Zach - Gateway Technical College
Coming from a family of tradesmen and women, Zachary was the odd man out. “My dad has been in construction his whole life. my cousins, they're all in trades, my grandparents were in trades, and I was kind of the odd dog that wanted to sell life insurance.”
The life insurance path did not prove fruitful, and Zachary knew it was time to gain new skills. “ I decided to go back to school and was looking at the programs at Gateway. Advanced Manufacturing intrigued me the most.”
Zachary says, like his relatives, he believes he’s cut out for manufacturing. “I like troubleshooting. I like solving problems. I don't know much about motors. I don't know much about electronics, but I want to figure it out. I like to problem-solve. I love math.”
After expressing interest in Gateway’s Advanced Manufacturing curriculum, Zachary received an email explaining free education that’s being offered through Metallica’s All Within My Hands foundation. I thought, "That's an awesome program." I jumped right online, and I sent a bunch of emails.”
And the rest, as they say, is history, or at least it will be in 14 weeks. Zachary and 9 classmates are embarking on an intense 14-week program where they will earn an Advanced Manufacturing Specialist certificate. Zachary isn’t worried about the intensity of the program. “I just need to create a schedule. I like routines. Once I get into a routine then I'll be fine.”
