By Avia Ustanny, Outlook Writer 
Hugh Small 30, single and father of one child recently went back to school with spectacular results. -
"I WILL SWITCH careers as many times as I feel like," says Hugh Henry Small, the 30-year-old community college student who recently received the top mark worldwide in Construction in City & Guilds (U.K.-based) examinations.
Hugh Small, who grew up with grandmother Clementina Buckley and mother Beverly Hayles-Byfield in Askenish, Hanover, at one time thought he might take up fashion designing like his mother who is a seamstress.
He was a single child whose father was not around.
Attending school at Sandy Bay all age and then Ruseas High School it took 10 years for him to decide on a career path worth training for. At age 30, Small graduated from Brown's Town Community College in St. Ann first in his class and with the highest grade in his subject area worldwide.
He was overwhelmed at the result he said, and feeling quite vindicated in going back to school in a setting where most of his peers were 18-year-olds.
Previously, Small was employed to the Public Works Department, working as an accountant for 10 years before the department requested that he retire (yes retire)at age 28.
It perhaps was a good thing. He was losing interest in accounts anyway. "I felt that I wanted to be out in the field."
He decided to change his career, trying to think of something that he loved.
Construction was on Hugh's mind, as he had recently designed a house for a friend and discovered that he really liked it. Previously, he had also worked on several projects with Rockford Small, his uncle and an architect.
In September 2002, he decided to do the two-year City & Guilds construction course at Brown's Town Community College. Small was on the honour roll for the two years, who received many awards from the college at graduation. Later, he was advised that he received the top mark worldwide in Construction in City & Guilds.
The 30-year-old says that he never felt any discomfort being at school with 18-year olds. His practical experience helped in classes. The younger males looked up to him for advice.
"School was no problem." And, now that he has conquered the first level of his new challenge, he urges others to do the same.
"That is what is holding people back from their (best) careers. I see successful people who have changed their careers three to four times, even at age 60."
His next step, when funds allow, will be to study architecture.
Buildings
"I was always interested in the design of buildings," he told Outlook. A country man at heart, Hugh dislikes Kingston, but not even this will stop him from following his dream as far as it will take him.
And should it enter his mind to switch careers again, he will. "If I want to change I will do it again."
He has thought about doing fashion designing, a desire which he probably inherited from his mother. But, meanwhile, he looks forward to working in construction:
"You can own your own business, do your own thing."
In the city and guilds programme, he says he was exposed to a number of new concepts. Jamaicans, he said, as a rule tend to construct homes which are too expensive.
"There are cheaper methods which can be applied. In another 10 years, the way a house is built will be totally different."
In the meantime, he is focused on gaining employment to earn some money or scholarships to continue his education.
He is also very involved in guiding his 11-year-old son in making the right career decisions.
"With my experience now, I know exactly what to do about his schooling. I know what subjects he needs to move on in whatever field he wants."
He is happy to be around the young boy, and has time-tabled his studies in such a way that he will be there to help him with GSAT and with CXC examinations when these come around.
"Everyone needs someone who can look out for them, see what opportunities are there, in line with your interests.
"There is no sense just working for the money.
"Whatever I do from now, I will always do something that I love," Hugh Small said.
