S02-E06 Linzee is a technician at Intel

Linzee is a technician at Intel in Hillsboro, Oregon. Linzee started working in food prep in a hospital then went to community college to become a technician. Hear how Linzee’s life changed when she became a technician and how you can become a technician too.

The Talking Technicians podcast is produced by MNT-EC, the Micro Nano Technology Education Center, through financial support from the National Science Foundation's Advanced Technological Education grant program.

Opinions expressed on this podcast do not necessarily represent those of the National Science Foundation.

Join the conversation. If you are a working technician or know someone who is, reach out to us at info@talkingtechnicians.org.

Links from the show:

The Micro Nano Technology Education Center (MNT-EC): https://micronanoeducation.org/

Jobs at Intel: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/jobs/jobs-at-intel.html

Chemeketa Community College Electronic Engineering Technician program: https://www.chemeketa.edu/programs-classes/program-finder/electronics/

Episode Web Page: https://micronanoeducation.org/students-parents/talking-technicians-podcast/

Transcript

Peter Kazarinoff  0:02  
From MNT-EC, the Micro Nano Technology Education Center, this is Talking Technicians. The podcast about technicians: who they are, what they do and where they come from. I'm your host, Peter Kazarinoff. I teach technicians and engineers at Portland Community College. In each episode, you'll meet a working technician and hear their story. That means real interviews with real technicians about real jobs. At the end of each episode, you'll hear actions you can take if you want to be a technician, too.

In this episode, you'll meet Linzee. Linzee works at Intel in Hillsboro, Oregon, outside Portland. Linzee, welcome to Talking Technicians.

Linzee  0:51  
Thanks, Peter. I'm glad to be here. Thanks for inviting me.

Peter Kazarinoff  0:54  
Well, thank you so much for coming. So tell me a little bit about yourself. Where do you live? And how long have you been there for?

Linzee  1:01  
Well, I live in Salem, Oregon. I was born and raised here. Um, I have two children. I have a third grader and a seventh grader. And we just live in our little house, loving it.

Peter Kazarinoff  1:17  
And growing up in Salem, did you have an idea of where you eventually wanted to work?

Linzee  1:25  
Oh, yeah, I, at first, I really loved cooking. So I started my career path there. Um, got into the hospital and the kitchen in the hospital and Salem Hospital. I really wanted to start working with the computers and the electronics that they have in the hospital keeping the patients alive. So I was checking out schools and decided that I wanted to be a biomedical technician. So I started taking classes at Chemeketa Community College for electronics. And there I met Chuck Sekafetz, and he is the program director of the electronics program. He, um, he really worked with me and showed me that I have a huge opportunity. If I get electronics degree, I could be working in so many different places making a decent amount of money just with a two year degree. So I ended up doing that getting actually, I got two electronics degrees in at Chemeketa and I ended up getting a job right away at Intel. They - they came and got me from Chemeketa, and I went straight there, so it was really nice to be needed. Um, so I didn't get to do biomed tech, like I wanted to. But I am so happy that I took the path that I took, because it did lead me to a wider range of jobs out there that make quite a bit of money. And if I ever do want to do biomed tech, it's easy peasy. I've already got what I need right now, I could just switch on over.

Peter Kazarinoff  3:15  
You mentioned that you got two little kiddos at home. How has it been working as a technician and having two little ones around?

Linzee  3:21  
Well, actually, um, my job at Intel is, is quite amazing because I was able to take a nighttime shift. So I work through the night. And, um, sleep during the day when they're at school. So with a little help with a babysitter, I get to spend more time with my kids actually. And because I work at night I get an extra shift, differential. So I'm making quite a bit more money to help pay all the bills and whatnot. 

Peter Kazarinoff  3:54  
Uh huh. So in your work at Intel, do you work these shifts a couple of days a week, how often do you have to go in?

Linzee  4:03  
Well, they're 12 hour shifts, and we alternate weeks. So the first week will be three shifts, the second week will be four shifts, and just back and forth three weeks, three days, four days, three days, four days. So on the - I mean, I have three day weekends or four day weekends. It's pretty amazing. And being able to work like that, and have that extra time off. It's really opened the door for me to spend more time with my kids, which is far more important than anything else out there.

