David Wilson landed his dream job at Cal State San Marcos after completing the Palomar College Pre-Apprenticeship program for skilled workers.<\/p>\n
SAN MARCOS \u2014 Three years into his student job as an Energy Management and Utility Services assistant at Cal State San Marcos (CSUSM), David Wilson was ready to shift career paths.<\/p>\n
He was more than halfway to earning his bachelor\u2019s degree in Sociology and Criminology, but he enjoyed being part of the team of technicians and engineers who oversee and maintain crucial systems like heating, ventilation and energy on campus.<\/p>\n
With no other trade experience besides his years at CSUSM, he enrolled in Palomar\u2019s Pre-Apprenticeship program, which provides trade workers with a foundation in construction, safety and tools, and meets at the San Marcos Adult School.<\/p>\n
\u201cI decided to join the Pre-Apprenticeship program to get familiarized with tools and to benefit my career in general,\u201d said Wilson. \u201cI learned a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shortly after completing the program, a position opened up at the university and he applied, citing his Pre-Apprenticeship experience at Palomar on his application. He got the job and, in the same month, got married.<\/p>\n
Now he\u2019s a Controls Specialist Apprentice at CSUSM\u2014a four-year union apprenticeship that, upon completion, will certify him as a journeyman. He compares his current apprenticeship to the process of earning an undergraduate degree in his trade.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe university employs two Controls Specialists, who control everything from lighting to ventilation on campus,\u201d Wilson explained. \u201cWhat really intrigued me was the potential to advance. Being in the department for a few years, I could see a future for myself as a Controls Specialist. My goal is to one day become a lead or maybe the chief engineer on campus.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking back, Wilson said he doesn\u2019t have any regrets about changing career paths halfway through college: \u201cWhen I first started at the university, my goal wasn\u2019t to work in a trade. My goal was actually to become a police officer.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was accepted into the California Highway Patrol Academy in Sacramento, but due to the required seven-month separation from family, he chose a different path. Today, he said, he\u2019s one class away from earning his Criminology degree, but considers his apprenticeship his primary education.<\/p>\n
Wilson represents a growing number of success stories in trade and industry education at Palomar College, which is preparing skilled workers to meet the demands of San Diego\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n
From starting out as \u201cthe guy who held the tools,\u201d Wilson said, \u201cPalomar made it possible for me to advance as a tradesman.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"