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May 19, 2020Forrest Lund has always been a risk-taker. He started at a community college right out of high school, but soon realized he wasn’t ready. He hadn’t enjoyed high school, and wasn’t challenged. Leaving education behind, Forrest worked in various industries, from tech to outdoors, gaining a wide variety of skills along with way. He traveled, and worked as an outdoor adventure guide.
A friend and mentor of Forrest’s challenged him to consider his life goals, and think ahead. He was asked to think about making a life–not just a living.
Invested in Education and Thirsty to Learn
At a turning point, Forrest decided to take another risk and go back to school. He committed to financing his own education, ensuring that he would be invested in his coursework. If not, it would cost him directly.
With the support of family and friends, Forrest chose Century College and took his General Education classes while exploring Engineering CAD Technology. Naturally creative and enjoying design work, Forrest dove into his classes.
He worked hard, staying after classes and making sure that he thoroughly understood the topic that day. “The professors bent over backwards to answer my questions,” Forrest says. “Many stayed much later after class to make sure that I excelled.” Forrest found plenty of support at Century College.
“Mary Bratager-Fernandez taught English Composition, and pushed me hard, so that I was doing the work to excel,” he added. “And my CAD instructor, Jeff Jahnke had a way of explaining difficult concepts, making them instantly understandable. He was always passionate about the topics at hand. Jeff is the most influential instructor I’ve ever had in my life.”
Hard Work Pays Off
While in school, Forrest also worked full time as an intern CAD technician at Ulteig Engineering. He had little experience, but the company took a chance on him. He worked as hard at his internship as he did in the classroom, and Forrest was given an extra incentive to keep producing high-quality work. His commitment to excel in his coursework and his internship paid off with a full-time offer from Ulteig once he graduated.
This spring, he was also named as an Outstanding Student in Century College’s Engineering CAD Technology program.
Continuing His Commitment to Excellence
As a spring 2020 Century College graduate, Forrest is now working as a full-time CAD Technician at Ulteig. He’s committed to learning as much as possible about electrical engineering, and will work on design elements, continuing to strengthen his skills and knowledge. He knows that he excels when working with people who push him to give his very best.
“Faculty and staff at Century College are there to help you excel and that’s been my experience,” Forrest notes, “I was pushed incredibly hard, and was always stretching so I would grow and succeed. The ability to step into a trade after 2 years of college is totally underrated in our society. Two-year schools like Century College accelerate your career.”
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