I wandered around in different jobs, trying to find what I was good at. After I took a job in a pool and hot tub store, I learned how to repair them and fix leaks. That became my favorite part of the job, so I decided to look into repair jobs, and plumbing became of interest.
I have two kids and work full time, so the fact that I could go to class once a week in the evenings was a big part of how I managed to go. Any trade program needs to have hands-on experience to be effective, and this program was set up very well. M State has a mock building set up so you will actually plumb a bathroom, use power tools and learn to solder. We also were actively learning fittings and technical information to be better equipped when we got a job in the field.
Rick our instructor had us job shadow for 40 hours to get real world experience and helped line up interviews with employers. I think almost everyone from my class had a job lined up before the program was done.
Matt Grommesh will graduate with highest honors at the end of summer semester 2021 and is working as an apprentice plumber in residential new construction