Hunter Burgess came back to college to improve his job prospects to support his growing family.
A native of Prescott, Arizona, Burgess has spent a lot of his life on the move.
“My dad was in the Army and so was I,” he said. “I was a 12B (combat engineer), which is like infantry but with a focus on explosives.”
After his time in the military, Burgess and his family settled in East Texas to be near his wife’s family, and he got a job at a small company that manufactures synthesizers.
He knew he needed to increase his skill set to advance his career, so he signed up for the Tyler Junior College industrial maintenance technology program.
“I chose TJC because it seemed to have a good program for what my interest is,” he said. “Steve Russell and Link Worthen in the IMT program were great instructors, plus [TJC math professor] Jenelle Reynolds was an unbelievably phenomenal teacher.”
Burgess won’t be attending Friday’s TJC commencement ceremony because he is already at work in his new position maintaining large equipment at Hood Packaging.
“I am now a multicraft technician, dealing with everything from 3-phase 480V motors to hydraulics and pneumatics, and I would not have understood half of this job had it not been for the material that I learned in this program,” he said.
“Link was also very adamant about getting us in front of employers and people currently in the field, which is why I’m already working in that field even before graduation.”
His advice for anyone looking to make a career change or gain more skills:
“Knuckle down, stay focused, do the studying and ask plenty of questions. And frequently remind yourself why you’re here and doing this.”
About the program
The TJC Industrial Maintenance Technology program prepares students for a broad range of industrial maintenance careers using industry-guided curriculum combined with practical hands-on labs.
First-year studies include hand and power tools, precision measurement, fasteners, mechanical drawings, machine components, electrical circuits and prints, mechanical power transmission, machining, piping, robotics, rigging, pneumatics and hydraulics.
During the second year, students learn pumps and compressors, PLC’s (Programmable Logic Controllers), electric motors and transformers, electric motor controls, and troubleshooting industrial maintenance equipment.
Students gain experience and skills in many industrial subjects so they enter industry as a multi-craft, skilled-trades professional.
They also learn to think critically and apply their knowledge to solve problems on the plant and factory floor, in addition to learning employability skills and how to successfully work in teams.
This program produces what today’s industry requires: a college educated multi-skilled professional to successfully tackle the 21st-century industrial environment.
Students also have the option of an alternate second-year emphasis in Advanced Manufacturing Technology, which encompasses computer-integrated manufacturing and automation, and Industry 4.0/IIoT (The Industrial Internet of Things), which is the collection of sensors, instruments and autonomous devices connected through the internet to industrial applications.
For more information on the program, go to TJC.edu/IMT.