James French

James French was working as a welder when he realized it wasn’t the career path he wanted to be on.

“I realized I’m not going to make nearly as much money as I thought,” he said. “I’m never going to have the lifestyle I want as a welder.”

At TCC, James was able to earn an associate degree in Mechanical Engineering that put him on the path to a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University.

“The main thing that pushed me to TCC was working with OSU to get the classes I needed to transfer,” he said. “Since everything coordinates, you don’t have any lost hours.”

And it was an internship arranged through TCC that resulted in his current job at ABB Totalflow in Bartlesville.

“I definitely have a career where I enjoy my work,” he said. “Usually I have to drag myself out of here, and it has definitely provided a much better lifestyle.

“My education has helped me accomplish more and gotten me to a place in an organization where I’m a driving force in technology,” James said.