Brandon Witherspoon, a North Central State College student, is investing in his next chapter after more than two decades of military service, a future that centers on education, new opportunities, and the freedom to pursue a career he loves.
Success to Witherspoon has always been about hard work. He has served in the military for more than 20 years, including his time in the U.S. Marine Corps, and his current service with the Air National Guard. He knows that achieving a goal requires commitment, discipline and sacrifice. Today, he is a nursing student, and is applying the same principles to a new endeavor that will help define his future well beyond his military career.
Witherspoon is working toward an associate degree in nursing, with plans to continue his education and earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). It is a deliberate next step for someone who has spent much of his adult life serving his country and planning what comes next.
His decision to attend North Central State College was practical, but it was also about finding an education that could accommodate the demands of his life. Living in Ontario, Witherspoon appreciates the college’s location and the flexibility to schedule classes around his military responsibilities.
“I can schedule my classes around my work schedule,” he said. “It’s very convenient.”
That flexibility makes it possible for him to balance multiple commitments while continuing to invest in himself. For Witherspoon, returning to school is not about stepping away from hard work; it’s about making that work count toward a future he has envisioned for himself.
Witherspoon began his military career in the United States Marine Corps before transitioning to the Air Force and the Air National Guard. What he initially expected to be a four-year commitment grew into more than two decades of service.
“I never thought I’d be in the military for 20 years,” he said. “I was just going to do four years and be done.” Over time, his perspective has changed. He began to recognize the long-term benefits of continuing his service, including the opportunity to earn retirement benefits that could provide greater financial flexibility later in life.
That long-range thinking now influences how he approaches his education and career goals. Rather than viewing nursing as a replacement for his military experience, Witherspoon sees it as another opportunity, one he can pursue because of the foundation he has worked hard to establish.
“As of right now, becoming a nurse will be extra for my life,” he said. “That’s what I enjoy doing.”
For Witherspoon, that distinction matters. He wants to build a future in which his professional choices are guided by personal interest and fulfillment, not by necessity.
The goal is not to stop working altogether. It is to reach a point where work becomes something he chooses because he wants to do it, rather than something he must do simply to make ends meet.
“Having that idea and sense of being able to work without actually needing to work, it makes it that much more enjoyable,” he said.
It is a perspective shaped by years of experience and an understanding that planning for the future can create opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach.
Long before beginning his nursing studies, Witherspoon was paying attention to people around him and the paths their lives had taken. Growing up in Georgia, he developed friendships with people who were older than he was. As he moved through his late teens and early twenties, he watched them work hard to build stable lives. Many were dedicated employees who showed up consistently and did what was expected of them.
But he also witnessed how circumstances beyond their control could disrupt those efforts.
Businesses closed. Employers relocated. Jobs disappeared. People who had spent years building experience and loyalty at one workplace sometimes found themselves starting over somewhere else.
Their work ethic was rarely the problem. The challenge was that even a lifetime of hard work did not always guarantee the stability they had hoped to achieve. Those experiences stayed with him.
“I saw what they did,” Witherspoon said, reflecting on the lessons he learned from those older friends. “To basically succeed, you had to work hard no matter what you did.”
He came to the understanding that hard work was essential, but that planning was equally important. He wanted to create a future in which his efforts would give him more choices and greater control over how he spent his time.
For him, education is part of that strategy. By continuing to develop his skills and preparing for a second career, he is working toward a future that offers both professional opportunity and personal flexibility.
Witherspoon recognizes that balancing a career and family is rarely a simple thing. Work requires time and commitment, while the people and experiences that make life meaningful also deserve attention.
Sometimes, the competing demands mean making difficult choices.
“In my opinion, if you enjoy your job, you have to sacrifice some things at your job to enjoy your kids,” he explained. “It also works the other way around.”
For Witherspoon, the challenge is finding a way to make those sacrifices less defining in the years ahead.
He wants to reach a point where he can enjoy the life he has worked so hard to build without feeling that every day is dictated by an obligation to earn a living. Financial preparation, education, and career planning are all pieces of that larger goal.
He knows work will always be a part of his life. His objective is to approach it differently. “If you start young and figure out how to make it easier, then that’s a great way to do it,” he said.
Now, as he works toward his nursing degree at North Central State College, Witherspoon is putting that philosophy into practice. Each class and study session represents an investment in a future he is actively creating.
It takes dedication, organization and a willingness to make the most of the time you have to return to school while continuing to fulfill military responsibility. Witherspoon said North Central State College instructors and its learning environment have helped him balance those demands.
He describes the college as “a place where the instructors make learning fun, but are still accessible to students who need direction or extra help,” he says.
He particularly appreciates the willingness of faculty members to answer questions and make themselves available outside the classroom. Having access to instructors and knowing where to turn when questions arise can make a meaningful difference for students balancing coursework with other responsibilities.
“They’re very open-ended,” he said of the instructors. “If you have questions, they’re always willing, and they put their information out there for you to be able to get a hold of them.”
He also appreciates the effort instructors make to keep the curriculum manageable. Nursing education requires substantial study and commitment, and Witherspoon recognizes that some weeks can be demanding. Still, he feels the North Central faculty help students navigate the work and stay focused on their goals.
He specifically mentioned English instructor Tom Shields as an instructor who brings an enjoyable atmosphere to the classroom. That combination of engaging instruction and faculty accessibility has helped make North Central a good fit for him. The college offers a setting where he can continue learning while maintaining the responsibilities that come with his military career.
For Witherspoon, the support he receives is not a substitute for effort. It is an important part of an environment in which that effort can pay off. His commitment is evident in the way he approaches each day on campus. He knows that earning an associate degree in nursing and continuing toward a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) will require sustained effort. There will be assignments to complete, material to master, and time to spend studying outside the classroom.
“I don’t mind the grind,” he said. “I don’t mind the classes.”
He recognizes that finishing will bring a tremendous sense of accomplishment. Still, he views the work itself as part of the process of building the future he wants.
“Of course, I’ll be ecstatic when it’s done,” he said. “That I put in the work now to do it.”
While completing his nursing degree will mark an important milestone, it will not mark the end of his learning. His plans to pursue a BSN demonstrate that he is already thinking about the opportunities he can pursue.