Peter Kazarinoff  4:41  
How has it been for your kids? In this time a COVID? And how's that been like for you as a mom?

Linzee  4:48  
Oh, um, my kids are very social. So it's been a little difficult. Um, actually there, they've been going to school. They actually go to private school. I'm able to afford a private school now because of my job. So they have smaller class sizes, they are able to, you know, be face-to-face with all the other children and get that interaction that they need safely. So it really actually hasn't been that bad. I mean, the worst part is not being able to be around all my family, you know, and wearing a mask all the time kind of sucks. But other than that, we're doing great.

Peter Kazarinoff  5:28  
You mentioned before that after your two year degree, you were able to make a pretty good living. How much do technicians at Intel make? What kind of money are you able to bring home?

Linzee  5:40  
I make about at least $60,000 a year. Um, but I do make enough to pay all of my bills, I drive a pretty decent car, I just bought my house. And this is just me, I'm not in, um, I'm a single mom of two children. And I'm able to send my kids to private school. I have a house now I bought my own house. And I have a pretty decent car. So things are going really well. I haven't had to ask for gas money in lord knows how long, you know? Yeah, I'm doing, I'm doing pretty well.

Peter Kazarinoff  6:19  
That's amazing. And congratulations on the house, too.

Linzee  6:23  
Thank you.

Peter Kazarinoff  6:25  
Are there opportunities for professional growth at Intel since you started as a technician?

Linzee  6:30  
Absolutely. That place is always growing. And there's been a couple opportunities for me so far. But it's really - It's odd, because it's really up to you personally and what you want to do. They're not gonna make you do something that you don't want to do. You're in charge of your path, and your future there. And that kind of trust is, is amazing and needed in a place like that. So it's - it works out really well. You do what you want. Okay, you just got to push yourself. And that's what they want to they want someone who pushes themselves to get where they want to be.

Peter Kazarinoff  7:13  
So you mentioned that you've got some scheduling flexibility, and that your compensation is pretty good. Do you have benefits at Intel, like health benefits or dental benefits, retirement, that kind of thing?

Linzee  7:27  
Oh, yeah. That's, that's one of the best parts of working for Intel. Um, the benefits. So we get paid time off, holiday leave. We have an amazing amount of time off, you're able to use after four years, you get a paid sabbatical. After seven years that paid sabbatical doubles in time. We have. Let's see, insurance is amazing. Get to choose what kind of insurance you want or what would work best for your family. And that's just super helpful. Dental - dental is great. Actually, I have a dentist appointment at Intel tomorrow, because they have dentists on site. It's - It's pretty amazing.

Peter Kazarinoff  8:15  
So let's talk a little bit about how you got to where you are now. What was your work experience before you started working at Intel?

Linzee  8:24  
So I worked as a cook for about eight years. Um, before I started Intel, I was working at the hospital - in the call center taking patient food orders and cooking off and on for them. I stopped working at the hospital, about halfway through school, just so I could focus on school. And then I got a job straight away. Right after I graduated actually, pretty much before I graduated. And there's actually a few companies that came and recruited us from Chemeketa. So that just felt amazing to be wanted and needed by so many different companies.

Peter Kazarinoff  9:11  
Do you remember what other types of employers came to Chemeketa Community College?

Linzee  9:17  
There was - so Intel was, really - Intel was there quite a bit. Um, Micro Systems Engineering, I believe. We took a tour there. They did the pacemakers and whatnot.

Peter Kazarinoff  9:36  
You mentioned that you got a two year Electronics degree at Chemeketa Community College. What was the toughest part of your education?

Linzee  9:45  
The toughest part for me was showing up every day. Um, because it got really hard and I pushed myself very hard to be really good at it. Because I wanted to prove to my children or myself, but I could do something and I could be really good at it. So the toughest part was sticking to it, and pushing myself through it. But I made it. And I did it with really good grades too.

