Nontraditional students are WCTC students: Matt Gerber '12, Graphic Design
At Waukesha County Technical College, more than 40 percent of students are nontraditional, meaning they are older than age 25. Their road to education may have been postponed or interrupted for any number of reasons, among them full-time work, caregiving responsibilities or a change in career. Graphic Design graduate Matt Gerber '12, is one of those students. Learn more about Gerber and the path that brought him to WCTC.
Matt Gerber spent many years as a restaurant manager and server before taking the leap in his late 20s to return to college and earn his Graphic Design degree at WCTC.
After high school, he attended classes at different universities but didn’t find the right fit. He put education on hold, focused on work and later realized he wanted to pursue a degree.
He always had an interest in layout and design but hadn’t considered it as a job; he hoped to shape his career into something that prioritized time with his wife, Julie (a WCTC Hospitality graduate), his daughter and later, his son."
It was a very chaotic period in my life," Gerber said of his return to college. "I was busy working full time, I had a very new family and I was going to school."
And although he was dedicated to his education, life happened: his child got sick or he had a work conflict, and he needed flexibility and accommodating instructors, which, he said, WCTC provided."
The reason I chose a technical college was really work-life balance," he said. "The ability to set my schedule and choose the classes and the times – it fit into our lives perfectly."
Faculty were a source of inspiration, bringing a high level of experience to the table and an understanding of the challenges working adult students face.
Gerber interned at Marcus Promotions while at WCTC, which led to a permanent job and reaffirmed he picked the right field. Creative roles at other companies followed, and today, he runs Matt Gerber Designs. He’s also given back to his alma mater, having served on the Graphic Design Advisory Committee."
After WCTC, not only do I have this great career, but I’m self-employed. I get to set my own hours, be there when my kids get home from school and for every event," he said. "My work-life balance is exactly what I set out to do."