Essay by Erick Nickerson

Recent Graduate of Lawrence Technological University

I have faced much adversity in my life and all of it has led me to where I am today -- a very happy college graduate from Lawrence Tech with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering and a full-time job at DENSO International America as a design engineer.
 
I will go back in time four years and walk you through one of the most adverse times of my life.
 
I was working as a machinist for nearly 9 1/2 years when I was laid off from my position as a CNC machine programmer. I was steadily employed up until that point and was always in control of my future as I held the key to my employment growth. Getting laid off quickly showed me how little job security I had in the declining job market of manufacturing in the state of Michigan. Thankfully I was attending community college at the time – that made my decision to become a full-time engineering student that much easier.
 
I was making a very good salary for someone in his late 20s. I was newly married, so my layoff affected more than just myself. My son Dylan was only eight months old. This was new to me on many different levels and the feelings I had felt were unexplainable at the time. I went from having happiness, serenity and security in my life to having uncertainty, despair and feelings of inadequacy.
 
For the past four straight years I focused on attaining my education and strength, all the while waiting patiently to get back to that level of happiness and security that I once experienced early in my life. I worked very hard at finishing my associate degree in pre-engineering at Lansing Community College. After a year and a half I finished up at LCC and placed my trust into Lawrence Tech as I worked towards my Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering -- a very hard degree to attain to say the least. When I transferred into Lawrence Tech in the spring of 2005, I immediately worked very hard to attain the highest grades that I was capable of because I realized the potential that Lawrence Tech could offer me in getting me back to where I was when I was fully employed. I had heard about Lawrence Tech’s success in placing students with employers in the area, and I was all for that.
 
I began my coursework in the mechanical engineering program at Lawrence Tech all the while taking evening courses due to myself raising my son Dylan during the daytime as my wife Stacy worked full-time. I would go to class at night basically and do my homework during the day while watching my son. I did this for 2 1/2 years including summer semesters as I wanted to finish my degree as quickly as possible and get back into the work force where I knew I would find my security and serenity -- just where I had left it. The evening program at Lawrence Tech fit into my schedule, but the hard part was not over. I still had to sit in class at night instead of being home with my family.
 
I maintained very high grades in my courses and participated in as many functions at school as would fit into my schedule. Some would say that I was focusing on building my resume building skills, but as I became involved with more and more activities on campus, I quickly became aware that much more than this was happening. I saw that I was becoming more comfortable and responsive to people in general -- I was always a very shy person growing up. I met some great people who were also placing their trust and future into their education at Lawrence Tech and soon I found out that I was not alone in my struggle to find financial happiness and strength.
 
Now that I have graduated and my Formula SAE senior project has come to an end, I find myself saddened that I will be without some of these great people as friends. I had learned friendship and respect towards others while receiving my education at Lawrence Tech, and to me that was an added bonus.
 
However, not everything was glorious and cheerful while being an older student. As I was a full-time student for 3 1/2 years, my family did miss out on the everyday things that some families take for granted. This added to my struggle in attaining my education. Those everyday things include spending time with your family and being able to afford the basic staples in life. We often went without as we could not afford many luxuries during this time. I was very fortunate to see my son growing up during this time, but at times I was without my family’s company as I was studying or doing projects and coursework at Lawrence Tech. Not being able to spend time with my family at home was the toughest struggle that I faced at times. However, I knew that my hard work would surely benefit them as well, so I knew what I needed to do.
 
Attending college and working towards a degree is a struggle for everyone. It is HARD work and this makes the benefits that much more rewarding in the finish. I believe that I struggled a little bit more than the average living-at-home college student.
 
I am happy now that I have finished my education and I am currently employed full time as a design engineer for a very large and successful Tier I global auto supplier. I was glad that I had the support network of my family as well. I could not have been this successful, both in college and now at my full-time job, without them. Attending college surely demands that a person have a support network, and my advice would be to find one as soon as possible in your journey through college.
 
Continued advice to others would be to set short-term goals while focusing on the long-term results that will benefit you in the end. Keep pushing towards the finish line on a daily basis and never lose sight of where it is that you want to end up. Anyone can succeed in anything that they put their minds to, but it WILL take some work and dedication to get there. Also don’t forget to surround yourself with positive people, as this helps to fill in the gaps and patch the road ahead when you fall behind and/or get frustrated.
 
My path was somewhat easier because I had once earned the rewards of working hard as a machinist, and I knew that my education would help me to get back to that level. Too many young college students cannot fully wrap their minds around the fact that only they can create success in college. Too many college students fall short of reaching their full potential. I knew what the end result would hold for me -- security, happiness and financial freedom. Attaining my education was a struggle, but I knew it would be a much greater struggle to deal with not succeeding in life, not finding true happiness as a person and not being financially stable.

Additional information about Erick

Erick graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree in May, 2007.  He entered his final semester with a 3.83 Grade Point Average.  He received all A’s in his final semester which raised his final GPA to 3.87!

He is currently enrolled at LTU in the Mechatronics Systems Engineering Master’s Degree program.  His current class is entitled “Analytical and Adaptive Dynamics is Mechatronics Systems.”   Like all LTU graduate courses, this class is offered in the evening which permits Erick to work during the day.