Manufacturing Month Q&A: Chad Chmura
Manufacturing Day takes place annually on the first Friday in October and is aimed at inspiring young people to pursue careers in manufacturing. The celebration is extended throughout the month of October as Manufacturing Month.
We’re sharing the unique roles and perspectives of those currently working in the industry to show young people the possibilities in manufacturing. Like Chad Chmura, a Senior Applications Engineer at Mastercam. We sat down with him to talk about what inspired him to explore a career in manufacturing.
Q: What do you do?
Chad: I’m a Senior Applications Engineer at Mastercam.
Q: What’s your professional background?
Chad: I’ve worked at Mastercam for the past 8 years. Prior to working here, I spent eight years as a process engineer at a manufacturing facility in Connecticut that made machined and fabricated sheet metal components.
Q: What’s your academic background?
Chad: I went to Connecticut Technical High School for Manufacturing Technology. I followed that with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Connecticut with a concentration in Design and Manufacturing.
Q: Why manufacturing? Why did you choose this industry?
Chad: My interest in manufacturing started with my obsession with cars and racing. I really enjoyed making parts for my car throughout high school, and I’ve been lucky enough to grow that interest into a profession.
Q: What advice do you have for people wanting to pursue a career in manufacturing?
Chad: Spend time thinking about your hobbies and interests, and find something related to them that needed to “be made” by the field of manufacturing. Using your existing interests as a starting point helps to keep you interested, and keep you learning.
Q: What was your first job?
Chad: My first real job was in the manual milling department of an aerospace machine shop.
Q: If you could spend a day in someone else’s shoes, whose would they be?
Chad: Elon Musk
Q: What’s the first career you dreamed of having as a kid?
Chad: As a kid, I wanted to be an Automotive Designer and a race car driver on the side.
Q: Who, or what, was your biggest teacher?
Chad: My high school shop teachers, Mr. Nason and Mr. Groff. They let me basically take over the machine shop once I was finished with my assigned projects. Being allowed to be creative was the biggest reason I stayed interested in this field.