Jake Layman - NMU Blog

My girlfriends family is scattered throughout Michigan, we frequently visited numerous places in Michigan and ended up finding Marquette and flying back up to Marquette for a tour of NMU. From then we knew this is the place for us. From the outdoors and nature to snowboarding, fishing and a smaller school atmosphere.
 

I was introduced to the car world 2 weeks into my first semester, I went to a truck pull with my girlfriends family in lower Michigan and I saw how passionate everyone their was about the truck they built and poured so much time into. This led me to want to do the same thing. From that day I switched to dedicating my time to automotive technology at NMU and it went great.

At NMU we have the luxury of having high tech. In the engine performance class, we got introduced to a scope. The scope allows us to get true live data as accurately as possible on many different features of the car, which allows you to better understand the condition or potential fault of a vehicle. Being able to break down that data and truly understand it at first was difficult, but with time and repetition, it was easier to comprehend and will help me later on during in-depth diagnostics.

My knowledge that I acquired throughout my first semester at NMU led me to take my first job in the industry, which, in turn, helped my growth. Being in school, learning diagnostics and more about modern and older vehicle repair, and pairing that with work in the industry, helped me grow a lot.

I would say to not pass up on it. Full disclosure I wasn't sure college would be the best fit for me, the instructors I was given helped me take that next step in school and my career. Pushing me to be better, learn more and apply myself more. In turn this school helped me grow my knowledge in my career and grow as a person.
 

The automotive program, truly, this program and the instructors running it are as good as it gets. They push you to learn and grow your knowledge and provide you with the tools and resources to do so. I was lucky enough to be let into this program 2 weeks into my first semester and since then I went from not knowing a lick about being a mechanic to gaining more experience and knowledge then I could have ever imagined.

Without a doubt, the automotive program helped me learn more than I ever thought was possible. I wouldn't trade these past 2 years for anything. It helped me grow as a person and grow confidence in myself and my abilities as a mechanic.

I could go on and on about this. When I came to NMU, I came here for financial management, unsure of if that was what I wanted. 2 weeks into my first semester, everything changed, and I decided to switch to automotive technology. My professor, Seth Figler, was nice enough to let me enter the program at the last minute, and I am so glad he did. Frankly, who knows if my mind would have changed if I had to wait another semester? From then on, I worked day and night trying to catch up while also trying to learn and gain as much knowledge as I could. Seth gave me the push I needed to keep my head up and keep working hard because it will all pay off. Seth worked in the industry for many years and was a mentor to people on the job. Seth taught me so much from engine repair, to HVAC, suspension, and brakes. As we entered the second semester, I met my other instructor, Randy Klitzke. Randy was like a mentor to me. Randy pushed me every day to be better. He helped me learn my diagnostic skills, get a better understanding of engine performance and how electricity works on older and newer vehicles, and much more. When I entered Randy's classes, I was timid and was not fully sure about what I could do in this field yet. Randy would keep me in check in a good way, making sure I was locked in with what I was doing and took the extra minute to make sure I fully understood the topic. In the end, all that helped me grow my knowledge and confidence to a point I am very proud of. I give so much credit and respect to both Randy and Seth for what they do.