An early interest in construction, electrical, and mechanical work - combined with a recommendation from his local Caterpillar dealer - led Jason to a valuable degree and career in an industry that continues to inspire his passion for lifelong learning and evolving technology.
I first learned about the field of power generation from talking with Caterpillar dealers. I have always been interested in mechanics, construction and electrical and this is an excellent field to be able to explore all those fields. The world of power generation and heavy construction inspires me to keep learning due to the never-ending advancements in the field. There’s always new technology being released and I enjoy the challenge of learning something new. Penn College was recommended to me by my local Caterpillar dealer. Penn College was a place where I was able to develop my skills and better prepare myself for a career in power generation.
The classes that were the most beneficial to me would be power generation theory & operation and the power generation internship. During my internship I was able to apply the skills that I obtained at Penn College and gain new knowledge while working with experienced field techs. I was also able to expand on this knowledge when I returned to school for my fall semester in classes like power generation theory.
I originally started at Cleveland brothers as a field service tech and did that for 14 years. I have since been promoted to field service supervisor and have been doing that for the past two years. In my current position I am responsible for managing a group of field service technicians, assisting with the continued training of these techs and schedule and manage large power generation installations for various largescale customers.
I have been granted the opportunity to be involved with a lot of very exciting projects as both a tech and a supervisor at Cleveland Brothers. One of the most rewarding projects I have been involved with was a start up on two 500KW gen sets that paralleled together, monitored site load and automatically shut one unit off or on depending on site conditions. I was able to apply my knowledge from both my time at Penn College and my continued education at Cleveland Brothers to execute this job independently and efficiently.
The electric power generation field is a very exciting field to get involved with for a young technician with plenty of opportunities. Penn College does an excellent job at preparing you for this field with the electric power generation degree. You are able to develop skills that will help you progress through a very promising career.
There is always a need for power generation technicians and as technology advances that need is always increasing. We support back up power for everything from distribution centers, factories, health care facilities, data centers, schools, residential and everything in between. We also offer prime power solutions for remote natural gas facilities as well as alternatives to grid power for industrial facilities. In my career I have seen shops go from 5 technicians to over 30 due to the involving need for both backup and prime power solutions.
I was able to take advantage of the Internship opportunity with Cleveland Brothers to further my education and take advantage of the sponsorship opportunity offered by Cleveland Brothers. I have also been able to see this partnership come full circle. I now am able to donate my time at Penn College to assist with career fairs, internships and judging the diesel competition.
I was able to have one on one talks with my advisor during my time at Penn College to discuss my career opportunities. It was very beneficial to have an advisor that had worked in the field, had a lot of knowledge and was able to assist me.
Penn College is an excellent choice for any student looking to explore a technical career. With their group of experienced instructors and relationships with leading industry partners, Penn College can prepare you for a very rewarding career.
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