Peter Kazarinoff  10:17  
What sorts of things did you learn during your technician training program that now you use on your job?

Linzee  10:22  
Um, simple things like, what components are, um, how to work in a team, that's huge. Actually, I work with a couple people that I went to school with. So it's actually really nice. How to get where you want to be, and how to talk with your managers, and get information from them that you need. That was a hard one for me to learn. But asking for help to pretty much and they love it. So it really worked out.

Peter Kazarinoff  11:03  
Besides other technicians, what other types of job roles do you interact with at Intel?

Linzee  11:09  
We have janitorial service, we have the cooks. There's engineers, which a lot of them have doctorates, and about everyone there. Everyone's pretty open and happy. Most of the time. It's just a great environment. It's very welcoming. So it's really easy to talk to people and get to know other people that work there.

Peter Kazarinoff  11:36  
Manufacturing semiconductors like Intel does is sort of complicated. Did you learn everything you needed to know before you started at Intel?

Linzee  11:45  
Oh, no, not at all. I did learn a whole lot. But Intel does things a certain way. And it's very complicated and very specific. My job is different than the rest of the factory. So I - I have to understand what my job is more specifically than everything else. And they wouldn't tell me anyways, because it's a need to know basis thing.

Peter Kazarinoff  12:12  
What did it feel like your first day at work? Do you remember what it felt like going into Intel for the first time?

Linzee  12:19  
Yeah, I was nervous. I was excited. I was scared. They made me feel welcome. And they said that we all get our own cell phones our own work cell phones. And that blew my mind. Like why? How could they trust us off the bat like that? It felt - it felt really good. It was a great opening to this new career to be trusted right off the bat. And you know, you don't want to let them down. You want to do your best for them. So it felt really good to, to get that - to gain their trust right away.

Peter Kazarinoff  12:59  
What was one of your first surprises at work?

Linzee  13:03  
One of my first surprises was the raise that I got from my manager, my yearly raise. To the newer manager coming in, and she said that I was getting a little underpaid compared to the, the older workers that were there. So she went and fought for me to get a better raise. And that was a huge surprise for me, because she actually cared. You know, our management actually cares about you, not just your performance at work, but what what you're doing in life, and how are you doing in life, and they're there for you. So that was, that was a huge shock for me to be treated like an actual person with a life and not just the robot. So that was huge.

Peter Kazarinoff  13:57  
We talked a little bit about compensation and benefits. But how did your life change after you became a technician? What's different now compared to when you were in community college?

Linzee  14:09  
Well, now, I can actually afford to live as a single parent. And I was able to buy a house, I was able to purchase a car, I'm able to pay all my bills on time and have a little money extra. You know, um, just that peace of mind. Really changed my outlook on working. And not just struggling and not living paycheck to paycheck. It's really decent. And I worked really hard to get here so I feel like I do deserve it.

Peter Kazarinoff  14:48  
What advice would you give to current students or people who want to transition careers and work as a technician like you do?

Linzee  14:56  
Do it. There's so much opportunity out there especially in this area. The benefits are amazing. And if you have children, if you have a family and if you want to be stable, and be happy in your career? Do it. You've got to do it. Take a chance. It's interesting. It's harder. It's ah - it really pays off. It's worth it. Do it for yourself. It feels good. Feels really good.

Peter Kazarinoff  15:28  
Linzee, thank you so much for sharing your story with me and coming on Talking Technicians.

Linzee  15:33  
Thank you for inviting me. This was great.

Peter Kazarinoff  15:36  
Please keep in touch.

Linzee  15:38  
All right, sounds good. Bye.

Peter Kazarinoff  15:40  
Bye.

Talking Technicians is produced by MNT-EC, the Micro Nano Technology Education Center through financial support from the National Science Foundation's Advanced Technological Education grant program. Opinions expressed on this podcast do not necessarily represent those of the National Science Foundation. Join the conversation. If you are working technician, or know someone who is, reach out to us at info@talkingtechnicians.org. We're always looking out for great guests to share more stories with you.