Then and Now

My plan was to earn an electrical engineering degree, which I started working toward at the U of U. But after my sophomore year, I took some time off school to pay off debts. A few years later, I started taking classes again, this time at SLCC. I took some machining and welding classes, and the instructor, George Comber, became a mentor and really lit up my passion for this area. This hands-on aspect suited me way more than electrical engineering, which required a lot of computer time.

I was just going to take a handful of classes and then transfer, but an advisor encouraged me to complete an associate's in Science and Manufacturing Technology, so I wouldn't risk having to retake any of these classes if the credits expired. The financial aid we found at SLCC helped both my wife and I earn degrees there and not come out with a lot of debt.

I felt smart; I had always taken advanced math, but the welding and the machining classes were empowering for me. Knowing I could run a lathe, a CNC mill, an AutoCAD and weld really bolstered my confidence and opened doors for me. The machining was really a path to leadership for me.

Honestly, at 23 years old, I was just trying to become an engineer. I never thought I'd be in a leadership position—I've gone way beyond my expectations. Right now, I'm the vice president of R&D Molding at Merit Medical Systems.

"I never thought I'd be in a leadership position—I've gone way beyond my expectations."

Advice

In hindsight, I would have gone directly to SLCC right out of high school and done pre-engineering there. I felt like I learned better with the smaller classes and labs, where it was easier to talk to the teachers. I know I could have earned better grades if I'd done 2 years at SLCC and then transferred to the U of U.

I'd also strongly encourage working or an internship where you could apply your skills while in school.