Joseph Hughes
Eaton
Sherman, TX USA
"Never give up. If you believe it, you can do it."
Career Roadmap
Joseph's work combines: Engineering, Technology, and Problem Solving
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
The first step is to figure out what kind of maintenance work you want to do. Maintenance is very broad—you can do electrical maintenance, industrial maintenance, electromechanical maintenance, etc. Figure out which area you want to focus on and then look for community colleges that offer online certification courses for that focus.
Here's the path I took:
GED
Certification
Industrial Maintenance Technician
Certification
Basic PLC Programming
Certification
Advanced PLC & Robotics Programming
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
I was born and raised in Sherman, Texas.
2.
When I was a few weeks from graduating high school early, I was told I needed to complete another year of the curriculum in order to graduate, so I decided to get my GED instead.
3.
I went away to college in Phoenix, Arizona, to pursue computer programming but had to come back home due to family matters.
4.
I was essentially homeless and going from house to house trying to find any handiwork jobs before eventually finding an industrial assembly job at Eaton through a temp agency.
5.
I was able to go back to school and earn a few certifications—all paid for by my employer!
6.
While working at Eaton, I moved up from industrial assembly to become a welder, which I did for a few years before moving up again to quality control.
7.
After a few more years, I took the test to move up to the final associate position as a front line lead supervisor.
8.
I worked as a supervisor for several years but decided to move back into maintenance because I missed working with my hands.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
You don't have enough education to do this. Your GED isn't enough.
How I responded:
People tend to think that a GED isn't enough. I won't downplay the importance of a high school diploma, but if you got your GED instead for one reason or another, that's okay. We take the same tests and learn the same things as traditional high school graduates. Don't let anyone tell you that you don't have enough education to do something. It's your passion and love for something that will steer you towards success. If you believe it, you can do it.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I dropped out of college when I was 19 years old and didn't go back to school until I was 40. It was difficult to balance school, work, and home life, but I fortunately had a job that supported me and also found incredible support in my wife and son.