Machining.Blog® is a weekly blog focused on manufacturing career development. It features blog articles on the fundamentals of manufacturing for aspiring machinists. Our goal is to create an interest in manufacturing in the USA. Our writer Matthew Schowalter has worked in manufacturing for 24 years, and he covers the topics that matter to someone starting their career in manufacturing.
“The soft skills the machinist uses are the unseen tools in their box and can directly impact the success or failure of a dreamed after machining career.”
Matthew started his manufacturing career while in high school as a youth apprentice. He went on to study Tool and Die making while pursuing a apprenticeship. Upon completion of the 10,400 hour apprenticeship he used his Journeyman Tool and Die making skills to make tooling for the motorcycle industry. From there he spent ten years making surgical instrumentation for spinal surgery, while leading the machining department. He most recently became a manufacturing engineer at a global manufacturing company, while focusing on machining processes. He started this website after researching what kind of information people pursuing or starting a manufacturing career need to succeed, and how the information should be presented. Please follow the link if you would like to follow or connect with Matthew on LinkedIn.
Bethmarie holds a Master of Science degree in Psychology and has 3 years of course work towards a Doctoral degree in Philosophy and Psychology with an emphasis in Cognition and Instruction. She is currently an adjunct professor at a local technology college and sub-contractor with the State of Wisconsin Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Bethmarie spent more than 10 years in manufacturing, specifically in the steel industry, while pursuing her undergraduate and graduate degrees. She is persistently dedicated to recognizing new insights of the human element in manufacturing, and how continuous improvement is a fundamental human characteristic. She has written an independent, original curriculum for soft skills training in the workforce and is certified to instruct individuals in Skills to Pay the Bills™ distributed by the US Department of Labor. Please follow the link if you would like to follow or connect with Bethmarie on LinkedIn.