(WACO) – Nick Kangas is thankful for his relatives.

Kangas, 30, of Tucson, Arizona, moved to Waco because of their advice to give Texas State Technical College a look and to follow his interest in airplanes. He is now in his fourth semester of Avionics Technology, the study of aviation and electronics.

“The program is more than what I expected,” said Kangas. “The instructors are easy to get along with and I have good classmates as well. I discovered I liked soldering, connecting wires and building the radio stacks.”

The Avionics Technology program currently has 16 students. Students take five semesters to earn the Associate of Applied Science degree in Avionics Technology or three semesters for a certificate in Avionics Ramp Testing.

“What I want to see in an avionics student is desire,” said Martin Segraves, the program’s lead instructor. “I want them to solve problems. I want them to be interested in airplanes, flying and electronics.”

Chris Eubanks, 32, of Burleson fits the description.

The former West Coast resident grew up interested in aviation maintenance and how planes function. He said he has surprised himself doing the program’s hands-on work because at 15 he was diagnosed with low motor skills and had challenges working with small objects. Now, he said he has worked up to doing intricate work on wiring.

“It’s a dream come true,” Eubanks said about studying avionics. “In the spring I plan to study aviation maintenance and then later pursue a bachelor’s degree in management. I want a management job in the repair sector and I also want to be a drone mechanic.”

Classes focus on aviation electronic systems, operations testing, troubleshooting and safety in laboratories designed for assembly, repair and wiring. Students also learn how aviation maintenance shops operate and about Federal Communications Commission and Federal Aviation Administration guidelines.

“We are exposing students to as much civil aviation as possible,” Segraves said. “Our focus is narrowed because that’s where most avionics technicians get their first jobs.”

Segraves and the program’s other instructor, Dane Kunkler, have a combined 75 years of professional experience. The instructors have to keep up with current developments in avionics, such as how Wi-fi and Bluetooth systems work with electronics.

“Avionics is a great field to consider if a student likes to work hands-on with technology,” Segraves said. “Many aspects of avionics require excellent problem-solving skills, so I often ask prospective students if they like to solve puzzles. Career opportunities are plentiful right now and nearly all our graduates find employment in the field.”

Texas has more than 1,600 avionics technology workers earning an annual mean salary of $55,070, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Hundreds of jobs are clustered in the Corpus Christi, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio areas. The field is expected to grow slightly through 2024, according to projectionscentral.com, a clearinghouse of short-term and long-term state labor market predictions.

For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.

(WACO) – Savannah Little is looking forward to seeing how far her interests take off.

Little, 20, of Houston is the only student graduating with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Avionics Technology from Texas State Technical College at Fall Commencement at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 9, at the Waco Convention Center.

“Savannah is a remarkable student,” said Martin Segraves, lead instructor in the Avionics Technology program at TSTC. “Her ability to complete the degree program a whole semester faster than most students directly reflects her ability to master a subject quickly and to multitask effectively. She regularly hosts a study group for her peers, who tend to score better on their exams after they meet.”

Little grew up in Houston and in third grade started Irish dancing in an after-school program. She continued dancing for 10 years and hopes to perform again in the future.

“It takes a lot of money for the dress, the hard and soft shoes, the socks,” Little said. “My lucky outfit color was blue. I think this made me ritualistic – I am particular in sitting in front of the white boards as close as possible in class.”

In the summer between her junior and senior years at Northbrook High School in Houston, she studied electronics at a physics camp at Tarleton State University in Stephenville.

“That’s where I really fell in love with electronics,” Little said. “Everything was super cool and I got to use the equipment.”

The trip spurred thoughts about attending a four-year university, but she chose not to go due to affordability. Her parents suggested TSTC – Little’s mother had studied computer science and met her best friend while in Waco, and her father noticed there were programs that interested their daughter. Little eventually settled on Avionics Technology.

Little graduated in 2014 from Northbrook, where she was on the Bandoleras dance team, in the theater group and in the Math League. She took two years of physics, which she said helped her in her technical college studies.

Little said she applied to TSTC before seeing the campus and quickly adjusted to her classes in electrical principles, avionics electronics system installation and contemporary mathematics. She also learned she had a knack for determining wiring lengths for aviation radio components.

