Although the Regitz family could not afford to send Bill to college immediately after his high school graduation, Bill knew that his parents had always hoped that he would someday be able to go to college. Bill’s father had died of black lung after years of coal mining. For Bill, education represented an opportunity to improve his circumstances and to fulfill his parents’ wishes.
Bill discovered a solution to pay for further education when he received a brochure for DeVry Technical Institute in Chicago. DeVry’s program seemed ideal. To assist with finances, it helped students find part-time jobs and roommates while in school. The academic focus on electronic technology would allow Bill to apply the math and science courses that he had loved in high school.
When Bill enrolled at DeVry Technical Institute in 1959, the technology world was on the brink of an explosion in innovation and discovery. Bill remembers those years as an exciting time to be an aspiring scientist: “electronics was becoming a big deal…Kennedy decided they were going to put a man on the moon.”
As a DeVry student, Bill took classes during the day and worked after school, first as an ice cream salesman and then in a corporate mail room. Bill and his mother had agreed that if he would pay for his room and board, she would cover his tuition. Bill also had support from his aunt, who paid for his second year of tuition when his mother couldn’t afford the expense. With his family’s assistance, Bill was able to achieve his goal of a college education.
DeVry’s courses covered a wide range of technology, and the institute’s job placement program encouraged students to consider their choices after graduation. As he advanced through his program, Bill was able to clarify his interests. He realized that he was interested in a type of technology that was relatively new: transistors, the basis for computer memory. Only a small part of Bill’s classwork focused on transistors, but he was fascinated with them.
As he got closer to graduation, Bill decided that he would prioritize working for a commercial organization, rather than one that designed systems for the military. He had noticed that military industries seemed to face more layoffs than commercial ones. Two months before graduating, Bill got married. With a family to support, Bill wanted the most stable job that he could find. He also knew that a commercial job would allow him to work with transistors, while a military contractor job would focus on the transistor’s earlier counterpart, the vacuum tube.
With these ideas in mind, Bill began interviewing for job positions. Most DeVry students wanted to be hired at Sandia National Laboratories, Bell Telephone Laboratories, or the Boeing Company. Bill received job offers from Bell and Boeing. Remembering his resolution to aim for a commercial industry, Bill accepted the offer from Bell.
Bill was pleased with Bell Lab’s longevity and positive reputation, and with the outcome of his studies at DeVry Technical Institute. During his professional career, Bill hired other DeVry alumni. He maintained a respect for the school’s rigorous academic program and for the way it had prepared him for the computer industry.