-holt\/","title":{"rendered":"Sometimes the right career move brings you closer to home"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"intrinsic-container intrinsic-container-16x9\" style=\"margin-bottom: 20px;\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"744\" height=\"419\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/k_fHK1SlgoI?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-caption video-caption-full\">\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The hands-on experience Chris Holt gained in the Oregon State Ecampus horticulture program helped him change careers and land his dream job as a middle school agriculture teacher.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>By Julie Cooper<br \/>\n<\/em><em>August 7, 2018<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Chris Holt was well-settled into his career in the automotive industry that was stable and provided for his family.<\/p>\n<p>Staying put would have been the easy thing to do. But when the long hours kept him away from home too often, Chris realized it was time to make a change and pursue the career he really wanted \u2013 one that would allow him more time with his wife and two young kids.<\/p>\n<p>And in his search for an <a href=\"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/online-degrees\/undergraduate\/horticulture\/\">online bachelor\u2019s degree in horticulture<\/a>\u00a0that would put him on track to become a teacher, he held potential degree programs to the same family-friendly standard.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I did my research online, (Oregon State) Ecampus fit all my needs for my busy lifestyle with my family, and it was one of the top-ranked schools in the country for horticulture, especially for the online campus,\u201d says Chris, a Florida resident who graduated in June.<\/p>\n<p>Earning a degree with Ecampus did more than just provide the flexibility in his schedule that allowed for more family time. It created entirely new opportunities for connection.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn my horticulture classes, I had to create plant profiles with real plants in the area, photographing, examining and studying plants, pests and diseases in the wild. We had to propagate plants,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_979\" class=\"wp-caption wp-caption-250 alignright\" style=\"width: 250px\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-979 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/chris-holt-body.jpg?resize=250%2C250&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Horticulture grad Chris Holt smiles as he walks through the Oregon State campus with trees out of focus in the background.\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;I am a hands-on learner, and I think that in a field like horticulture we need to get outside and get our hands dirty to really understand the concepts covered,&#8221; says Chris.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s literally been a team effort for the whole family. It\u2019s gotten me and the kids out in the\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 1.6rem;\">field to go and sample bugs. Our kids will go out there and start naming off plants and say, \u2018Dad, we need to go deadhead the flowers.\u2019 \u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Making a career change comes with unique challenges, so Chris put in the work to make\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 1.6rem;\">the most of the skills he learned in his Ecampus classes and build a strong foundation in\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 1.6rem;\">his new profession.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>While enrolled in the horticulture program, he accepted a position with the United States Department of Agriculture, where he learned about the programs and services offered by the Farm Service Agency.<\/p>\n<p>And after that, to his own surprise, he found himself in an internship with the Walt Disney World Department of Horticulture \u2013 because even magic takes a little work.<\/p>\n<p>He gained knowledge and experience in pest management, animal trapping, landscaping, irrigation, arboriculture and more. And after completing his internship, his work ethic landed him a full-time position with Disney\u2019s Department of Horticulture.<\/p>\n<p>Passing field work skills on to his own children and helping maintain Disney World for the park\u2019s millions of annual visitors were great strides in the direction of Chris\u2019 next adventure \u2013 making a difference in the lives of youths and families once more, this time as an educator.<\/p>\n<p>Shortly before graduating in June and attending the graduation ceremony with his wife on Oregon State\u2019s Corvallis campus, Chris landed his dream job.<\/p>\n<p>In his new teaching position at Lake Gibson Middle School in his hometown of Lakeland, Florida, he will teach agriculture and manage an aquaponics (a symbiotic system of aquatic plants and animals) program.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt really is not <em>my <\/em>graduation; it\u2019s ours, because we made it through this together,\u201d he says of his family. \u201cI\u2019m the first of my family to earn a bachelor\u2019s, and coming from my background, it\u2019s a huge deal. It\u2019s just been a tremendous thing for me and my family.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\"><\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minute read<\/span><\/span>Chris Holt was well-settled into a career that was stable and provided for his family, but when the long hours kept him away from home too often and his passion for plants pulled him in a new direction, he chose to follow the call. The hands-on experience he gained in the horticulture program led him outdoors to conduct field work for his courses, into his dream job as a middle school agriculture teacher \u2013 and most importantly, back home, where he can spend more valuable time with his family.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":970,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[673],"tags":[638,377],"class_list":["post-968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-conservation-and-natural-sciences","tag-horticulture"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Chris-Holt-main.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BNSE-fC","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2555,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/study-plant-or-agricultural-sciences-online-at-oregon-state\/","url_meta":{"origin":968,"position":0},"title":"Which online plant or agricultural science degree should I choose?","author":"Elena Moffet","date":"June 3, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Explore the different plant sciences degrees offered online by Oregon State and learn more about the skills you can gain from each.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;All Stories&quot;","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Young cucumbers growing on a vine with vibrant yellow flowers and large green leaves in the background.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/News-CNS-MC-Plant-800x450-240529.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/News-CNS-MC-Plant-800x450-240529.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/News-CNS-MC-Plant-800x450-240529.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/News-CNS-MC-Plant-800x450-240529.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2408,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/making-a-difference-through-horticulture\/","url_meta":{"origin":968,"position":1},"title":"Making a difference through horticulture","author":"Elena Moffet","date":"November 22, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"John Dusek loves his work and small town Michigan community, but he began to feel like something was missing. \u201cI don\u2019t know if it was a midlife crisis or what,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I came to a point where I realized that there was much more potential in horticulture than\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;All Stories&quot;","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"John Dusek in a graduation cap and gown with his wife and daughter presenting his dual degrees to him.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/John-Dusek-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/John-Dusek-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/John-Dusek-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/John-Dusek-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":901,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/gina-rogers\/","url_meta":{"origin":968,"position":2},"title":"Getting to know Gina Rogers","author":"Jess Waldschmidt","date":"June 5, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"In such a fast-paced and sometimes highly emotional environment, Gina positions herself as a point of reference and goes beyond expectations to ensure success for all.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Archives&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Archives","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/archives\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Gina Rogers stands in the library quad on Oregon State's Corvallis campus. 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