Gary Tansley:
CLASS OF 1986
Anderson High SchoolClass of 1986
Southgate, MI
Strayer UniversityClass of 2002
Ashburn, VA
Gary's Story
Life
1986-1994
U.S. Air Force Satellite Communications Technician.
I had an opportunity to live in Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, Colorado, Maryland, and overseas in the Azores. The Azores are a group of islands in the North Atlantic ocean that belong to Portugal. I married for the first time at the age of twenty while still enlisted in the military. In 1994 my life turned upside down. I divorced my first wife, was honorably discharged from the military, and moved to Northern Virginia to seek employment.
1994-2001 While working odd hours at my new job I met my current wife. She became pregnant in 1996 with our daughter one month before we were planning on moving. We wed six months after she gave birth to my daughter. In 1999 as we were moving again she discovered she was once again pregnant with our second daughter. At this point life was good or so we thought. We had three beautiful children, a mini mansion, plenty of disposible income, and were just living large. Until late 2001 when the economy bottomed and I was laid off.
2002-2004
Everyone in telecommunications was losing their jobs due to the economy. I couldn't find suitable work to support our lifestyle. We decided to sell our home and investment properties, pay off all our debt, and move to somewhere less expensive. We found that in central Virginia near Richmond. We found a large parcel of land and build a home on it. We spend almost two years hanging out without work while the economy grew stronger and real careers became reality again. During that time I earned some professional certifications, completed my bachelors degree, and acquired my real estate license. I tried my hand as a financial advisor but did not like the fact that the company was requiring me to contact my friends and family to purchase products. Then I wanted to open my own motorcycle shop but could not find sponsorship from a major vendor, so I did the next best thing and got a job at an American motorcycle shop and was able to learn the business first hand. Let's say the products they sold were overpriced and the people that purchased them were under educated. I picked up contract work installing and repairing telecom items. Then a local company in Richmond liked my work and asked me work for them full time. I really enjoyed the work that included everything from desktop support to major network deployments, home theater installation, and plasma TV repair.
Late 2003-present. As the economy recovered my wife and I were recalled by our original employer and asked if we would like to return. So we packed our bags and moved back to Northern Virginia. This time we opted for the 14 acre farm over the 5000 sq. ft. house. We love it and it allows me to spend real time with my children and various pets. We have three horses, three dogs, and a rabbit. For h...Expand for more
obbies I enjoy investing in real estate, working on vehicles, and riding my motorcycle. I have learned that my children are the most important thing in my life. I am not sure what the future holds but if an opportunity presents itself I will not pass it up. I would rather fail trying then never know if I could have.
School
Jessica, Mr. Kasenow, No. I recall a time when I decided to skip school on one wintery morning. Al Unis and myself took off in my car and we found ourselves out at Grosse Ile. It was cold as heck that day and there was snow everywhere. As we drove around exploring we found ourselves in an unfamiliar area that we couldn't figure out. We happened to go down a road that lead to a boat launch and had driven my car out onto the frozen river. We flipped when we discovered where we had gone. Thank goodness the river held the weight of the car. After we had gotten back inland we drove around some more until we hit some black ice and dumped the vehicle on its side in a ditch. We had to climb out of the car and wait for help. We waited and waited, until two hours later when someone in a four wheel drive came to our rescue with a tow strap. That was the last day we skipped school and went joy riding.
College
My college education was a difficult challenge. I began after getting out the military. I was working and going to school full time. Finally after several years I accomplished my goal of a college education by earning my Bachelor of Science, Business Administration Degree from Strayer University. Presently I am enrolled at Strayer to obtain my Masters in Business Administration.
Workplace
Like a roller coaster due to the career field of choice, 9/11, and the economy. I have learned valuable information over the years and have learned when to pursue a career and when to have a job. Presently my kids are my priority and I am continuing my education. So working the third shift is the way for me to go at the present time.
Military
The military allowed me to mature and become overwhelmingly independant. If given the chance I would probably never have done it again. My main goal was to learn a profession and gain an education. Well I certainly learned a profession in telecommunications, but have many hours of overtime, nights, weekends, and holidays to show for it. And the education never became a reality until I decided to get out. The first four years were satisfactory, but once I reenlisted for the second four years my life became hell. I was very bitter that no other options were available at the time unless I wanted to move back with my parents. It took 18 years to get out of Southgate so why would I want to go back. The military did teach me what was important in a profession. If you are going to work yourself to death you may as well get paid for doing it.
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