Talking Technicians
Talking Technicians
S05-E03 Eldon is an Additive Manufacturing Project Specialist
Eldon shares his journey from high school in McCreary County, Kentucky, to his current role as an Additive Manufacturing Project Specialist at Somerset Community College. Eldon initially pursued a 3D printing certificate at Somerset Community College, which prepared him for a technician role at Fast Radius. Despite initial challenges, including moving to Louisville and dealing with a company bankruptcy, Eldon emphasized the importance of seizing opportunities and continuous improvement. He transitioned to a full-time role at Somerset Community College, focusing on grant writing and project management. Eldon advised aspiring technicians to be patient, take risks, and build connections for long-term success.
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:
Episode Web Page:
https://micronanoeducation.org/students-parents/talking-technicians-podcast/
Somerset Community College 3D Printing Technician - Digital Printing Technology Program:
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 Eldon. Eldon is an additive manufacturing Project Specialist at Somerset Community College in in Somerset, Kentucky. Eldon, welcome to Talking technicians.
Eldon 0:57
Hey, Peter. I really appreciate the opportunity to be here and speak with you.
Peter Kazarinoff 1:02
Elden, thank you so much for being on the podcast and talking with me about your story, like your education journey and your employment journey. So tell me a little bit about yourself. Where do you live and where do you work?
Eldon 1:15
Yeah. So I live in Somerset, Kentucky, and work at Somerset Community College in their additive manufacturing facility.
Peter Kazarinoff 1:24
And so you're currently working at Somerset Community College. But before that, you've had a bunch of different types of experiences, both education experience and work experience. So would you be willing to talk a little bit about your background, what have been some of your education and work experiences that got you to where you are now?
Eldon 1:47
Yeah, so it's sort of a long, complicated story, but it started out with me sort of coming to contact with 3d printing in high school. I'm actually from McCreary County, Kentucky, which is often referred to as one of, if not the poorest county in Kentucky or the United States. So it's, it's about 80% federal land, so there's not much room for growth. There's not very many opportunities for work. There's not much technology. And back then, that was like 2016 ish. So 3d printing was very new. The printer we had didn't work very well, but I knew that I liked it from the moment I came into contact with that technology. I knew that somehow I wanted to do that as a job, my full time job, one day. So then when I decided to go to college, I chose Community College because it's cheaper. You know, you could get your gen eds done early on. But I found out that Somerset had a added manufacturing certificate for to be a technician. So I signed up for that, went through it. I was also looking to be a manufacturing engineer or mechanical but quickly learned that I really did not like math, and so I started chasing, how am I going to do 3d printing? How am I going to get a job in engineering without being an engineer, or having all the math experience. So I started learning CNC. So Somerset also has a pretty large CNC lab. I was going through those classes while still working on my Associates in Science, received my certificate in 3d printing technician, when Eric Wooldridge, which runs the 3d printing lab at Somerset, contacted me and said, Hey, there's this company in Louisville hiring that does 3d printing. And it was December of 2019, and I or maybe a little earlier in the winter. And I was like, well, that's kind of scary moving away from home, that Louisville is about three hours from here, and so I didn't know whether I should do it or not. I started praying a lot, thinking about it. And then Eric came to me one day he heard me talking about that, saying, like, well, I don't know. I don't know if I want to move away from home. And he stopped me, and he said, Listen, if this is what you want to do, you have to jump on that opportunity, because opportunities don't come up very often. So I did. I applied, got the job. December of 2019, I moved to Louisville. It worked out to where I lived with a cousin for about a week while school was out, just in case I wanted to move back before getting an apartment. Obviously, I stayed so I worked as a technician at a company called fast radius, which did industry level. Of a factory setting, 3d printing for fortune. 500 companies, aerospace, medical, automotive, really, anything you could think of, a lot of companies I'm not allowed to talk about, not allowed to say that, you know, I've made parts for them, but did that for three years, slowly worked up to sort of a lead position with resin, and then the FDM, some things like that, just slowly worked my way up in importance. One thing I always tried to focus on, which I feel is good advice, is that you should try your best to make sure that you are vital to the operations, and you'll get to stick around, especially with the way economics are right now and sort of the workplace, you want to make sure that you are important so that they can't get rid of you. Because at the end of those three years, that company actually went bankrupt and was bought out by cybridge technologies, and so they kept me on and the same guy that hired me for the job at fast radius then hired me under cybridge as a supply, domestic supplier Operations Manager, some big, long titles. So I did that for two years that was completely new. I had no educational background in that. I had no idea what I was doing at first, but as I started that job, it was work from home. They moved everything to Chicago instead of Louisville, and I was working from home for a little while in Louisville. At the same time, I was planning on getting married, and so I moved back to Somerset. I was working from home, doing the supplier operations. When I started working adjunct on the side for Somerset Community College. We always love to have industry connections, or have students that left and got a big, fancy job, and then we want them to turn around, come back and help us develop curriculum, things like that. So that's sort of what I did, came back, started modifying some of the lessons, adding in what I learned in the industry. And then, you know, I sort of the whole point of me working for that company was the 3d printing. It's what I wanted to do. But now I was in this boring work from home supply chain stuff, and it just wasn't enjoyable. And the opportunity came up at Somerset to be full time as a project specialist, and so I took that, and that was actually only two months ago. I've been there for two months, and so now my job is back, doing 3d printing, but I'm actually writing grants, more of the big picture stuff, planning things like that. So that's the long story of how I ended up where I am. Now it's been a long journey, but I'm much happier where I am now. Really, just the main thing is never say no to an opportunity and just keep looking forward. It's been a journey. I'll say.
