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