Carla Bartlett Celebrates 20 Years with TCAT and Prepares for a Career Move
Carla Bartlett was celebrated on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, for having worked 20 years for the TCAT school system at the Whiteville campus as a receptionist/secretary in the front office. Ms. Bartlett, whose 20-year anniversary was actually on September 1, 2023, definitely has plans to stay with the college as she makes a career move to the TCAT-Jackson campus main office in a new position.
Ms. Bartlett will begin her new position in April 2024 as Procurement and Contracts in the Business Office of the Jackson Main campus.
“I was in purchasing before, so it is something I have done. That was part of my job description when we were with TCAT-Whiteville and then we became TCAT-Jackson around 2019,” said Ms. Bartlett whose experience in the area led to her being offered the position. “Because of my background and that I had done it for years [I was offered the job]. And I love data entry. That is something I enjoy. Being in the procurement or the purchasing part, that is something I will get to do with keying and entering purchase orders.”
Before Ms. Bartlett worked with TCAT, she worked in the banking industry, and at just about every bank in Hardeman County. She noted there was a running joke about how often she moved around from bank to bank.
“The joke was I couldn’t stay in once place. I was at several banks, and it was nothing towards them. It was just I had better opportunities, so I would go,” said Ms. Bartlett. “I had been to all of them except for one or two; Farmers and Merchants which is no longer and I had not worked at The Bank. They came later.”
The longest Ms. Bartlett stayed at a bank was seven years and that was at Merchants and Planters, which is now Centennial Bank. Although moving from banking to education provided new opportunities for Ms. Bartlett, she never expected to stay at TCAT for as long as she did.
“I didn’t think I’d actually make it this far. You go through something and of course I have been out of school for right at 40 years or a little longer. To finally be somewhere for that long and to have some, I don’t know if anybody really goes by seniority anymore but that does feel good that I have stayed somewhere long enough to be established at a location,” said Ms. Bartlett. “To me the new generation, they don’t see the importance of the retirement part or the importance of sticking to it. If I had any advice to give anybody, they need to realize that when they are young. Because if they do it while they are young, they can get that 30 something plus years and reap the benefits of being there. But first and foremost, they need to enjoy what they do and love coming to where they work.”
That is what Ms. Bartlett has done. She has worked for 20 years doing a job she loves and is now reaping the benefits of longevity. Something she continues to enjoy about her job is helping the students who come through the doors of the Whiteville campus.
“Helping the students is something I have really enjoyed doing,” said Ms. Bartlett, who also shared how much she loves her coworkers. “It is just a combination of a lot of things. But it is so fulfilling to see a student come in and be excited about going and getting a trade as they call it or education and leaving here and succeeding in what they came to do.
Ms. Bartlett will be replacing Susan Mullins, who currently holds the position at the Jackson Main campus and will be retiring. Along with new opportunities, Ms. Bartlett is looking forward to working again with Debra Rogers, who will be her supervisor.
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