A difficult economy and a lack of jobs in the construction industry have turned 34-year-old Joshua Pierce in a whole new direction. And even though he's doing something he never imagined, the Western Nevada College student is pleased that he's now involved in the healing arts.
"It fits like a glove," he says of his new career in nursing.
He's been called an inspiration by his fellow students, several of whom are a decade younger. And he's impressed others along the way, including the Carson City Rotary Club, which named him a Scholar-Steps scholarship winner two years ago, an award worth up to $12,000 over four years of college.
Pierce has now received another honor, this one for the entire state. He has been chosen as the Nevada representative in the All USA Academic Team sponsored by Coca-Cola and USA Today. The honor carries a $2,000 stipend and the possibility of being named a national winner.
Pierce will be in Phoenix April 4-6 with a chance at a bigger scholarship if he is chosen to the All USA First Team.
He is an honors student in WNC's nursing program with a 3.87 grade point average. But his life didn't start out with much success.
Alcoholism, abandonment and abuse were a part of his childhood, and led to teenage behavioral problems.
Living on his own at 18, Josh worked in construction for years, but when the economy slowed in 2006, he needed a new option.
A friend who attended WNC convinced him to come up to the college for an aptitude test. It was a big step, and an intimidating one, to enter Western for the first time.
"I hadn't had any education since graduating from Carson High in 1992."
Pierce's scores showed an aptitude for careers in the clergy, social sciences, teaching, nursing and physical therapy.
"I'd never had an interest in health sciences, but I'm glad I tried it," Pierce said. "I took the CNA course (Certified Nursing Assistant) last year and I've been working as a CNA ever since. It's been a good decision."
He's now on track to earn his nursing degree in the summer of 2010.
"I'm surprised how this whole thing has played out," he said. "It seems like it is all laid out for me, and I need to put one foot in front of the other. It seems if I concentrate on what needs to be done today, I can get it done."
Pierce and his wife, Denise, have a 7-month-old, and it looks as if the former construction worker will be juggling family, work and education for the foreseeable future.
"After I earn my nursing degree, if things go as planned, I want to earn a bachelor's degree, perhaps in biology." Pierce said he'll take whatever courses are needed to eventually become a nurse practitioner.
Pierce said it is ironic that a downturn in the economy has led him to where he is today.
"It seems like if someone had suggested this to me I would have been afraid to do it," he said. "What I've done is out of necessity, and it's worked out better than I imagined."