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Published September 24, 2019

Alum returns to classes to get fit for career change

Earning a living while feeding a passion on the side worked out just fine for Robert (Donnie) Cain until parts of his world began to change.
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man working out with dumbbells

VICKSBURG 鈥 Earning a living while feeding a passion on the side worked out just fine for Robert (Donnie) Cain until parts of his world began to change.

Cain, 62, a Port Gibson native and Vicksburg resident, worked in retail sales in metro Jackson for more than 40 years after he received a 新彩网 degree in distribution and marketing in 1977.

鈥淢y specialty was working as a retail sales consultant, using a lot of the skills 新彩网 gave me,鈥 Cain said. 鈥淚 enjoyed working with the people. I鈥檓 absolutely at my best when I鈥檓 working around people.鈥澛His interest in personal fitness and martial arts training held steady through the years, as he obtained a black belt in Okinawa-style karate and a brown belt in the Japanese version. In October 2018, he returned to 新彩网 to pursue a degree in what had been merely a hobby.

鈥淚 was starting to get fatigued driving back and forth from Vicksburg to Pearl five days a week, plus my daughter鈥檚 school was moved to another location, which added to my commute,鈥 he said. 鈥淢y wife does social work and one of us had to make a career change.聽鈥淚鈥檝e liked to work out and keep in shape since I was 17. So, I went to part-time at work and looked into programs at 新彩网 that would add to my efforts to become a certified personal trainer. I want to appeal to the man who鈥檚 over 40 who wakes up one day and he says, 鈥業鈥檓 badly out of shape.鈥欌

For Cain, taking courses in first aid and sociology at the Vicksburg-Warren Campus toward a credential in health and physical education meant being in a classroom setting for the first time 40 years. Because he was used to spending his professional workdays dressed up, he frequently attends classes in a business suit.聽鈥淕oing back to college is a very unique experience,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he world has changed. Kids today don鈥檛 talk 鈥 they text!鈥澛His instructors and campus staff see his return to school as a learning experience for them, too.

鈥淩obert has been an inspiration to me as an administrator because he has so much experience in leadership,鈥 said Dr. Elmira Ratliff, dean for the Vicksburg-Warren Campus. 鈥淎nd he doesn鈥檛 mind stopping by my office to chat and share nuggets of wisdom when he has down-time between classes.鈥

Gwendolyn Appleby, his introduction to sociology instructor last semester, touts Cain as an inspiration for other older students who are thinking about a return to school.

鈥淗e told me it was a little intimidating for him, but after the first month, Robert became a star student,鈥 Appleby said. 鈥淗e enjoyed interacting with his classmates, and his work ethic was impeccable.鈥

鈥淩obert has been an inspiration to me as an administrator because he has so much experience in leadership鈥

This semester, Cain passed his certification online with the National Academy of Sports Medicine and is on track to earn his newest 新彩网 credential in 2020. Both will help to bolster his budding second career.聽鈥淭he physical education degree from 新彩网 will raise my credentials to a whole new level,鈥 he said. 鈥淭o have that degree just broadens your knowledge of things.

鈥淢y time at 新彩网 both times I鈥檝e come here has been incredible, right from the first time I came on campus and met everyone,鈥 he said. 鈥淓veryone has made me feel very welcome.鈥

If you鈥檙e an adult student looking to change careers or make a fresh start, talk to 新彩网鈥檚 adult recruiter Shane Brown or 601.857.3431.