“I took all Advanced Placement classes in high school, so I was used to information being thrown at me all the time,” Little said. “I was hoping for hands-on work and I was pleasantly surprised.”

Little said she had no regrets switching plans to attend a two-year technical college.

“I see my friends on social media pages working late,” she said. “I’m glad my workload was not as stressful. I liked receiving individual attention from instructors.”

After graduation, Little wants to work on a startup business idea for what she called a “repair station” for airlines. More than half of Texas’ estimated 1,630 avionics technicians in Texas work in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington and Houston-Sugar Land-The Woodlands areas, according to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics from May 2015.

Graduates from TSTC’s Fort Bend County, North Texas and Williamson County campuses will also receive certificates and associate degrees at the Waco graduation ceremony at the convention center at 1100 Washington Ave.

(WACO) – The staff at Capstone Mechanical on Imperial Drive in Waco does not have to look far to find heating, ventilation and air conditioning workers.

Most of Capstone’s 27-member service department are Texas State Technical College graduates. Capstone specializes in plumbing, piping, commercial heating, ventilation and air conditioning work. The company’s service area extends about 100 miles from Waco.

“Having a technical college close to us provides us the ability to work closely with the various programs to help develop graduates that will have the skills to be productive in our industry,” said Jimmy Webster, Capstone’s human resources manager. “This not only helps Capstone, but our industry as a whole.”

The HVAC service technicians’ roles are to install new equipment, conduct preventive maintenance and handle on-demand calls. They work in most weather conditions, but lightning and strong wind typically prevent workers from being on roofs. Teamwork and communication are emphasized. The technicians keep up with their work assignments, invoices, equipment orders and other tasks on iPads.

“A lot of people don’t realize how sophisticated our field is,” said David Lynch, 41, of Valley Mills and a Capstone service technician who graduated with an associate degree in HVAC in 2015.

The technicians are seeing heating and air conditioning systems being connected more to Wi-Fi.

“We are still constantly learning,” said senior service technician Edgar Marquez, 38. “You are never going to know everything.”

Marquez graduated with an associate degree in HVAC in 2011. He began work at Capstone Mechanical as a part-time employee while in college and was hired full-time at graduation.

“I am more seasoned,” Marquez said. “I have seen a little bit more. We push them all to be the same as they gain work experience.”

Hiley Briggs, 34, of Waco and a 2000 graduate of Riesel High School, started work at Capstone two years ago as an apprentice and graduated with an associate degree in HVAC from TSTC in spring 2016.

He said he feels work satisfaction fixing air handlers, condensers and other equipment to make people comfortable in overheated surroundings. A lot of the work involves high-voltage live circuits, so safety is priority.

The TSTC alumni entered the HVAC field in various ways.

Lynch had friends who did HVAC work.

“I’ve always done some kind of repair work,” the 1993 Robinson High School graduate said. “I can’t sit in an office. I had to do something to be outside.”

Marquez watched his stepfather work in refrigeration.

“You will always need air conditioning in Texas,” he said.

Stevan Panici, 20, a May HVAC associate degree graduate from Waco and a 2014 graduate of Connally High School, had finances on his mind when he chose to study the field.

“It is a good choice, and you are always busy in Texas,” he said. “I figured it would be good money.”

Panici said students interested in working in HVAC need to experience what work days are like.

“Get to know someone in the field,” he said. “They can tell you honestly how it is.”

The alumni were familiar with TSTC, having all grown up in the area.

“TSTC caters more to hands-on education,” Marquez said. “You do something different every day. You aren’t in the same place over and over.”

TSTC has about 70 students studying in the fall semester for the certificate and associate degree in Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Technology.

Capstone began business in 2005 and has more than 160 employees.

For more information on Capstone Mechanical, go to capstonemechanical.com.

For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.

(WACO) – Two employees at Heart of Texas Electric Cooperative Inc. are on different ends of their careers.

Ron Poston, 59, grew up in Bellmead and worked his way up from being an electrical lineman to serve as the cooperative’s director of member services.

Hunter Pitts, 19, grew up in Clifton and began work in late August as an electrical lineman apprentice.

Both are graduates of Texas State Technical College and earned Electrical Lineworker Technology certificates. Poston graduated in 1986 and Pitts graduated in August.

