From $12/hour apprentice to six-figure engineer – without a college degree. That’s Brian Bricker’s story. And it happened right here in northeast Ohio.
In 1988, Brian started as an electrical apprentice at The Timken Company’s steel mill (now Metallus) in Canton. No engineering degree. No connections. Just a willingness to learn.
Over the next 35 years, he worked his way from the mill floor to Timken Research & Development as a controls engineer – designing and troubleshooting automation systems all over the U.S. and around the world. All without ever getting a four-year degree.
Last year, Brian retired. But not for long.
“I had incredible mentors coming up through my apprenticeship at Timken,” he says. “It’d be selfish not to pass that knowledge on.”
So he came back. And now he’s teaching the next generation of automation and electronics technicians at Portage Lakes Career Center.
Right now, Brian’s teaching high school students the same skills that took him from the steel mill to engineering: PLC programming, robotics, industrial controls, electrical systems, and problem-solving under pressure.
His students tour places like Gojo and see firsthand how modern manufacturing works – not the assembly lines of the past, but clean, high-tech facilities where machines run on code and data.
And starting Fall 2026, PLCC is opening this same program to ADULTS.
Whether you’re:
・Working a job that doesn’t pay enough or challenge you
・Considering college but worried about debt
・Looking for a career change with real earning potential
・Wondering if there’s opportunity in Northeast Ohio
・A parent exploring options for your adult child
…this program could be the answer.
Interested in learning more or being part of our first class?
Call us at 330.896.8102
