Josh Bartlett

Mechanical Designer

Josh Bartlett was hopeful he’d get a job soon after graduating, but little did he know, he wouldn’t even have to wait that long.

Catalytic Combustion Corp. in Bloomer was so excited for him to join the team that they brought him on part time before he graduated. Bartlett said the position has been a great fit. He’ll be celebrating his fifth anniversary with the company this year.

“I feel recognized as a person,” Bartlett said. “I feel like my work is respected amongst my peers.”

As a mechanical designer, Bartlett spends most of his time doing 3D CAD design and 2D drawings to create products that help remove noise and harmful substances from process exhaust. Each customer brings its own unique problems to solve, so the work is constantly changing.

“I’m never working on the same thing,” Bartlett said. “I’m constantly learning and enhancing my skills on a daily basis.”

Attention to detail, problem solving, time management, effective communication and selflessness to take on new challenges that better help the team meet the end goal of a project are just a few skills Bartlett finds himself calling on frequently.

“Everyone works very cohesively together,” Bartlett said. “I’m learning a lot of information from every single person in that company every day.”

Bartlett was connected to the opportunity through the mechanical design program at Chippewa Valley Technical College. He said his program director was very encouraging: He’d help students locate opportunities and helped Bartlett prepare for the interview. From that experience, Bartlett learned a valuable professional lesson.

“Take a risk,” Bartlett said. “If you fail, you’re going to learn from it anyway. If you handle a failure properly, you’re always going to learn from it and be better afterwards.” 

Mechanical Designer:

• Best advice for someone interested in this line of work: “Keep an open mind and learn from everyone around you. Always ask questions.”
• Best advice you ever got: “Take risks and do not be afraid to fail; lessons are always taught from failures.”
• What skill helps someone in your line of work be successful? “Attention to detail, problem solving, time management, communication and the ability to adapt.”

Brad Cisewski

Manufacturing Applications Coordinator

Ninety percent of Brad Cisewski’s family worked in construction and agriculture, so machining had never been on his radar until a high school instructor gave him a nudge.

“He said, ‘You come to my class every free period. You spend all this time in my class. Why wouldn’t you want to go into this field?’” Cisewski said.

The rest is history. After graduating from Midstate Technical College’s machine tool program in 1998, Cisewski has spent the last 25 years working for Pointe Precision Inc. in Plover. He started as a machinist and worked his way up to his current role, which has him serving as a bridge between the engineering department and the manufacturing floor.

Cisewski also wears a variety of other hats in his role: safety coordinator, training coordinator and high school teacher. For a period of time, Cisewski taught two manufacturing classes at the local high school, sharing his love for the profession and encouraging interested students to follow their passions.

He says working in the industry has taught him the importance of continuing to learn. He’s been to so many different facilities and worked with other vendors that he’s developed knowledge of many other processes, like welding.

Cisewski said things have changed dramatically in the 25 years that he’s been in the field, and he anticipates they will continue to change. 

“Things are always changing,” Cisewski said. “Technology’s changing. There’s always more to learn.”

As technologies and processes continue to change, Cisewski said it’s important to not be afraid to put yourself out there. Failure is a normal part of a successful career.

“You have to be on the edge of not knowing if something is going to work,” Cisewski said. “If you’re positive it’s going to work, you may not be doing enough.”

Manufacturing applications coordinator:

• Best advice for someone interested in this line of work: “Learn as many concepts as you can. Technologies are changing and you want to be on the cutting edge and keep an open mind.”
• Best advice you ever got: “Don’t be afraid to fail. It’s going to happen. Try something, and get used to failure – it’s going to be part of your career.”
• What skill helps someone in your line of work be successful? “Communication, an open mind, a variety of knowledge, a good work ethic and the ability to learn.”

Midge Cross

Carpenter

Midge Cross always knew she wanted to work outside.

But after graduating from Tuft University’s environmental science program, Cross found work she loved but didn’t pay enough for her to make a living. After trying out several office jobs in nonprofits and social services, she decided it was time to get back outside.

