Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/737526
F a l l 2 0 1 6 • S T U F F 11 skills, the industry offers career paths with good pay and a chance to take part in some of the big tech- nological innovations happening around us. For Myhaver, working as a CNC machine setup operator at Swissturn means not just keeping productions machines running but adjusting the computer programs that tell them what to do, and even buying new tools that he sees are needed for the work. "One of my favorite parts about this job is the freedom to, in a sense, be creative in an industry that many people don't think has any creativity at all," he said. Forefront of technology Like Myhaver, Sarah Fisher didn't expect to end up in manufacturing. While working toward a master's degree in business administration at Clark University in Worcester, she got an internship at a web market- ing company and ended up working closely with one of its clients, Westborough contract manufacturer Coghlin Companies Inc. "I really liked their whole family feeling," Fisher said. "They were really great to work with." So, after finishing grad school, Fisher took a job with the company, going on to get two promotions in three years. She's now Coghlin's manager of marketing and com- munications, a job that gives her a backstage view of the technologi- cal breakthroughs that the compa- ny and its clients are working on. "Really, the awesome thing about manufacturing is we're building things in our facilities that people in the general population don't believe can even exist yet," she said. "You get this secret view into the future of what's happening in all these industries." Full-time work, full-time pay For Zach Roy, moving into man- ufacturing was a welcome change from the mishmash of retail, temp and farmhand jobs he'd held after dropping out of high school. While taking a GED course through the organization My Turn in Fitchburg, Roy learned about a program at Mount Wachusett Com- munity College designed to bring new workers into the industry. After two months of training, he got an internship with BJA Magnetics in Leominster that quickly turned into full-time work. Roy said he likes the fact that CNC machine setup operator at SwissTurn Work location: Oxford Home: Webster Education: Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical School drafting program, some college courses in mechanical engineering First manufacturing salary: About $30,000 per year Current salary: Close to $45,000 per year Job duties: Inspecting and troubleshooting machines, setting up and adjusting programs Career aspirations: Landing a consulting position working with manufacturers to improve efficiency Work-life balance: Brandan recently switched to a second- shift position and enjoys spending mornings with his young children. Brandan Myhaver, 24 Manager of marketing and communications at the Coghlin Companies Work location: Westborough Home: West Boylston Education: Clark University, bachelor's degree in management and MBA Salary: Did not disclose (Marketing managers generally earn between $66,000 and $187,000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) Job duties: Runs web marketing, internal communication, work with third-party marketing firms, internal programs for company associates Supernatural powers: Sarah loves the "secret view into the future" that she gets from seeing the new projects the company is working on. Sarah Fisher, 26