I'M
A MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN.
I WORK ON THE MACHINES THAT
PRODUCE OUR LIGHTING AT STANLEY,
SO SCREW MACHINES, ALL THE
ROBOTS.
OUR FACILITY DOES MOST OF OUR
PRODUCTION FOR HONDA.
WE MAKE HEADLIGHTS AND
TAILLIGHTS AND THEN WE HAVE
OTHER LIGHTING, SUCH AS, LIKE
THE LITTLE LIGHT THAT GOES
THROUGH YOUR LICENSE PLATE.
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TROUBLESHOOTING IS ESSENTIALLY
PROBLEM SOLVING, GETTING DOWN TO
WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE MACHINE.
WE HAVE A ROUGH IDEA OF WHAT'S
GOING ON.
WE ASK THE OPERATORS AND PEOPLE
AROUND THE MACHINE THAT RUN IT
EVERY DAY WHAT'S GOING ON.
AND THEN FROM THERE, WE CAN
TRACE DOWN THE PROBLEM TO WHAT
EXACTLY IS HAPPENING AND WHY
IT'S HAPPENING.
SOMETIMES IT'S NOT RETURNING
BACK TO THE ORIGINAL POSITION,
SOMETIMES SOMETHING GETS STUCK.
AND THEN IF IT'S A REOCCURRING
PROBLEM, WE OBVIOUSLY HAVEN'T
TRACED IT DOWN FAR ENOUGH.
SO WE'LL GO BACK LATER AND TRY
TO TROUBLESHOOT EVEN MORE AND
GET TO THE ABSOLUTE ROOT CAUSE.
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THROUGH COLUMBUS STATE, WE'VE
HAD OTHER GIRLS GRADUATE IN THE
ELECTRO-MECHANICAL PROGRAM.
I'M THE FIRST ONE THAT WENT
THROUGH THE CO-OP PROGRAM AND
GRADUATED WITH THE DEGREE AND
THE CO-OP EXPERIENCE.
SO THERE IS A LITTLE BIT MORE
PRESSURE ON ME TO ACTUALLY
CONTINUE AND FINISH MY CO-OP
EXPERIENCE.
DON'T GET DISCOURAGED.
THERE'S DEFINITELY A SPOT OUT
THERE FOR YOU.
AND YOU JUST HAVE TO FIND OUT
WHERE THAT SPOT IT.
AND IF YOU HAVE AN INTEREST IN
IT, GO TO ONE OF THESE TWO YEAR
COLLEGE AND TAKE A COURSE OR
TWO.
YOU'LL FIND OUT PRETTY QUICK IF
IT'S SOMETHING YOU ENJOY OR NOT.
AND IF IT'S SOMETHING YOU ENJOY,
YOU CAN MAKE A CAREER OUT OF IT.
THERE'S SO MANY JOBS OUT THERE
RIGHT NOW THAT ARE HIRING AND
LOOKING FOR EMPLOYEES,
ESPECIALLY IN THE CENTRAL OHIO
AREA.
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>> ERICA, IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU.
WE'RE HERE A YEAR AND A HALF
LATER AT STANLEY ELECTRIC, AND
YOU HAVE SOME REALLY GOOD NEWS.
>> I GOT A PROMOTION, SO I'M NOW
A TECH II INSTEAD OF A TECH I.
TECHNICIAN I IS A LOT OF
FIGURING OUT WHAT'S GOING ON,
AND THEN TECHNICIAN II, YOU
PRETTY MUCH HAVE A GOOD IDEA OF
WHAT'S GOING ON, AND THEN YOU'RE
TRAINING THE TECH I'S AND
HELPING THEM OUT AS THEY NEED
IT.
AND THEN IT JUST PROGRESSES UP
THE LINE.
HERE AT STANLEY, WE HAVE FIVE
TECH LEVELS.
SO I'M ON THE SECOND ONE.
I'VE GOT SEVERAL MORE TO GO.
AND THEN AS THE TECH LEVELS
INCREASE, YOU GET MORE AND MORE
KNOWLEDGE AND MORE AND MORE
RESPONSIBILITY WITH THAT
KNOWLEDGE.
AND AS YOU MOVE UP WITH THE TECH
LEVELS, SALARY INCREASES A
LITTLE BIT EACH TIME.
>> THINKING BACK ON YOUR
EDUCATION, YOUR EXPERIENCE AT
COLUMBUS STATE AND THE
ELECTRO-MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
PROGRAM, RIGHT?
WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST TAKE-AWAY
THAT YOU TOOK INTO THIS NEW JOB.
>> THROUGH THE CO-OP PROGRAM,
YOU SPEND A YEAR TAKING
FULL-TIME CLASSES AT COLUMBUS
STATE.
IT'S EVIDENT REAL FAST IF THIS
IS SOMETHING YOU'RE GOING TO
LIKE OR NOT.
'CAUSE YOU TAKE A LOT OF
ENGINEERING CLASSES REALLY
QUICKLY TO TRY TO GET YOU
THROUGH.
IT'S THREE WORK DAYS AND TWO
SCHOOL DAYS, SO THAT'S FIVE DAYS
A WEEK.
>> AT WHAT POINT IN YOUR CO-OP
EXPERIENCE WERE YOU CERTAIN
"THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO DO"?
>> TO BE HONEST, IT TOOK SEVERAL
MONTHS.
I WAS VERY QUESTIONING WHEN I
FIRST STARTED UP AT HONDA.
IT WAS IN A DEPARTMENT FULL OF
MEN, AND I WORKED MOSTLY WITH
GUYS THAT WERE MY DAD'S AGE,
'CAUSE BY THE TIME THEY GET TO
FIRST SHIFT, THEY HAVE TO HAVE
SENIORITY.
THEY SAW ME AS A KID, 'CAUSE FOR
MOST OF THEM, I WAS THEIR KIDS'
AGE.
I GOT A LITTLE BIT MORE
CONFIDENT WITH WHAT I WAS DOING,
AND THE PEOPLE ON FIRST SHIFT
STARTED TO REALLY ACCEPT THAT
MORE.
>> IF SOMEBODY IN YOUR FIELD, OR
MAYBE THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW THEY
WANT TO GO INTO THIS FIELD YET,
BUT THEY'RE KIND OF INTERESTED
AND THEY LIKE TO WORK WITH THEIR
HANDS AND THEY'RE REALLY EXCITED
ABOUT, KIND OF TINKERING WITH
THINGS, LIKE YOU WERE, WHAT
WOULD YOU TELL THEM ABOUT THE
POSSIBILITY LIKE IN THIS FIELD?
>> THIS IS DEFINITELY A GROWING
FIELD.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE GETTING MORE AND
MORE INDUSTRY IN CENTRAL OHIO.
AMAZON'S MOVING.
ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT COMPANIES
ARE CONVERGING.
IT'S NOT JUST HONDA SUPPLIERS
ANYMORE.
THERE'S ALL SORTS OF FOOD AND
AUTOMOTIVE.
AND YOU NEED SOME EXPERIENCE TO
GET YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR OFTEN.
SO, GETTING THAT DEGREE, GETTING
THAT CERTIFICATE, GETTING
EXPERIENCE AT A COMPANY, YOU
KNOW THAT'S HELPFUL.
THE CO-OP PROGRAM IS GREAT,
BECAUSE IT GETS YOU YEARS
EXPERIENCE WITH A VERY REPUTABLE
COMPANY.
>> WHAT IS IT THAT KEEPS YOU
COMING TO WORK EVERY NIGHT AND
KEEPS YOU MOTIVATED?
>> THERE'S DEFINITELY SOME
TROUBLESHOOTING AND STUFF THAT I
REALLY ENJOY.
I LIKE THE PROBLEM SOLVING.
I LIKE LOOKING AT A SITUATION
AND GOING, "OKAY, WHY ISN'T THIS
WORKING?
WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS?"
NO DAY IS EVER THE SAME, YOU
KNOW.
YOU COME IN TO DIFFERENT ISSUES,
YOU COME IN TO DIFFERENT
PROBLEMS.
AND WORKING THROUGH THOSE AND
FIGURING OUT HOW TO SOLVE THEM
IS REALLY FUN.
>> WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN
FIVE YEARS?
>> I HOPE TO PROGRESS UP THE
LEVELS HERE AT STANLEY.
AND I'M NOT SURE WHERE I'LL BE
IN FIVE YEARS, I PROBABLY WON'T
BE A TECH V, BUT HOPEFULLY ABOVE
A TECH II.
>> ERICA, THIS HAS BEEN
WONDERFUL.
THANKS FOR MEETING WITH ME AGAIN
A YEAR AND A HALF LATER.
AND BEST OF LUCK TO YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
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>> Announcer: THIS PROGRAM IS
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
AMERICAN GRADUATE, GETTING TO
WORK.
FUNDED BY THE CORPORATION FOR
PUBLIC BROADCASTING.
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