From machinist to designer to teacher, Trevor Hirschi’s manufacturing career has come full circle. Recently, the instructor from Bridgerland Technical College, Logan, Utah, shared his story.
Why did you choose manufacturing?
I’ve always been a hands-on guy. In high school, I was into motorcycles and ATVs. When I had a part that was broken and couldn’t get a new one, my high school machine-shop instructor, who’s now my boss, helped me figure out how to make the part because I couldn’t buy it off the shelf anymore. I thought it was so cool to make something that didn’t exist anywhere else.
My high school automotive-shop instructor told me that I had an eye for detail and should try machining. I took a machining class and, after I graduated, enrolled in a machining program and became certified. I went to college, earned a degree, but decided to stay with machining and worked in industry for a while. Then I began teaching.
What advice do you have for anyone pursuing a manufacturing career?
Don’t be complacent with where you are. Always ask questions, and always be willing to learn. I’ve been doing this for 17 years and, every day, I learn something new.
Don’t settle for just one way. Learn multiple ways to do things, why, and what’s most efficient. Also, there are plenty of smart people in the industry. A lot of my 5-axis training came from the guys who ran the 5-axis machines. Asking for help gave me the opportunity to learn. Like I tell students, “Be hungry for learning.”
What was your first job?
In high school, I worked for a big Chevrolet car dealership that had offered car washing and detailing. My job was to make sure that the cars looked really good. I enjoyed it because I had an eye for detail and I really liked cars. It was a good fit.
If you could have a conversation with someone, dead or alive, who would it be?
I’d like to talk to Elon Musk. I think he’s a pretty interesting guy. I would ask about the aerospace side of his business and Tesla. (Hirschi has made parts for Tesla.) It would be cool to talk to him about how he got to where he is now.
When you were a kid, what was your dream job?
Because I was always building and creating things, my fourth grade teacher told me that I should be an inventor. That made me wonder what an inventor did. So, I read about Alexander Graham Bell and Nikola Tesla, and learned about people that created the technology of the world that we now live in.
When I was a kid, I wanted to be an engineer, inventor or someone who creates things. I followed that path, I guess, in a way I wouldn’t have thought of as a kid.
Who or what was your biggest teacher?
My high school automotive-shop teacher, Jerry Harrison, was great because he would look at kids and see what they were capable of. He is a big reason why I decided to pick machining. My current boss, Wes Chambers, was my high school machine shop instructor and is a great teacher. He is the department head of our machining program. I always learn from him. So, my high school auto teacher and machine shop teacher were huge influences.
What are you most proud of professionally?
The ability to take something that I’m passionate about and pass it along to somebody else. Being able to teach people about how manufacturing works and sharing my passion for what I do with someone who wants to learn from me is priceless.
Ready to learn more?
Want to read more about Trevor and Bridgerland Technical College? Click here to see their success story!
