(RED OAK, Texas) – Aaron Mershawn, of Corsicana, is an Electrical Power and Controls student at Texas State Technical College’s North Texas location in Red Oak. He is also an industrial electrical apprentice at Owens Corning, a worldwide construction and building materials producer, in Waxahachie.
Mershawn recently talked about learning and working in the electrical field.
How did you become interested in the Electrical Power and Controls program?
My father was an industrial mechanic for 45 years, so he was multicraft and I have been around it. I worked for electrical guys that did their own contracting work before I started at Owens Corning. I have been there for about 20 years. I started as a laborer and worked my way up. Our electrical supervisor was in a company apprenticeship program about 15 years ago and worked his way up. At the time they restarted the apprenticeship, which was a deal between the union and company, he pushed me to go to TSTC.
What do you enjoy about the Electrical Power and Controls program?
I enjoy the guys and the camaraderie. There are 12 of us and we are super close, helping each other finish the program. The Motor Control class solidified a lot of stuff for me in what I am doing at work.
What skills should students have upon entering the Electrical Power and Controls program?
Students should have a very simple and basic understanding of mechanics, and AC and DC circuits will help a lot. They also need a good work ethic. Electrical Power and Controls has an electrical engineering component to it.
Why do you think TSTC is a good match for nontraditional students?
TSTC has plenty of tools to help you. You have to dig in and drive forward. It is not as hard as you think it is going to be.
Why should more people pursue the electrical field?
You can come straight out of school making decent money. The market for industrial electrical work is huge. They (employers) cannot find enough people. Everyone is begging for them.
According to onetonline.org, electrical and electronics repairers for commercial and industrial equipment make a yearly median salary of more than $61,000 in Texas. There will be a need for more than 7,200 workers by 2030 in the state, according to the website.
TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Electrical Power and Controls at TSTC’s Abilene, Fort Bend County, North Texas and Waco locations.
Summer and fall registration for current TSTC students begins Monday, March 25, and for new students on Monday, April 8.
For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.