Peter Kazarinoff 8:15
Well, Eldon, yeah, that sounds like quite a ride going from high school to where you are now, let's dig in a little more detail to some of those steps that you took. So you mentioned you used a printer when you were in high school and then enrolled in this community college certificate program. Can you talk a little bit more about that community college program? What are kind of the things that you learned, and then, how did that lead to you getting your first job?
Eldon 8:42
Yeah, so I will say the certificate that I received through Somerset Community College perfectly prepared me for the job that I then went and got. The certificate specifically is built of three to four, 3d printing classes, a business class, which was very helpful. And then at the same time, I was getting my Associates in Science, which I did complete online while I was in Louisville. And I would say the Communications course was super helpful that especially coming from such a small place, learning those communication skills to work on a big team was very helpful. Now with the 3d printing, specifically the first course, Introduction to 3d printing, go dives into many subjects regarding you learn how to design, you learn the materials, you learn the different types of machines. And one specific thing to call out is that you learn how to build sort of a cost calculator so that you can then go and maybe run your own 3d printing business. Well, that cost calculator I ended up needing at fast radius. While I was there, we, we had our own cost calculator that we used to cost orders. And I had, like, that's such a odd thing that you wouldn't ever think you need to learn until you actually need it. But we, I had already been prepared for it. Like, that's it was just so interesting to me. Like, I actually know how to do this. I've seen this before, and with 3d printing that like 2017 was so early on, sort of for 3d printing. It's sort of complicated, but and then along the next class in the certificate, dives deeper into the mechanical design with latticeing, generative design, AI integration, finite element analysis, more of the engineering concepts, and then the 280 course at the end is more of a special projects. And so in that, I had actually developed a printing lab in the CNC section of the college. And I mean, even that experience, I turned around and built the resin lab at fast radius in my factory, and that helped out a lot in the factory setting that I was in.
Peter Kazarinoff 11:18
So you mentioned that you did this 3d printing certificate, and there were some technical skills that you learned, and then there were also some professional skills that you learned. And that professional skill part may have been unexpected, but turned out to be incredibly useful, like communication or like cost center type things. You also mentioned Eldon that you did C and C work at community college. For those that don't know what that means, what do you do in a CNC program?
Eldon 11:48
Yeah, so CNC is the sort of basic metal manufacturing method. So with CNC, think sort of lathes, drills, grinders, mills. Think metal fixtures and large metal parts. That's sort of what you're making on those. And so I had wanted to learn that because I thought that if I had C and C experience alongside printing experience, I could easily find a job. And that actually did end up being the case for one of my classmates that I'm still good friends with, Matthew that I mentioned before we started the meeting, he went on to work for Blue Origin, which metal prints their rocket engines. So it's pretty cool stuff, and it goes hand in hand. And actually, another example is there's a NASCAR racer. Brad keselowski owns a company called kazowski at advanced manufacturing, and it's all about metal printing, so actual metal three printing alongside CNC. So it's having those two skills didn't necessarily help me out a lot in the path that I went down, but it definitely could have had my sort of path went a different direction.
Peter Kazarinoff 13:05
And Eldon, what was the hardest part of those community college programs? What was most difficult when you were at Somerset as a student?
Eldon 13:13
I would just I struggled with the math the most. But, I mean, I had great tutors, I had a great teacher that helped me out a lot. I had great classmates, but it just wasn't my personal strength, and so that's that's what I struggled with the most. But I've had a lot of good mentors along the way, including Eric from the college, that helped me figure out a different path to take, where I could use the strengths that I did have to do what I'm joined.
Peter Kazarinoff 13:43
So Eldon, we've talked about your community college education and then how you moved on to fast radius, one of your first 3d printing industry jobs. What did it feel like the first day when you went into fast radius, your first day of work? What did that feel like?
