(MARSHALL, Texas) – Nicholas Fuller had trouble finding his footing after receiving a degree in corrosive technology.
“I moved down to Houston for a job, and it was pipeline-related work,” he said. “Through working that, I realized that wasn’t my preferred kind of thing to do. But through that job, I realized I like electrical stuff, mainly electrical troubleshooting.”
Fuller enrolled in Texas State Technical College’s Industrial Systems program after returning to Longview.
Fuller estimated that he worked in electrical troubleshooting for almost six years before enrolling at the Marshall campus. He said the knowledge that TSTC has provided him with is something he wished he had previously had in the workforce.
“Say I’m given an electrical component,” Fuller said. “I know it’s bad and it needs replacing, but why is that? You’re trained to remember to do this, but it still doesn’t necessarily mean you know why. Education-wise, if I could go back to a few years ago but already have what I’ve learned, it would make so much more sense. It’s connecting some dots.”
Fuller said he is a fan of the labs and hands-on training provided by the Industrial Systems program. He plans to receive his Associate of Applied Science degree with an electrical specialization in December 2025.
“It’s nice to know that, one year from now, I’ll have my degree,” Fuller said.
John Fondren, an Industrial Systems instructor at TSTC’s Marshall campus, admires Fuller’s dedication to the program.
“Mr. Fuller is one of the most focused individuals I have this year,” he said. “I believe it is due to his past that he knows how important this program is because he has been out there and seen how things work.”
According to onetonline.org, electromechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians earn an average of $59,940 per year in Texas, where the number of such jobs was projected to increase 12% from 2020 to 2030.
Industrial Systems is available at TSTC’s Abilene, East Williamson County, Fort Bend County, Marshall, New Braunfels, North Texas and Waco campuses. The program offers several associate degrees and certificates of completion.
Registration for TSTC’s spring semester is underway. For more information, visit tstc.edu.
