Pat Reilly is taking the long, winding road to becoming a high school teacher.

At age 54, the Kalispell resident finds himself a student at Flathead Valley Community College, a victim of the economic setbacks of the last couple of years.

A few decades ago, Reilly enrolled in college after high school, where he was majoring in education with plans to become a teacher. He’d earned a football scholarship to the University of Idaho and thought life would progress routinely.

But, as it does, life happened along the way. He got married. He got a job offer to work as a quality assurance engineer at the Hanford Atomic Nuclear Reservation in Richland, Wash., writing specs for nuclear plants on the West Coast.

“I couldn’t turn down the money,” he said of the Hanford job.

Reilly liked the job and said he “got to deal with the world’s smartest people.” He ended up working there for about two decades as he and his wife raised four children.

In 2001, the Reilly family decided to move to Kalispell. Pat went to work for Midway Rental where “all was well and good until the recession hit.” Midway was growing by leaps and bounds, Reilly said. “I loved my job.”

But when the market downturn occurred, he knew at least one of the three outside sales representatives likely would lose a job. By then, Reilly’s children were grown, and he felt it would be easier for him to be jobless than his two co-workers, who both had young children at home.

Reilly and his wife discussed options and he told her the time was right for him to finish college and get his education degree.

“So, my wife looked at me kind of funny, but said she’d support me. And, she does,” he said.

He headed to Flathead Valley Community College for a meeting with a counselor. That’s when he learned he could get a bachelor’s degree in Kalispell through the college’s arrangement with the University of Great Falls.

“I hadn’t been in school in 30 years and I had one week to figure out what to do,” Reilly recalled. A few weeks later, he was enrolled in six classes, with a 16-credit load. He took 22 credits in the semester that ended last month. He’s proud to have earned a 4.0 grade point average every semester at FVCC.

Assimilating to a college campus wasn’t easy at first, he said. “I’d been pushed totally out of my comfort zone.” It was all made easier by helpful professors, Reilly said. “These folks are amazing.”

Reilly said no professor has ever turned down his request for help.

He also sought help from his classmates and joined several study groups with his younger peers. “I’ve learned so much from these young kids. They reach back and help me.”

Has college been easier the second time around?

Not necessarily, Reilly said, but his objectives are far different this time. “It’s not a chore to learn now. I’m in search of wisdom.” Reilly said he loves all of his classes, although he struggles in some.

He plans to become a high school history and social studies teacher.

He and his wife don’t want to move from the Flathead Valley, and Reilly is a bit worried about whether he’ll find a job here after graduating. However, he said the job market has improved some in the last couple of years, making him more optimistic about his chances.

He hasn’t been able to decide whether his age will be a good or bad factor in his job search. “I’ve put that on the back burner and will deal with it later.”

Reilly has some prior experience with the Kalispell schools, coaching football at Flathead High School. He’s on track to complete his classwork in December and then will do an internship during the spring semester 2012.

Reilly wasn’t eligible for any retraining programs or scholarships offered to some displaced workers in the valley, so he’s assumed a decent chunk of student loan debt to attend college. That debt load is causing him some worry, but not enough that he would halt his education again.

In mid-May Reilly received a $1,000 scholarship from Flathead Electric Cooperative, awarded to non-traditional students.

“I was getting a little worried about money,” he said. “This will really help.”

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or [email protected].