TSTC student makes career U-turn

(HARLINGEN, Texas) - Brenda Valdez Prosise wanted a career change, and she found that pathway at Texas State Technical College.

"I used to work in the accounting field and moved up doing several jobs, such as a clerk, data entry, bookkeeping, staff accountant and an escrow officer, for more than 20 years," Valdez Prosise said. "I wanted a different career path where I could work with my hands."

Now the Brownsville resident is pursuing an Associate of Applied Science degree in Precision Machining Technology at TSTC.

"My instructor (Francisco Garcia) is very patient with me," she said. "He gives me step-by-step instructions so I can understand an assignment. Our goal with each assignment is to ensure it's as accurate as possible."

Garcia said Valdez Prosise is resourceful.

"Brenda is fearless when she completes a task," he said. "Recently she manually wrote a CNC (computer numerical control) program. She did great and operated it with little instruction."

Valdez Prosise credits her grandmother and husband for getting her interested in precision machining.

"When I was young, I wanted a teacup table set to play with," she said. "My grandmother taught me how to build it. She grabbed scrap wood, a hand saw, and showed me how to measure it."

As an adult, Valdez Prosise developed an interest in metalwork fabrication when she worked on projects with her husband.

"My husband bought some equipment that I could use in the backyard, like a CNC plasma cutter," she said. "I watched some YouTube videos to learn more, but I couldn't understand it. I did an online search, and an advertisement for Precision Machining Technology at TSTC appeared. So I enrolled."

Ultimately, Valdez Prosise wants to be a designer in the manufacturing field.

"The program has given me a sense of purpose," she said. "I'm pursuing my true passion of working with my hands."

According to onetonline.org, CNC tool programmers earn an average of $62,160 per year in Texas, where the number of such jobs was projected to increase 47% from 2020 to 2030.

TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree and a certificate of completion in Precision Machining Technology, as well as a certificate of completion in CNC Machine Operator, at its East Williamson County, Fort Bend County, Harlingen, Marshall, North Texas and Waco locations.

Precision Machining Technology is one of nine programs at TSTC that have money-back guarantees. For more information, visit tstc.edu/mbg.

For more information about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

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