Why I started this site

I started LearnSkilledTrades.com because I believe in the trades as a way for people to build their lives. Trade work is something no one can take from you, and nobody can stop you from mastering it. That mastery creates opportunity, because people always want the best, whether they’re hiring someone for a job at home or adding to their team.

I work in education now and use my graduate degree every day, but my diesel mechanic background is what sustained me for many years of my life. Having a trade gave me the pathway into what I do today, and I want that for others.

The students who keep me going

What keeps me going is the students I couldn’t help, maybe even more than the ones I did. I’ve seen students who wanted to go to college but couldn’t because their families couldn’t afford it. I’ve seen a father who didn’t believe his daughter could be a welder, so he wouldn’t sign off on her financial aid. I still wonder about those people, and I hope they found a way to reach their dreams.

My background

• Dean of Trades, Transportation & Apprenticeship, Clover Park Technical College (2022–present). I oversee nine programs, two apprenticeships and more than 30 faculty and staff across two campuses. Our division has grown enrollment 40% year over year.
• Eastside Training Center. I helped launch Clover Park’s training center in Tacoma’s Eastside neighborhood, which has grown from 3 students to more than 400 in construction, HVAC and low-voltage electrical programs.
• New pathways. I led a $1 million HVAC lab modernization with heat pump and building automation training, and co-designed a Lineworker and Arboriculturist degree with the Northwest Line JATC, Volta Line School and IBEW Local 483.
• Associate Director, Northwest Career and Technical High School (2021–2023).
• Diesel & Heavy Equipment instructor, Bates Technical College (2016–2021).
• Service manager at Pacific Golf & Turf, and before that a diesel mechanic in the U.S. Army.
• Board member, ENACT.

Education

• Master of Education, Curriculum and Instruction, University of Washington Tacoma
• Bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration (Finance) and in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, University of Washington Tacoma
• Associate of Arts, Pierce College at Fort Steilacoom
• Certificate in School Management and Leadership, Harvard University
• SBCTC Middle Leadership Academy Fellowship
• Washington State Legislative Internship

Where to start

• Browse every trade by field
• Find guides for your state
• Learn how to pay for trade school
• Guides for veterans