Cross finished Madison College’s one-year construction remodeling program and landed a job right after graduating as a carpenter for Associated House Rights in Madison.

Variety is what makes the work exciting, Cross said. She spends most of her time working on remodels – mostly additions – including framing, ridge beams, rafters, roofs and walls.

“Working in desk jobs, it’s sometimes hard to see the results of your work,” Cross said. “But I love that I can go outside of the project and say, ‘I put up that house,’ or ‘I put up that wall today,’ or ‘There’s a roof now that I helped create.’”

Cross says the working community is very supportive, especially of women and non-binary people who may not traditionally have been offered an opportunity to think about this kind of work. 

“There’s nothing I haven’t been able to manage, and there’s always people to cheer you on even if you might come across a situation that is challenging or intimidating,” Cross said.

She said experienced carpenters are excited to share their knowledge, especially with young people interested in getting into the field.

And although Cross said she still has a lot to learn, a willingness to learn is what really makes a successful carpenter.

“It’s important to have really just a willingness to learn and be a lifelong learner,” Cross said. “Someone has a new way of doing things that you might not have considered and having that open mind really helps.”

Carpenter:

• Best advice for someone interested in this line of work: “Talk to people doing the work. Ask them what they love about it. Ask them how they got into it. Ask them to teach you something and you’ll definitely start learning immediately.”
• Best advice you ever got: “Fake it ‘til you make it. If you feel uncomfortable on a site for some reason like, ‘Ah. Do I know enough to be here? I’m doubting myself.’ Tell yourself, ‘No. I’m supposed to be here. I’m here to learn. No one is thinking about me but myself. I’m going to fake it until I make it.’”
• What skill helps someone in your line of work be successful? “Perseverance, love of learning, grit and a general willingness to work with all different types of people.”

Liana Dedo

Lead Carpenter

Liana Dedo dabbled in carpentry when building and maintaining hiking trails, but it wasn’t until one volunteer showed up that she considered making it her career.

“I’d never met a woman carpenter,” Dedo said. “I was just like, ‘This is amazing!’ I feel like that was kind of a shifting moment where I thought, ‘I want to learn some carpentry – this is fun!’”

Her first stop was the local carpenters union to take her test – which she passed – but she still wasn’t sure if she wanted to work commercially or residentially. At the suggestion of her husband, Dedo enrolled in the one-year construction and remodeling program at Madison College.

Little did she know, she’d meet her future employer before she even finished the program.

Between semesters, Dedo was looking for some short-term work, so she sought recommendations from one of her instructors, which led her to Tony Trapp, founder of Tony Trapp Remodeling in Madison. She worked for Tony Trapp Remodeling for one month between semesters and continued working one day per week when classes resumed. After she graduated, Trapp told her that she had a job there if she wanted it.

Now, Dedo spends her days on big projects, small projects and everything in between, from kitchen additions to replacing screens on a porch. Dedo says she’s often calling on her problem-solving skills, because it’s not uncommon (in fact, it’s almost a guarantee) to come across something she didn’t anticipate when working on a remodel.

“There’s a lot of thinking on the fly and trying to figure out how to achieve what you want,” Dedo said.

Despite the challenges, she said one of the things she enjoys most about being a carpenter is the variety.

“My job is a little bit of everything,” Dedo said. “It’s different every single day, and that’s really fun.”

Lead Carpenter:

• Best advice for someone interested in this line of work: “Contact local companies, go to the union to take your test, and find classes at the local college. I wouldn’t be where I am today without having taken those classes at Madison College, that’s for sure.”
• Best advice you ever got: “Take it a day at a time. That’s all we can do. The work is going to be there tomorrow, so don’t lose sleep.”
• What skill helps someone in your line of work be successful? “Problem solving, math skills, communication and initiative.” management, communication and the ability to adapt.”

Logan Ludwig

Instructional Assistant, Automation

Logan Ludwig always imagined he’d work with a business, but today, he’s working for the school that trained him in the field he loves.

