Starting at Hillsborough Community College (HCC) in August of 2022, workforce student Jamie Lynch hit the ground running at the Ybor City Campus Training Center. Inspired by her agency, D4 Security and Investigations, she came in with the goal of being a private investigator and gained other licenses. At HCC, Jamie found passion in learning and research.
“It inspired me to broaden my horizons, give myself more opportunities and things that I have to offer,” she said.
Before HCC, Jamie worked in health insurance and sales and found herself stuck on how to proceed with her two-year internship program. This internship allows her to lawfully gain the required two years of full-time experience to qualify for a private investigator license. She worried more she’d work alongside over what she’d make. She wanted to work with individuals and smaller companies for a personable and rewarding experience.
“I wanted to get the experience, network and be paid what I’m worth,” Jamie said. She knew that she shouldn’t wait to get her license while looking for a sponsor. “I wanted to make it more personal,” Jamie said. “Helping families and smaller companies, it snowballed into other licenses and options of what you can turn it into.” Jamie landed her sponsorship at D4 in February 2023, which contracts armed and unarmed security and an array of different investigations.
When choosing HCC to pursue her education and training, Jamie saw that HCC was credible and gave in-depth information and instructions on registration for the size-limited classes. HCC’s clarity and recognition gave her the chance to achieve credible and uniform licenses and classes. She found comfort in HCC, “I knew I was at the right place and would make it count,” she said.
Jamie’s time at HCC gave her the chance to make connections with her peers in every class. She found the importance of networking, future collaborations and business building. “As your career evolves, that network comes in handy,” she explained. Every instructor became an invaluable resource. She was able to reach out post-completion of her licenses and was met with a positive welcome every time. She felt happy and comfortable to ask for help and questions. “They make you feel that they’re here for you and not just there on their spare time. They make such a big difference and not even realize it.”
The HCC atmosphere, smaller class sizes and connections helped shape her journey. Jamie felt connected to her peers, “It’s more personal, you get the targeted training. I’ve had a more personal experience here than I would have on a bigger campus.”
Jamie has since completed her licenses for a Private Investigator (August 2022), Process Server (May 2023), Security D Unarmed (June 2023) and Security G Armed (July 2023). She’s thankful for her instructors at Workforce. It started with Mr. Williams as he made a big impact for her to return for more classes with an open-learning environment. “At the end of the day, no one is judging you, they know the experience they have is unrealistic to expect civilians to know off the bat,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to ask the questions you don’t have the answers to. It’s easier to connect when you’re all a part of the same conversation. Bring up the hard questions and connect with one another.”