Building Dreams: Patrick Finds Success in PTC’s Building Construction Technology Program

Kristy Patrick admits she isn’t what people think of as a typical building construction student, but that didn’t stop her from enrolling in Piedmont Technical College’s Building Construction Technology program. Her determination and “can-do” attitude propelled her to graduate with a 4.0 grade point average and to begin a new job a week after graduation.

Patrick says she was a stay-at-home mother of four boys who was trying to decide what to do after her youngest went off to kindergarten when she discovered PTC’s Building Construction Technology program. She liked that it was designed for those with little experience in construction and that it gave students a wide range of experience in residential and light commercial construction.

“I’d always had an interest in construction, but I only had around-the-house experience,” says Patrick. “It was intimidating to start the program with little practical experience and to be a 40-year-old woman going into what’s thought of as a man’s field.”

Her nervousness didn’t last long. “I was happy with my whole experience at PTC,” she says. “My instructors and classmates were great and I liked that we got training in practical areas like estimating building costs, carpentry, cabinet-making, residential wiring, blueprint reading, brick masonry, construction, building codes, and safety.”

Her instructors encouraged her to apply for the PTC Presidential Ambassadors program, and she did because she wanted to promote the college and show prospective students that there are no barriers to achieving their dreams. “It was scary for me to go back to school at 40,” she says. I wanted to show others that it can be done.”

In addition to serving as a Presidential Ambassador, Patrick was president of Building Construction Technology (BCT) for Life student organization and was named to the South Carolina All-State Academic Team. She was on the college’s honors list every semester. 

She graduated in May with an associate degree in Building Construction Technology and certificates in carpentry and masonry. Shortly after graduation, she was offered a job with Greenwood Community Home Repair. The nonprofit organization (formerly Greenwood Area Habitat for Humanity) now focuses on repairing and improving homes throughout Greenwood County. She is also a realtor with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices.

Patrick’s next goal is to earn her Residential Builder’s License, which requires that she have one year of experience under the supervision of someone licensed in the trade (which she’s getting at Greenwood Community Home Repair). One day she would like to own her own small construction company and even to build her own home.

“I really enjoy the challenges of construction. I love what I’m doing now. Every project is different,” she says. “I don’t think I could handle a job that’s monotonous.”

To learn more about Building Construction Technology at PTC, visit www.ptc.edu/bct.