The making of a female machinist
5/13/2010 11:53:58 AM
For Mount Pearl native Dana Soper working in an office environment wasn’t a route she wanted to take for a career. She wanted to work with her hands and be creative. She also didn’t want to be stuck in a post-secondary program that took years to complete.
Being out of high school for 10 years, and deciding to go back for some college education was quite intimidating for Dana, but she was looking for a new experience. When skimming through a College of the North Atlantic (CNA) calendar looking for something that sparked her interest, Dana discovered the Machinist program.
“I picked up the CNA course calendar and looked at everything that might interest me. The Machinist program is what I kept coming back to. And after really thinking about it, I decided I'd give it a shot!”
The Machinist program is a one-year offering at the college’s Baie Verte and Placentia campuses. It is designed to train individuals in the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to fabricate, assemble and repair machinery.
“I was enrolled at and graduated from the CNA Placentia campus. I started in September 2008 and graduated June 2009.
“It was the best decision I had ever made. Once I started the program, I was very comfortable with the work and courses I was doing. The school year seemed to fly by because I was having so much fun learning. Graduating college and starting my career has made me feel so happy.”
Dana was worried about finding work after finishing school as she wanted to stay and work in Newfoundland. It didn’t take long before she landed a job. She is currently working in the engineering building machine shop at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Ken Moakler, CNA’s Machinist instructor, says that a true machinist puts his or her mind into a project and stays with it until completion.
“She was devoted to doing her best at all times and I just helped lead her in the right direction. When she set her mind to doing a project she was not happy unless it was perfect, the way a true machinist should be. Dana put everything she had into the Machinist program.”
All of the hard work paid off for Dana as she is lucky enough to enjoy going to work every day.
“Every day at work is different because you tend to make different items everyday, which keeps work from getting boring. I have to say, I love my career.
“I am very glad I attended CNA. The class sizes are smaller than most colleges/schools which made learning, for me, a lot easier. There's lots of one-on-one learning time with your instructors and they care about your education and want to help you graduate, which makes all the difference in having a great educational experience.
“I would definitely recommend the Machinist program at CNA to others. I have noticed that not many people know what a machinist is… it is for anyone who likes to be creative and work with their hands. It is so gratifying to machine/build something for someone or a company and know that you made that item for them.”
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Media Contact:
Pamela Spencer
Public Relations Assistant
College of the North Atlantic
709-643-7928
pam.spencer@cna.nl.ca