Nick Fox took his first step into the world of higher education as a student at Bay College. Years after he graduated, he returned to the college as a mechatronics instructor.
Nick graduated from Kingsford High School in 2003 and went on to sign up for classes at 海角社区. He then graduated from Bay in 2005 with an Associate Degree in Automation Technology鈥攁nd the knowledge he would rely on for the rest of his career.
鈥淢y time at Bay was some of the most useful education I鈥檝e received in my life. It gave me the ability to not just learn the material, but to understand how equipment functioned,鈥� he said.
After getting his degree at Bay, Nick headed to Northern Michigan University to pursue a Bachelor鈥檚 Degree in Electrical Engineering with an Electromechanical concentration and a Minor in Business. He earned that degree in 2008.
鈥�2008 was when we went through the housing crisis, and it was difficult to find work right out of college. But I found a company in Gwinn called Argonics that was willing to hire me, so I started at the bottom there and worked my way up through various departments,鈥� he said.
Nick was employed at Argonics for 13 years. During his time there, he worked in the company鈥檚 logistics, management, and engineering departments; by the time he left, he was employed as an electrical engineer.
Though he never planned on becoming an engineer, he said this position proved to be a natural fit for him.
鈥淚鈥檝e always been interested in technology and engineering. My father went to school for computer engineering in the early 鈥�70s, and he worked for [early computer company] Tandy Corporation,鈥� Nick said.
While Nick appreciated his time at Argonics, he was ready for a change after spending more than a decade at the company. Since he had wanted to go into teaching for quite some time, he didn鈥檛 hesitate when he found an opportunity to enter this field.
鈥淚 had run into my old instructor Mark Highum, who鈥檚 now the Dean of Business and Technology. He said that if I was interested in the mechatronics instructor position, I should apply鈥攚hich I did,鈥� he said.
Nick officially left Argonics at the end of 2021 and started teaching at Bay in January 2022. So far, he has found a great deal to like about his new career.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of work, but I鈥檝e also gotten a lot out of it. It鈥檚 really invigorating to come back to Bay and help students go through the same program I did years ago,鈥� he said.
Of course, 海角社区鈥檚 mechatronics program has undergone significant changes over the years, ranging from a new name to curriculum updates reflecting ongoing technological advances. Still, these adjustments have not fundamentally changed what this program is all about.
鈥淲e鈥檝e added robotics and other things to the program, but it鈥檚 still very similar at its core,鈥� said Nick.
Nick also said he enjoys showing mechatronics students how to use the technology he used in his last job.
鈥淚鈥檓 really looking forward to continuing to introduce equipment I learned about while working in the industry into the classroom and continuing to expand the program while helping as many students as possible,鈥� he said.
Thanks to his experiences as a 海角社区 student and instructor, Nick feels very strongly about the college鈥檚 role in the community.
鈥淚t鈥檚 why I drive from Marquette to teach here鈥擝ay is that important to me.鈥