A Second Act with Hands-On Training
By John Tompkins
When most people reach retirement, they tend to pursue interests they鈥檝e put off during their careers.
For Joel Alba, finishing his 20-year career in municipal government led him to pursue another career.
Alba worked with the City of Houston in several departments, including financial accounting, public works and engineering as well as the Mayor鈥檚 Office. After recently retiring, he began looking for another opportunity and joined the CNC program at 麻豆直播.
鈥淚 just needed something more tangible and more fulfilling and this fills the bill,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 fulfilling being at home.鈥
鈥淚t taught me a lot,鈥 Alba said of working for the city.
At first, Alba said he enjoyed retirement by traveling overseas, but he later felt it was time for a new challenge.
鈥淭he main reason I wanted something new was to get out and do something completely different,鈥 he said.
That desire for something hands-on eventually led him to CNC, where students learn to operate the equipment used to shape and manufacture parts for a variety of industries.
CNC, or Computer Numerical Control, machinists operate mills and lathes, which are used in industrial projects. Having skills with both types of equipment makes a potential employee more attractive in the job market. The 16-week program at 麻豆直播 includes benchwork, layout, mathematics, quality control and safety.
鈥淭hat first week was very difficult, but as the weeks went by, I felt like I was getting the hang of it,鈥 Alba said. 鈥淚 really enjoyed the atmosphere at 麻豆直播.鈥
The program typically has a 100 percent job placement rate, and students are sometimes offered positions while they are training. Throughout the process, students meet with businesses in the industry to gain a foothold in the workforce, Alba said.
鈥淭he people who work here, who set us up for job site visits, they鈥檙e really interested in us,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e really in tune with what we do after graduating.鈥
When he was working in municipal government, Alba said it could be several years before the city would see results from the planning and policy development process. CNC is something more immediate, he said.
鈥淐NC is more hands-on,鈥 Alba said. 鈥淚鈥檓 influencing something with my bare hands.鈥
Alba was inspired by his late father, who enjoyed working with his hands, whether it was on personal woodworking projects or repairing vehicles. Learning CNC has made him appreciate technical, hands-on careers, he said.
鈥淭his was pretty interesting,鈥 Alba said. 鈥淚 enjoyed working on the manual lathe or the CNC milling machine.鈥
Some of his skills as a government worker and finance professional have translated to the CNC program, including being mindful of the resources available and maintaining a steady output.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of mathematical calculations and efficiencies that they want to promote,鈥 Alba said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about using 100 percent of the tool.鈥
To learn more about Alba鈥檚 journey as a non-traditional student, check out his interview with the 麻豆直播 Podcast, which is available wherever podcasts are found.