As an instructional assistant in automation, Ludwig creates and wires panels, programs human machine interfaces and programmable logic controllers and creates 3D projects and parts that are used to train students in the automation program at Northcentral Technical College in Wausau. He says the opportunity to witness student growth is a major perk.

“Students come in first semester not having any concept or clue what HMI or PLC is and at the end of the program, they’re creating an automated assembly line,” Ludwig said.

Ludwig is not alone in his success with job placement. He said everyone in his graduating class at NTC is already working in the industry, which speaks to the growing demand in the field.

“The demand of goods is rising and the production is slow to follow, so we need to find a sustainable way to make jobs easier and make production easier and simpler,” Ludwig said. “Lots of businesses, even in central Wisconsin, are changing a lot of their machine concepts to be more automated.”

He said many of these businesses came in and talked to his classes, which is where a lot of the job hiring starts.

Ludwig’s interest in automation started at a young age during house handiwork projects with his dad. Even then, he saw the importance of critical thinking and thinking for oneself to be successful in the field.

He said people who find success in automation also have good communication skills, are easy to approach and easy to talk to and show perseverance. But ultimately, he says success comes with finding joy in your work.

“You’ve got to like what you do,” Ludwig said. “It’s one thing to make the money, but it’s another thing to love it.”

Instructional Assistant, Automation:

• Best advice for someone interested in this line of work: “Don’t be afraid or discouraged to get an education. If you truly want to learn, you’re going to do well.”
• Best advice you ever got: “My first employer told me that there’s no need to beg for a raise. Just work your hardest, do your job to the best of your ability, show up early, stay late, and your employer will reward you – either with monetary value or education, learning and experience.”
• What skill helps someone in your line of work be successful? “Be a good listener and voice your opinion when it’s needed. Work effectively and efficiently with others. Be agreeable. Be approachable. Compromise.”

Ryan Riley

Line clearance tree trimmer

Ryan Riley didn’t want to uproot his family for the only available jobs during the industry’s annual hiring window. So, after finishing the electrical power distribution program at Moraine Park Technical College, he decided to get experience in the field before applying the following spring.

“I’ve always enjoyed tree work as more of a hobby, working on firewood at my grandpa’s house,” Riley said. “I enjoy the work, and I’m getting that field-related experience working around power lines.”

Many of the skills Riley uses as a tree trimmer parallel skills he’ll use as a lineman. He’s using many of the same trucks and tools, working around power lines and climbing. He’s also exercising his safety-conscious attitude – a critical skill for a lineman and tree trimmer.

“Basically, everything at work is trying to kill you all day long,” Riley said. “You need to be able to keep yourself safe as well as look out for your co-workers.”

He says linemen and tree trimmers also need to have a strong work ethic and strong initiative. While working in a two-man crew, Riley said he’s always trying to think about what his partner needs and how he can make his partner’s job easier.

“If you do that, if you take that initiative, if you’re a hard worker and you show up every day, that goes a long way,” Riley said.

Though Riley says his path may not be a traditional one, it’s important to remember that there is no one correct path to satisfying work.

“Don’t be afraid to run your own race,” Riley said. “Everybody’s journey is different. Don’t worry about other people. Don’t compare yourself to other people: just do you.”

Riley was named Moraine Park Technical College’s 2022 Student of the Year.

Line Clearance Tree Trimmer:

• Best advice for someone interested in this line of work: “Just go for it. I wish I would have done this sooner. I postponed this career choice a couple times in my 20s. There will never be a ‘perfect time.’ Just do it, and do it now.”
• Best advice you ever got: “The best advice I ever got was from my instructor. When I didn’t get hired with the utility company in spring of 2022, I was struggling with the idea of just working somewhere for a year to get field-related experience. It felt wrong to me to start somewhere, knowing I would be leaving a year later. He told me, ‘Always put yourself and your family first.’”
• What skill helps someone in your line of work be successful? “Being reliable, being hardworking, taking pride in your work, having a safety-conscious mindset, being an effective communicator and having a clean driving record.”