Eldon 14:00
Yeah, that's a good question. It was. I was a little nervous. I didn't know what to expect, actually. So I didn't know where the factory even really was, until I moved up there. I was expecting a little building on the side of the road, maybe towards downtown, sort of a, what would you call it? Trying to think of a good word to describe what I was expecting, just sort of a little print shop in a little building, you know, maybe artistic looking, you know, but it turned out the factory was actually in a UPS warehouse like next to the airport. And so we were actually fast radius was partnered with UPS. And so we would print parts, stick them right on a truck in the same building the same day, maybe that the parts were ordered. And that's sort of the Magic of 3d printing, is that you can do that. And they would ship to the car. Customer the next day. So, you know, I walk in, I'm in a UPS warehouse, go through metal detector, get in, and then one of the very first things we start printing is trying to think an aerospace part that may have went to space. And I was just not expecting that. I mean, I was hoping for something like that, but did not know the scope of what we would be manufacturing. And me having a certificate, and had moved to Louisville, I was still living with a cousin at the time, until I got used to and then I'm manufacturing aerospace parts with Stratasys, very large FDM machines, very expensive. It sort of like what I had wanted the whole time was starting to happen, because I had a 3d printer at one point, a little end or three Pro. That's what I had coming out of high school. And then I turn and work on quarter million dollar Stratasys printers, printing aerospace parts going to space. So I guess surreal, that would be a good way to describe it.
Peter Kazarinoff 16:17
And then Eldon, what did it feel like at the end of your time at fastradius before cybridge bought out the company, what did it feel like going into work then?
Eldon 16:27
I mean, it was upsetting, definitely. Because if some may know, when you go through bankruptcy like that, a lot of people are laid off. And I will say one of the best things about fast radius was just the group of people that I worked with. Everyone was so supportive. It was a startup. We went public together, worked together. I don't like to use the analogy of family in the workplace, but it really felt that way, especially with the people that I worked with in my factory. So it was upsetting. It was weird working under a new company. You know, a lot of the leaders were either let go or left themselves. But that is luckily, we had a very good mentor, Keith Hughes, that had been preparing us not for a bankruptcy, but to be leaders in the workplace ourselves, and at that point, it fell upon more of the regular workers to sort of lead, and that's a little unfortunate, and It's hard, but that also develops you further. So that's one thing that I always like to bring up, or think about myself, is to not expect short term gains and to not immediately get mad at the situation you're in. You should try to figure out a way that you can prosper through or how can i What can I gain from this problem? Or what can someone else gain from this problem? So it was upsetting, but at the same time, we and myself tried to try to look at the positives.
Peter Kazarinoff 18:21
And Eldon, while you were working at Fast Radius, can you provide an idea of what a graduate from a community college might expect to make as a technician and advanced or additive manufacturing?
Eldon 18:35
Yeah. So when I was hired on and again, this was 2019, so right before COVID, I was making 15 an hour. But after about a year, I was making like 17. And so now I would expect, if we hired on a technician, it would be, you know, 15 to $20 an hour. If it depends on your experience, it depends on the role you're in. But because the location of the company also matters in a big city like Chicago, I know we were probably paying technicians more than that. It just depends, really. But december 2019, I was making 15, and then within a year, I was making a couple dollars more.
Peter Kazarinoff 19:20
And Eldon, Besides earning an hourly wage, were there other benefits at fast radius, things like health benefits, retirement, things like that?
Eldon 19:29
Yeah, so I have been putting money in retirement since day one, basically. So that's one thing I would say, if your company offers retirement, you should definitely be putting money in retirement. And then, yes, the health benefits and everything else. Fast radius had all that. I've had that ever since, luckily, so it's it's really an investment in your future.
Peter Kazarinoff 19:54
And Eldon, while you were working at fast radius as a technician, was there opportunities for. Professional growth. Did you learn things that you hadn't learned when you were at Somerset and grow professionally while you were there?
Eldon 20:08
Yeah, so that's another thing that Keith was very big on, was professional development, just planning for the future continuous improvement subjects like that. We we learned a lot on we had weekly meetings, we read books together that was focused around all of that, and then, just specifically the job role progression. Yes, there was definitely room for improvement. More so in Chicago, our factory in Chicago is much larger than the one in Louisville, but the one in Louisville from day one I was, I would say the job role of technician was not completely accurate. I was sort of more of a technician from day one. And that's another thing with not expecting short term gains. It's, of course, you know that you deserve more from day one in certain situations, but you still have to sort of prove that to whoever you work for. And so, you know, you prove that you do a good job. And then within the year, or two years, I was promoted to the FDM and SLA lead, which was the tops of technology, printing technologies we had there. And then the one of my co workers, you know, he was a technician, and then now he is a manufacturer, or a added manufacturing engineer for cybridge, still. And he has a design degree and things like that, but no true engineering degree. So he sort of went the same path I did with the certificates and sort of smaller degrees from community colleges. And he actually did move to Chicago. So especially when you're joining small companies like that, there's tons of room for growth. And I know Matthew sort of has a same similar story.
