North Seattle Community College

Ron Childs

Before NSCC

Ron Childs was an ironworker in Seattle and owned his own business in Kennewick, Washington between 1970 and 1989. In Seattle, he helped build Columbia Center, the Washington Mutual Tower, 2 Union Square, Key Tower and the I-90 Bridge. In Kennewick, he operated Tri-City Erectors, his own construction company. He liked the outdoors and the physical activity and would have continued ironwork indefinitely, but his back gave out. He suffered cumulative injuries that lead to two surgeries, one in 1990 and one in 1994. During a six-month recovery from the first surgery, he idly signed up for a class at NSCC "to keep from going crazy" with inactivity. Thanks to North and his own desire to learn all he can in life, that was the last time he ever used the word "inactive" in the first person singular.

At NSCC

The Architectural Engineering Drafting program at NSCC was a natural direction for him because of his extensive previous experience in the construction industry. He started at North in earnest in 1992, but kept working until his back problems led to a second surgery in 1994, the same year he graduated Phi Theta Kappa from North. Since he already had first hand knowledge of construction practices and terminology, and he'd had the basics of hand drafting in high school, his learning curve was mainly comprised of acquiring additional computer skills specifically applicable to construction drafting. He took to the computer enthusiastically, learning not only AutoCAD easily and quickly, but the ins and outs of computer hardware/assembly as well, able to troubleshoot his own and others' machines when they misbehave. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, he developed learning skills at North that have made him a lifelong advocate of education and enabled him to rise further and faster in his field than many a less motivated person.

Building From North

To his Certificate in Construction Engineering Drafting Technology at North, he added a UW certificate in Construction Management and landed a job as Project Manager for King County Department of Construction and Facilities Management in March of 1995. He manages in-house construction projects from start to finish for all King County agencies. Using AutoCAD, he develops and draws plans from the clients' ideas and specifications. Then he puts the job out to bid, hires the contractors, and administers the contract himself, with the help of quarterly interns. "If they haven't already been, I send my interns to NSCC to get the best preparation in AutoCAD," says Ron, "North is the best program around because its 'work-oriented.' Instructors know their stuff and know what I need from my people in the real work environment. North graduates need far less direction than a lot of the others. They're the best."

What's Next?

In addition to his construction projects for King County, Ron also builds and maintains archives of plans of county buildings. His floor-by-floor measurements of buildings and rooms, called "as builts," form a database which is used to apportion fees for services among various county agencies. His next big construction project is the remodel of the new King County Sheriff's office, slated for completion in January of 1998. He is selecting the color and design scheme with the help of an artist and drawing up the plans with AutoCAD. Since beginning at KC, he has added a certificate in Specification Writing and taken a course on the Uniform Building Code (UBC). Now, he feels the need to know more about Heating, Venting and Air Conditioning, (HVAC) management and about mechanical drafting in addition to his construction drafting. North's unique HVAC program, with emphasis on design, management and sales, may put North again in his future.

Advice

Ron observes that success in the industry would be easiest to achieve if you know the industry beforehand, like working with computers, and enjoy constant variety in the projects you do. "You can set your mind to it and achieve it from other backgrounds, as long as you're willing to learn. The computer skills I learned at North have definitely changed my life," says Ron, "North was the catalyst that got me started when I thought I was coming to an ending in life. Instead it was just the beginning. Now there's no limit on what I can accomplish on my own."

Lillian Morrison

Before NSCC

Lillian Morrison actually attended North Seattle Community College twice. She took Electro Mechanical Drafting at night for one semester in 1986. She got a job at Advanced Technology Laboratories for four months, drafting plans for the fabrication of ultrasound machines. Then Seattle Film Works made her an offer she couldn't refuse. She was a customer service rep for them for four and a half years until the company down-sized and she was laid off. She worked temporary jobs for about six months until she was hired by Boeing as a contract drafter, based on her one semester with North and her ATL experience. She worked designing electrical wiring for the 767 from 1990 to 1995. Then she wound up on the wrong end of a pink-slip a second time. The bad news was that her job was cut as part of the massive 1995 Boeing lay-offs but the good news was that she saw the lay-offs coming, worked a lot of overtime beforehand and saved enough to manage while she seriously up-graded her skills.

Without hesitation, she returned to North to enhance her employability. She looked at the Construction Engineering Drafting Technology program and realized it was designed to provide the skills she needed to take the next steps in her field and get back into the job market again. She began the program in the fall of 1995 and graduated Phi Theta Kappa in the Spring of 1997.

Referral

Another benefit of attending classes at North involved networking. She was referred to Paula Jacoby, another North graduate working at Plywood Supply in Bothell. Paula provided the entree for Lillian to meet the people at Plywood Supply. Lillian was given a take-off, or estimate, to accomplish as a test of her ability. She completed it quickly, with flying colors. She passed her other interviews as well and a position was created for her in the Plywood Supply "family." She enjoys working very closely with Paula now, using the skills she acquired at North Seattle Community College on a daily basis.

