4 minute read
A PIVOT FROM PLANS TO PRODUCTION
ONE STUDENT’S DECISION TO CHANGE HIS CAREER
Walking into Dunwoody’s Machine Shop almost two years ago, inhaling the scent of metal and oil with each stride, John Cullinan was filled with excitement.
As he strolled through the shop floor, passing by rows of manual mills and lathes similar to those used by generations before him, he crossed into the area that housed the modern, high-tech CNC milling machines skilled workers use in manufacturing centers today.
He instantly knew he was standing in the space where he was supposed to spend the next two years of his life.
It was a decision not taken lightly. After all, he was already a college graduate, having earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. More education would come with a price tag. He wondered if it was wise to pursue this opportunity: “Am I going to find a job when I am done with this degree?”
Growing up in Cottage Grove, about half an hour east of Minneapolis, Cullinan was drawn to the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields. And he liked working with his hands.
After spending a year in his chosen field doing design work, he realized he needed more.
His earlier higher education experience included some limited hands-on learning, but was “nothing like what we do at Dunwoody,” he said. It was just enough to whet his appetite for what could be.
Cullinan had heard only good things about Dunwoody from former teachers and employers, all of whom had had some contact with the College over the years. That reputation persuaded him to enroll in the two-year Machine Tool Technology program.
It was the right fit.
Pride twinkled in his eyes as he described the process of making a hammer using the manual side of the shop during his first year of the program.
“We machined the handle, hollowed it out, made the inserts that are removable, and polished it up,” Cullinan said. “It’s like a piece you would sit on top of your fireplace — it’s so nice!”
He was hired as the student worker, a position that enabled him to spend hours in the machine shop outside of class, helping faculty with needed tasks and gaining even more knowledge of the machines he had fallen in love with working on.
That summer, Cullinan worked on a gift for his uncle’s upcoming wedding. With the help of Associate Professor Brian Nelson, who teaches the second-year section, he programmed one of the HAAS CNC machines to etch his uncle’s last name on the bottom of a cast-iron skillet. The result looked like a high-end piece for an experienced chef.
Nelson recognized Cullinan’s attention to detail and his innate drive to succeed.
“John understands what he wants from life, formulates a plan and does the work,” Nelson said. “These traits will serve him well in his future career.”
As part of his role as a student worker, Cullinan escorts prospective students through a tour of the machine shop during monthly Open Houses. He likes to tell them that Dunwoody is a place that opens doors for job opportunities and every Friday, representatives from industry come in, actively scouting for designers, engineers, and machinists to fill well-paying jobs.
He tells them that Dunwoody has taught him three aspects of manufacturing: traditional, CNC, and the software side using programs like SOLIDWORKS, 3D modeling, and Mastercam.
“With that combination of traditional machining, modern machining, along with the software, it makes you a no-brainer candidate for employers,” he said.
Cullinan is excited about the job opportunities that lie ahead for him once he graduates in May.
“In the field of machining, a lot of machinists will tell you they’re either a mill guy or a lathe guy,” Cullinan said. “I love running the mill. It’s such a cool machine that has stood the test of time for a better part of close to 100 years, and it is so cool to learn a trade that has been carried on for so many years.
