Student Stories
Graduates of COCC’s Manufacturing Technology program have built careers far and wide, from a welding inspector in Louisiana to a bridge builder in China, with fabricators working in many different specialty areas, such as pharmaceutical equipment, military gear and fuel cells for racing cars.
Shayla Simms
COCC Welding certificate graduate
BasX Solutions
Growing up, Shayla Simms was often recruited by her grandfather to help out around his ranch, repairing things and learning basic welds. She liked how much she could do with that skill set.
"I'd go from fixing trailers to building mini stick figures out of metal," says Simms, who later perfected her skills at COCC. "It’s amazing how heat, gas and metal can go from fixing buildings to creating things like planes, all the way down to beautiful artwork."
"My education helped kick-start my career path and prepared me well for my future."
"Being given the chance to do multiple types of welding helped a lot in my decision
of taking this career path," adds Simms, whose one-year Welding certificate prepared
her for a position with BasX Solutions in Redmond.
"My instructors helped me so much and gave me so much advice and information," she
says, reflecting on her COCC studies. "My education helped kick-start my career path
and prepared me well for my future. They always knew where to guide me and how to
achieve that goal."
Brandon Crosby
CNC Machining certificate graduate
ISCO Manufacturing Solutions
Brandon Crosby made a career change into manufacturing through COCC’s CNC Machining program. Today he works at ISCO Manufacturing Solutions in Bend, producing parts for aerospace and medical applications using CNC waterjet and lathe equipment.
"I was a chef for five years before I decided to go to school, and COCC made this transition really easy for me," he says. "COCC was most definitely helpful in me getting this position," he adds.