Advice

Lillian's advice to anyone contemplating a career in Construction Engineering Drafting: Get your skills up to speed at North and be ready for anything!

Rene Hartley

Background

Rene Hartley has always been interested in construction. From 1978 to 1983 he owned his own business, employing as many as 15 people, repairing and refacing residential properties for real estate agents and property management companies. The ever-escalating bite of payroll and self-employment taxes finally drove him away from self-employment. From 1983 to 1990 in an effort to stay in the construction business, he worked for a California company building high-end spec houses in Marin County and the Bay Area. With seven successful years to his credit, he would have continued working for this employer indefinitely. However, his plans changed when he sustained an on-the-job injury to his neck. Despite the pain, he tried to go on, taking another job pouring concrete foundations in Hawaii, but was forced to give it up also because of his injury.

Redirecting A Good Start

From Hawaii, he came to Seattle with a friend who got a job here. He tried again to do construction work in Seattle, but finally had no choice but to acknowledge the seriousness of his condition. He underwent neck surgery in late 1992. After the operation, his surgeon's advice was, "Avoid further construction work, period." He needed to retrain for another career and he needed to get some prerequisites out of the way, so the first step was to register for basic math and English at North Seattle Community College. While attending these basic classes, he saw a bulletin board flyer on campus advertising the Construction Engineering Drafting program at North and, after checking out his options at the NSCC Advising Center, he registered for his first Construction Drafting class in Fall Quarter 1993.

Detour

He was a very successful student in his first year at North, enjoyed his studies and earned top grades. But Fate, in the form of Labor and Industries' response to his employment insurance claim, intervened. He was denied tuition for his second year at North and was sent instead to a now-defunct training institute in another small Washington community. At this juncture, not only was he faced with the additional expense and hassle of a commute from his home in North Seattle, he actually reinjured his neck trying to adapt to the other facility's desks and endured a second neck surgery in 1995. Following the second surgery, he knew what he needed to do to get back on track: he returned to North Seattle Community College in the Fall of 1995 and finished his second year in the Construction Engineering Drafting program at his own expense. He worked very hard, was invited to join Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and finished at North with flying colors in 1996.

After The Program

He dutifully looked for work drafting with AutoCAD, and found several jobs he would have enjoyed, but realized he'd still have trouble sitting at a desk. To stay in construction, he founded Hartley Home Remodel in 1996 and again runs his own business. He takes care to avoid further injury by varying tasks each day and hiring temporary help to do work he should not do. Thanks to his previously acquired expertise in the construction industry and his training at North, he is now a full-service contractor, able to assist homeowners with design solutions, production of working plans and drawings that meet code requirements, guidance of drawings through city bureaucracy and efficient collaboration with engineers and subcontractors.

Jay Hollingsworth

Background

In his previous life, as a "starving artist," Jay Hollingsworth was a Technical Director for theater and stage productions. He built sets for first run movies such as "Sleepless in Seattle," "Free Willy" and "The Temp." He worked for a time creating sets for the Bathhouse Theater. He was good at his job and he enjoyed the excitement and glamour of the theater. However, remuneration for his services was not outstanding and when he married and became a father, the wages of a Technical Director were simply not adequate. A series of back injuries further compromised his presence backstage and after the third one, he realized it was time to make a change.

Building A New Direction

Construction had always been an important part of his life. He knew he wanted to continue his connection with it, but find a way to avoid further injury and create an adequate income for his family at the same time. He knew that the computer field offered great pay and that using a computer probably wouldn't put him physically at risk. He had the idea of combining the hand drafting he'd learned in high school with some type of computer training. He approached Seattle Central Community College for information about computer programs and was referred to North Seattle Community College for the excellence of its Construction Drafting Design program. He was particularly inspired by his initial interview with CAD Instructor, Mark Hillman, who urged him to follow up immediately on his decision to begin this new direction.

Making It Work

He began attending classes at North in the fall of 1992. Although he wasn't formally eligible for Workforce Training benefits, the WFT Director at North was instrumental in easing the financial burden of retraining by helping him qualify to collect unemployment during his first year of classes. Second year, he landed an internship with King County Surface Water Management, and his schedule at North allowed him to attend classes in the morning and work in the afternoon.

After The Program

He was asked to stay on at King County on a temporary basis after he graduated Phi Theta Kappa from North in 1994. In what amounted to a second internship as an Engineering Technician, he did field surveys, ran calculations and assisted the design process for King County engineers.

After two more terms to catch up on some advanced math, he joined the structural engineering firm of Swenson, Say, Faget, where he's responsible for design of structural members capable of resisting lateral stress, i.e., earthquakes. Although he's no longer behind the footlights, he is still dealing with potentially earthshaking events, he's taking care of his back and making a good living.