(HUTTO, Texas) – Caleb Tatum had planned to follow in his father’s footsteps until he realized that his own passions were on another path.
Initially Tatum went to college to study cybersecurity because that is his father’s career field.
“I went to college, and it felt like I was just doing a lot of busy work,” Tatum said. “I was majoring in cybersecurity, but I could never go back. I couldn’t sit in an office. I like getting dirty.”
Now Tatum is pursuing an Associate of Applied Science degree in Welding Technology at Texas State Technical College’s Williamson County campus.
“There is no busy work here (at TSTC),” Tatum said. “Everything I do here is useful.”
Brandon Stanislaw, a Welding Technology instructor at TSTC’s Williamson County campus, said Tatum has a gift.
“I noticed Caleb when I had him for intro classes,” Stanislaw said. “He did his first objectives, and they were really good. I asked him if he’d welded before, in high school or anywhere, and he said he hadn’t. He has a natural talent that we don’t see often.”
Tatum said that talent is something that brings him opportunities.
“I was working for a small contractor in Marble Falls and was being paid as a contractor, so I started my own business for tax purposes,” he said. “Now I do projects on the side while I’m in school. Right now I’m flipping a trailer and building a chicken coop for someone.”
Tatum drives an hour to school several times a week, but he said he doesn’t mind because he likes that the program is based on growing skills and how much effort is spent on developing them.
“I wake up excited to go to school,” he said. “It’s an hour drive, but when you like it, it’s just a drive. I sleep better at night because I work hard and wake up excited every day.”
Welding Technology is available at all 11 TSTC campuses and is one of TSTC’s Money-Back Guarantee programs. For more information, visit tstc.edu/welding.
Registration for TSTC’s summer and fall semesters begins March 24.
To learn more about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.