Peter Kazarinoff 22:13
So Eldon, you mentioned after your work at cybridge, then you transitioned to working in academia at Somerset Community College. Can you talk to me about that transition? What was it like going from working in industry and especially working as a technician or doing supply chain stuff, to now working in academia?
Eldon 22:33
It is, it was - a big change. There are a lot of differences, especially when dealing with private or public businesses and then academics. There's just different thought processes behind how things are done and sort of hard to describe, but it is very different, but I will say that I did. I've always sort of known that education was coming, because when I from day one, when I moved to Louisville, I was thinking, well, how can I give back? I shouldn't be the only one that benefits from me going to Somerset and getting my certificate, and then I shouldn't just leave and never talk to them again and never give anything back. But a year or two goes by when I had moved and I hadn't reached out. I had been so busy, I moved away from home and was dealing with all that. But the day came where I thought, you know, I should reach out and see what they have going on. And, you know, conversations just started where I could give back and modify some of the curriculum and make it better. And it all just fell into place to where now I'm sort of over the curriculum and change things all the time, and I'm more of the big picture type of person, instead of the technician. But it to try to answer your question, though, what are the differences? It's it's very hard to describe. I'm not sure I would know how to put that in words.
Peter Kazarinoff 24:18
But Eldon, you move from industry to academia and certainly in the community college setting, we need to have that industry expertise within the technician training programs, so that students learn things which are up to date and learn skills that they can use when they get jobs in the industry. So what would you say to current industry professionals to have them do more work with community colleges? It wouldn't have to necessarily mean that they would go on as faculty. But what would the advantages for those industry professionals be to work with a community college like Somerset?
Eldon 24:59
Yeah. Well, the most obvious is that they would then receive more prepared technicians and workforce professionals into their business if they're helping the colleges prepare those people. It's sort of a revolving, sort of circle of life. You know, the that's sort of the way I like to think about it is, you know, you start out new, you go to the college to learn, you go to a business to work. You learn a lot more, if you then share that with the college. They teach that to new people. And, you know, just goes around and around. And then there's also other ways, you know, Somerset, among others, work closely with businesses on research and development programs and things like that. So it really takes some of the workload off of that company. We can work together. It grows the economy, and then in turn, they get our students. Our students can find jobs right out of college if they've already been working with that business is helps each other a lot.
Peter Kazarinoff 26:08
And Eldon, we're kind of wrapping up, but I've got a final question about what you would say to students, so knowing what you know now, working in industry and then moving into academia, what would you say to an aspiring student who doesn't know what they want to do but might be interested in becoming a technician later, like, what would you say to your high school self now who is interested in 3d printing but wasn't really sure about what the next step was?
Eldon 26:38
Yeah, again, I'll say, don't expect short term gains. It's not bad to try to get those. It's not bad to want those. But don't get upset if you don't see progress immediately. Some things take time, and then also the take risks. You know, I moved to Louisville. I tried to mitigate the risk as much as possible. I stayed with a cousin until I was sure that the job would work out, but I planned it in a way that if it didn't work out, I could move back and continue College. Never say no to a good opportunity. A lot of people, they're presented with an opportunity, they get nervous and they back out, or they think about it for too long, as long as it makes sense, you really have to take those opportunities. Nothing good can happen if you just sit there and do nothing at all. You know it's not going to be handed to you. And another big one, I would say, is to find good mentors. That has been a huge part of my life. I mean, with Eric helping me get the job, and now I'm working for him with Nick, you know, hiring me on to both the jobs I had won, the fast radius and cybridge, and Dez that I worked with very closely at fast radius and cybridge, and then to just treat others how you would want to be treated. You know, I the first job I ever had was working at my family's restaurant, and, you know, some people would be not so nice, but there's no point in you then treating them the same way, because who knows, especially, you shouldn't treat people, maybe not so nice, and they hadn't done nothing to you at all, because they might be your boss one day, or you might need a favor, a huge I guess, to branch off of the find good mentors is making connections is one of the the most important things in life. So many, all the things that have happened to me, including others that we have not mentioned, is all because of connections. And it's easier to change the world than you would think, especially with some of the things that I was 3d printing your directly. Saving lives. So just get out there and do what you love and be a good person, nice person, and others will benefit
Peter Kazarinoff 29:12
Well Eldon, thank you so much for sharing your story with me about your work at community college, working as a technician, working in supply chain, and now going back into academia, I really appreciate it.
Eldon 29:24
Yeah, I appreciate having the opportunity.
Peter Kazarinoff 29:27
Please keep in touch.
Eldon 29:29
All right, yep, thanks.
Peter Kazarinoff 29:36
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 a 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.