Carthage Community College Gives Students Upper-Hand in Careers

There's alot of great things going on here in Carthage but one of their biggest gems is Panola College. The ArkLaTex is ripe for careers in oil and natural gas and here at Panola College, they have fields of study aimed at landing students good jobs in those careers. Miles Holmes said, "You can work for Chesapeake, JW, Cheniere, any of the related companies. That's just a few, there's plenty of them out there." Holmes and Channing Evans are Petroleum Technology students at Panola College. Channing Evans said, "This is a really good field to be in in this area because we're right on top of the oil and gas industry."

And there's plenty more students like them here at the school Petroleum Technology is one of Panola College's top fields of study next to Health Sciences. And it's not just a job for boys, channing is one of four girls in the field here at the college. Panola County is one of the largest producers of natural gas in Texas and employers in the area work hand in hand with the school to make sure students are equipped for success. Dr. Greg Powell, the President of Panola College said, "They wrote the curriculum. They said, here's what people need to know after two years of studying at Panola College. Every single year they make recommendations to adjust our curriculum based on changes in the marketplace."

For Miles and Channing, the possibilities for students here in Carthage are endless. Miles said, "It's really just what you want to be is what you can be."

And Panola College isn't just about technical fields, they have a wonderful fine arts program and most of their students go off to 4 year universities to further their studies. It's just one of the great things Carthage Texas has to offer...And it looks like they're setting themselves up for a great economic future in the years to come.