If you have three or more kids, as I do, you probably relate to the stationary retailer’s commercial depicting elated and frolicking parents dancing around to the Christmas carol, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” (Google that song title + Staples, if you haven’t seen it.)
The manufacturing industry typically sees a slowdown over the summer months as the majority of employees take their vacations in time with their children. Many plants implement complete or partial shutdowns over the hot, lazy months, allowing once whetted minds to dull—and as such, going back to school is a great idea for anyone in the manufacturing sector.
I’m a firm believer that if you’re not learning, you’re allowing yourself to become obsolete. An expert in a redundant field is no expert at all (you know who you are, switchboard engineers!), so to keep yourself abreast with new trends and technologies—some college night classes may be what you need.
Night schools are offered at nearly every vocational college, and they offer various single classes, as well as 4-8 class certificate programs. If you took factory automation twenty years ago, for example, there have been many changes to the industry since you last opened a textbook. Even though you’ll know more than most of your fellow students in a night class, there will plenty new to learn, especially if the systems and processes are different from what you use on a daily basis.
For example, after a quick and relatively random internet search, I found that Northeast Wisconsin Technical College offers various evening and weekend courses at their Manufacturing Technology Center. Classes range from hydraulics and pneumatics to PLC and HMI, and appear to provide freedom to study up 8:30 p.m. most weeknights and some of Saturday.
In a similar search for the Houston area, I found some night classes offered by Lonestar College. If you’re an AutoCAD draftsperson, for example, they offer SolidWorks courses running from 6-9 p.m. twice weekly. This is a perfect opportunity to improve your skillset while remaining in the same career.
Most reasonably sized metropolitan areas have one or more of these technical colleges, and if you’re unsure of what can be offered, you can always visit a school to see what they offer and what the quality of their classrooms is. If you’ve achieved any level of post-secondary education, you are probably already aware of the schools in your area and what they offer.
By continuing to upgrade your skills and education, you avoid having to go the way of a shoe-shine chemical engineer or a typewriter repair technician. As manufacturing goes through trends and economic cycles, being diverse in your skill set will keep you competitive within the industry and within the worker pool.
