From “middle of nowhere” to great career in 8 months

Like a lot of individuals living in rural Minnesota, James Swanson wasn’t aware that he could get a great education close to home. Swanson, who says he lives “in the middle of nowhere” found a world of opportunity right outside his backdoor.

Tired of working minimum wage jobs, Swanson came to Pine Technical & Community College looking for a degree he could finish quickly, without a lot of debt. After meeting with Education and Employment Advisor Kris Hanson, he learned about PTCC’s online welding technology certificate offered through the 360 eTech consortium.

While most of the core and technical courses are held online, Swanson completed the hands-on lab work at Lake Superior College in Duluth. The labs were held over the weekend, allowing students to continue working throughout the duration of the certificate programs.

 “It kind of blew my mind, that the certificate was so close and so cheap,” he said. The certificate is just 30 credits, and only $187 per credit. Plus, the online courses offered him an opportunity to work at his own pace, allowing him to complete the entire certificate in just eight months. When he graduates, he’ll have less than $3,000 debt.

“I took 15 of the 30 credits in one semester,” Swanson said. He worked with Hanson to determine how to best handle his course load, making sure he wasn’t taking on too much. In the end, he was able to accomplish his goals and found he even liked the math courses. “It was surprising to me how much I liked the math. When it clicks, it feels good.”

“I’m really proud of him,” Hanson said. “He has such a positive attitude, and he’s a hard worker.”

And that hard work has paid off. Swanson completes his certificate this month, and he already has job prospects lined up.

“Between the quality of the classes and how fast you can get through the program, I would definitely recommend this to anyone else,” Swanson said.

In addition to welding technology, 360 eTech offers certificate programs in production technologies, automation technologies and machine technologist. Military students may have training in their military transcripts that can be counted toward course credit.

To learn more about the 360 degrees offered at Pine Technical & Community College, please see our 360 webpage. Or contact Student Affairs at 320.629.5100 or email admissions@pine.edu.