Career Makeover

Six months ago, Greg Matt was struggling to find a stable career.

Then everything changed when he received an opportunity of a lifetime.

The 36-year-old entered Lethbridge College’s ‘Extreme Career Makeover’. The odds were slim, but out of more than 400 applicants, he was one of only two people who won.

The prize?  To choose any career he’s ever wanted.

“I’m so grateful. Not many people get this chance. They’re stuck in these jobs where you have no other choice but to keep plugging away, and that was me,” he said.

Matt decided to join the schools power line technician program. Getting the opportunity to develop his skills in a career, he said will help give his family the financial stability he’s always wanted for them.

“I look at my son and my wife, and when it was just me I could work any job I wanted, but when you are trying to provide for a family, you want the best for them.”

The college is giving him a full ride, paying for his tuition, textbooks and equipment. Instructor John McColl said Matt’s hard work and dedication is inspiring. “Because he’s getting a free education, he doesn’t get any special treatment. He’s the same as all the other students, he explained.

“He is all in. He does want to stay, he does want to understand and he does want to succeed.”