MAY 26 • 2022 | 35

It literally 
turned my life 
around.

How a short-term training program 
from Oakland Community College 
gave Shawn McWilliams opportunity 
and a lucrative career.

OAKLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE STAFF
L

ike so many teenagers, 
Shawn McWilliams grad-
uated high school with-
out knowing what he wanted to 
do with his life.
“I was told to go to a four-
year college and get a degree 
to find a job,” says Shawn, who 
graduated from Avondale High 
School in 2019. “But I never 
really had a plan for what that 
meant.”
After attending a local college 
for a few semesters, Shawn 
felt like he wasn’t finding the 
direction he needed. And that 
was when his mother showed 
him what would become a 
life-changing resource.
“She told me about 

Michigan’s Economic Workforce 
Development Program and how 
you could train for the latest 
jobs at OCC. When she men-
tioned that I could learn about 
robotics in just a few months 
and possibly have a job waiting 
for me, I was hooked,” remem-
bers Shawn.
Hooked indeed, and for good 
reason. Shawn immediately 
applied for a 14-week short-
term training course at Oakland 
Community College in robotics 
and PLC programming. Not 
only was he accepted, but he 
qualified for free tuition based 
on eligibility requirements 
through Michigan Works! And 
that was just the beginning.

Shawn recalls, “There were 
so many things I loved about 
the program right away. For 
starters, the instructors all had 
real-world experience. Also, 
everything was completely 
hands on with very little book 
work. And I really loved how 
comprehensive everything was. 
I definitely felt prepared to get 
a job.”
Beyond taking robots apart 
and putting them back togeth-
er, Shawn learned about the 
various business opportunities 
available for someone in this 
cutting-edge field. This includ-
ed programming robots in 
countless industries around the 
world such as aerospace and 
big pharma.
Of course, for lifelong 
Michigan natives like Shawn, 
the ability to work in the 
Detroit metro area - the world’s 
epicenter of automotive auto-
mation - was just as appealing.
“It was clear to me early on 
that I could use my new knowl-
edge to work in any number of 
automotive jobs,” says Shawn. 
“So, you can imagine how excit-
ed I was to discover that I had 
some high-paying prospects 
right around the corner that 
were waiting for me when I 
finished.”

That’s right. After only one 
14-week course - and with no 
previous experience - Shawn 
went from classroom to 
employment. He now works 
for GLOBAL Automation 
Technologies, LLC in Auburn 
Hills as an automation engineer 
where he programs computers 
for automating automotive 
assembly line processes. And he 
loves it.
“This technology is so fasci-
nating and there are so many 
interesting things going on,” 
Shawn says.
And the best part? Shawn 
loves the fact he’s making more 
money than he thought possi-
ble. While most of his friends 
are taking student loans, Shawn 
hopes to make a six-figure sala-
ry within a few years.
Shawn is also grateful to 
OCC for helping him to find 
a huge opportunity in a short 
amount of time.
“The program quite literally 
turned my life around,” Shawn 
recalls. “If not for it, I have no 
idea what I would be doing 
today.”

OAKLAND COMMUNITY 
COLLEGE

oaklandcc.edu/admissions

SPONSORED BY OAKLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE

