Brad Worman ‘19’s co-op experience at Kettering University challenged what he thought he knew about the auto industry and engineering.

Changing from a co-op in Detroit to Modular Mining Systems in Tucson, Arizona, Worman said he learned a lot from looking at the industry in a different way.

“Coming from the Detroit area, this mining industry job seemed interesting and cool. We work a lot with the research and development team to create new product ideas that the company wants to investigate,” Worman said. “I could be doing desk work one minute to going to the lab to drilling holes and soldering to taking a fieldtrip to a mining site.”

The company Worman works for creates concept designs for the equipment that goes on large heavy machines in the mines. The products are engineered to enhance productivity and safety. Worman’s co-op taught him a new way of problem solving.

Worman’s dad and grandpa were both in the auto industry. Mechanical Engineering made sense for his life too, Worman said, and Kettering has helped him expand his thought process on the industry.

“I’ve always been curious about how things work and how they do what they do. Kettering and the co-op experience sometimes causes me to look at engineering from a different perspective,” Worman said. “You can only think about your decisions for so long before you actually make your decision. Do it and make it work.”

His time at Kettering taught him to take what he’s learned and quickly apply it to any situation. The co-op opportunity at Kettering also gave Worman some valuable life skills.

Throughout his time at Kettering and in his co-op terms, Worman has learned a lot about how to be prepared for the interview process of a job search. He learned how to get the job he wants and how to present himself as a professional.

“I learned a lot about becoming a responsible adult and dealing with adult responsibility,” he said. “I have the experience of multiple jobs under my belt. I’m getting all the real-world experience instead of college telling you about the experience.”