By David Hull, ISCET
We all have a yearning to learn, but what we do with it determines our path. One of the hardest decisions we make is determining our career path, what we are good at and how we can get paid to do something we love.
For me, and for most of us, my career path was a mixture of chance and choice. My first career position came in the early 1990s, supervising the production line at a subsidiary of H.J. Heinz where I made sure the equipment was in good working order and that my workers were productive. To ensure as much up-time as possible, I arranged for everyone to cross-train on each other’s stations.
It was a great company and I felt valued in my role, but I believed there was more for me. Having lived in Wichita most of my life, I had spent a lot of time driving Kellogg, and noticing the WTI sign at its former location on West Street. It was this visual reminder that ultimately motivated me to enroll there in the early 1990s. Seeing that WTI sign day after day was the “chance” part. Deciding one day to walk in and enroll for the Electronics program, that was the “choice.”
What role will chance and choice play in the development of your career? Just like the WTI sign I kept seeing, are there “signs” in your life that can move you toward your goals? When it is time to make a choice, will you take action? Sometimes taking action is all that is needed to move us forward. As an instructor, my job isn’t just to teach them the Electronics trade. It is also to help them develop the confidence to make life-changing decisions.
For me, the rest, as they say, is history. I earned my Electronics diploma and went to work in the WTI service shop as supervisor, fixing equipment and troubleshooting. Four years later, I was tapped to become an instructor in the WTI Electronics program. Today I teach three different classes: Automated Controls – Industrial Automation, Communication (video and audio equipment, video surveillance), and Industrial Components and Motors. This year I celebrated my 24th year of teaching students at WTI.
Even as an instructor, I have continued to earn several certifications, including my journeyman license in consumer electronics and industrial electronics from the International Society of Certified Electronics Technicians (ISCET).
