Nine things you (probably) didn’t know about Jackie Long

Photo by KJ Ryan / Collegian

By Rachel Lyons / Staff Writer

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Jackie Long is the Career Development and Placement Coordinator at Hutchinson Community College. Long is retiring after nearly 20 years with the college, and her departure will be felt by a majority of the campus population, as well as former students and alumni.

You might think you know all about Long, but here are some things you might not:

1. Long has been at Hutchinson Community College for nearly 20 years and has had three different jobs within the same department during that time. She moved to Kansas in 1990 to work at HutchCC.

2. Her top tip for getting a job is to “Make the best use of available resources – approach any job search seriously as a stepping stone in your career. Whether your resources are people you know or internet resources, there is no excuse for not being prepared. Taking shortcuts will hurt your chances of finding a job or getting the job you are seeking.”

3. Long loves the pond and the gardens on campus, but most importantly, “I love how buildings are remodeled and protected instead of being abandoned or decommissioned.”

4. Long’s go-to Hutchinson restaurant is “Airport Steakhouse – It has a nice environment, the workers (are) nice and professional people, and the food is awesome.”

5. Long has advised “Over 20 years, maybe close to 3,000 students (over 2,000), as a rough estimate. Some are here for two or three-plus years.”

6. She sees herself as “ a glass-half-full (person). For the most part, I definitely count my blessings all the time.”

7. At the beginning of the school year, her favorite thing is “I like to help students find places on their schedule.”

8. Long’s favorite small business in Hutchinson is “This is a tricky one, but Frameography run by Stephanie Rohr.”

9. Besides now with COVID-19, the toughest time in Long’s career was “Making a decision about my career five or six years into working full-time, and trying to figure out if this is the path for me was probably the most difficult.”

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