The Heart of Texas Electric Co-op services more than 15,000 member-customers in Bell, Bosque, Coryell, Falls, Hamilton, McLennan and Milam counties. Poston said the company has experienced up to 5 percent growth each year in members during the last three decades. A majority of the company’s accounts are residential.

The cooperative has at least 50 employees in operations, administration and member services divided between offices in McGregor and Rosebud. TSTC alumni also work in information technology and surveying.

Cooperative directors said potential employees need to have common sense, work knowledge, dependability and for some, mechanical abilities. Many employees also have Class A commercial driver’s licenses. The cooperative’s apprenticeship program allows new employees to learn from experienced linemen and lasts up to four years, said Poston.

“These guys do a little of everything,” said Poston. “Everyone learns how to run the digger and do the underground wiring.”

Poston has family in Valley Mills and graduated in 1975 from La Vega High School in Waco. He worked in production facilities and was laid off in the 1980s, at which time he decided to give electrical line work a try because of the job security.

“I miss being outside sometimes,” Poston said. “I knew when I turned 60 that I would not be climbing poles and being on call.”

Pitts did not decide until his senior year at Clifton High School, where he graduated in 2015, to study the field. He was convinced to pursue it while growing up watching his father work as a lineman. He said his other career option was to be a coach since he grew up playing baseball.

“It’s a good industry to go into,” Pitts said about line work. “I’m an outside guy. I like to hunt and fish.”

The Electrical Lineman Technology program at TSTC currently has more than 70 students studying for the one-year certificate and five-semester associate degree.

Bryan Chandler, the cooperative’s operations manager, is a member of the program’s advisory board.

“Through the years we have helped the college with materials, poles and wires,” he said. “Line work is a hard trade. For the most part, it’s something you have to do to learn.”

Bobby Mitchell, a program instructor, said students who are willing to relocate and work hard yield a high job placement rate upon graduation.

(WACO) – A job layoff in the medical field three years ago convinced DiAnna Richardson of Lorena that she needed to make a drastic change.

“I looked at what I could physically do and what I would enjoy doing,” Richardson, 48, said. “I’ve worked with computers since I can remember.”

Her new career flourished when she began work in early August as the computer technician at Valley Mills Independent School District in Bosque County. But the transformation began when she attended classes full-time at Texas State Technical College and received an Associate of Applied Science degree in Computer Maintenance Technology in late August.

Richardson said she enjoys the more than 60-mile-round-trip commute because of the country roads and rolling hills. She considers it a time to plan her day.

“I enjoy working here,” she said. “It is like a big family. From day one they were welcoming and appreciative, and I think on a smaller scale the district is more personable.”

Richardson keeps the school district’s technology functioning, from replacing computer screens to maintaining wireless connections and cyber security. She looks at what items can be recycled due to age and functionality and studies what technology could be useful to the district.

She also maintains the iPads that Valley Mills Elementary School students use and the Dell Chromebooks that Valley Mills Junior High School and Valley Mills High School students use in class and doing for homework. The school district has more than 620 students.

Eric Halfmann, the junior high school and high school’s assistant principal for curriculum and technology, is learning alongside Richardson. He also is in his first year at Valley Mills ISD and said he has been impressed with her quick understanding of the district’s needs.

“She gets on it and is coming and going,” Halfmann said. “She has had a big challenge recently – a hard drive crashed for a woman in our district who keeps important data and she dealt with it.”

Richardson learned at TSTC about technical support, electronics, networking techniques and troubleshooting.

“With her years of experience in the working world, she was very focused and serious about her coursework,” said David Macik, an instructor in the Computer Maintenance Technology program on the Waco campus. “She was an outstanding student who always made the other students better by setting a great example and providing great input for class discussions.”

Richardson said job hunting in the computer field was a scary time.

“I have been working nonstop since I was 13 years old,” she said. “Not everyone wants to hire an older individual.”

She credited Macik with helping her discover Valley Mills ISD, as well as the support the school board and community give.

“When her current position became available, I knew she would be a great fit and I was happy to recommend her for the job,” said Macik. “I know that she will be successful in her new position because not only does she have great technical skills but, also great soft skills due to her prior experience.”