![\"Tool](\"http:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/TSTC_Tool_Die-AndyJuarez-300x214.jpg\")
<\/p>\n(HARLINGEN) – Tool and Die Technology at Texas State Technical College is giving students like Andy Juarez a new lease on life.<\/p>\n
This is Juarez\u2019s second try at a college education. He came to TSTC a few years back to pursue a degree in Surgical Technology, but had to leave when he needed to help his mother support their family.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had to drop out. I had to work,\u201d said Juarez. \u201cMy mom needed help paying the bills and I felt like it was my responsibility and school took a back seat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Around the same time, Juarez\u2019s younger brother graduated from Tool and Die Technology at TSTC and his success inspired him.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy brother ended up moving to Dallas and finding a good-paying job,\u201d he said. \u201cHe found financial security and I wanted that too. He is the one who pushed me to return to college and pursue Tool and Die.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Rio Hondo native now sees the finish line. He is expected to earn his associate degree Fall 2017 and after speaking to supervisors at Arlington-based United States defense contractor and industrial corporation, Raytheon, he has a position waiting for him immediately after he graduates.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so fortunate to have this opportunity available to me,\u201d said Juarez. \u201cIf not for my brother\u2019s support and that of my instructors, I wouldn\u2019t be where I am today.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The 25-year-old said Tool and Die Technology turned out to be more than he could have ever expected.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe learn something new every day; it never ends,\u201d he said. \u201cThe hands-on training is invaluable and the things we can create from nearly nothing is amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Students like Juarez who enroll in TSTC\u2019s Tool and Die Technology are trained in the field from the bottom, up.<\/p>\n
Instructors teach the basics starting with precision tools and measurements to blueprint reading. Lessons then range from learning how to use machines such as drill presses, lathes and computer numerical control (CNC) machines and how to maintenance them.<\/p>\n
Tool and Die Technology instructor Rick Limas said this program is \u00a0great for a person who loves to work with their hands and mind and enjoy creating components from only a piece of metal.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is not one single product that does not go through the machining process,\u201d he said. \u201cNothing can be produced without us. That\u2019s why the demand for skilled machinists is so high.\u201d<\/p>\n
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the employment of machinists and tool and die makers is projected to grow six percent from 2014 to 2024, as fast as the average for all other occupations.<\/p>\n
Limas seconds that by saying that across the country skilled machinists are in demand, in particular the South Texas region.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur region demands tool and die makers and machinists and at TSTC we work hard to satisfy that demand. Our program job placement rate is nearly 95 percent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Juarez and his peers can expect to find jobs in the molding and tool and die, aerospace, automotive and medical industries. They can find careers at local companies such as Fox Valley Molding and Trico Products to national companies such as Toyota, Rave Gears and Machining Company, Delta Centrifugal and Raytheon.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great feeling being able to create precise components for planes, trains, automobiles and even prosthetics that can change someone\u2019s life,\u201d said Limas. \u201cAnd I\u2019m glad we\u2019re teaching our students to do just that.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for Juarez he said he is ready for the big changes that will be happening in his life thanks to TSTC.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m prepared, more than ready to begin my career because of TSTC,\u201d he said. \u201cTSTC has prepared me to conquer the machining world.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more information or to register for Tool and Die Technology visit tstc.edu.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(HARLINGEN) – Tool and Die Technology at Texas State Technical College is giving students like Andy Juarez a new lease on life. This is Juarez\u2019s second try at a college education. He came to TSTC a few years back to pursue a degree in Surgical Technology, but had to leave when he needed to help […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-harlingen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1856"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1856\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1858,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1856\/revisions\/1858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}