"Worried that his favorite pastime might lose its allure if he made it his life’s work, computer enthusiast Marshal Homfeld initially shied away from majoring in computer information systems (CIS) at Amarillo College.
“I didn’t want to poison the well by making work out of what I was always doing for fun in my spare time at home,” he said. “It just seemed too risky.”
But after a couple of forays into programs of study that he felt did not mesh just right with the future he envisioned – and twice departing the College to fully concentrate on his longtime job in the retail industry – he returned to AC and turned at last to the study of CIS.
He has no regrets whatsoever.
Homfeld’s associate degree of applied science in CIS-programming will be one of almost 900 certificates and degrees conferred when AC conducts its spring 2018 Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 11 at the Amarillo Civic Center.
The ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. Commencement is free and open to the public.
For Homfeld, a 2009 graduate of Amarillo High School, AC’s two-year CIS program turned out to be the perfect fit for his lifestyle. His passion for working with computers did not ebb, it expanded, and he even left retail about a year ago to begin work as a remote technician with Westgate Computers.
“I tried a couple of other programs at AC, and I was intrigued by them, but I couldn’t see myself in those fields for a lifetime,” Homfeld said. “I’m so grateful to my CIS instructors who encouraged me to go ahead pursue my passion.”
Homfeld was enrolled full time and worked full time en route to his CIS degree, yet he still found time to become fully engaged in the collegiate experience. Among other things, he joined Bash Script Crazy, a student organization for those interested in technology.
Members of Bash Script Crazy traveled to St. Louis last year for the AITP National Collegiate Conference and Career Fair, where Homfeld captured second place in a Visual Studio.Net Developer competition. The AITP event featured more than 450 students from 48 colleges and universities.
“I got involved in a lot of extra-curricular activities along the way,” Homfeld said. “It’s not enough to just get on the bandwagon. I think you’ve got to embrace the bandwagon and get involved to make the most of your college experience.
“I’m grateful for the opportunities I had at Amarillo College,” he said. “I realized I could, and should, follow my passion, and because AC is so affordable you can pay as you go, which beats the heck out of getting yourself into a mountain of debt.”"
-Amarillo College
