Daniel Carwile: Putting His Education to Work

Just one year out of high school, Daniel Carwile landed a job at Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) an international energy company based in Central Virginia, as a certified machinist. “I know there are a lot of kids coming out of four-year schools who aren’t earning what I do” he says.  And he owes that success to his own hard work and the Central Virginia Community College dual enrollment program.

Sometimes you can learn a lot from other people’s experiences.  Daniel watched, learned, and put those lessons to work when he was a junior at William Campbell High School.  He says, “Some of the guys I knew who were a year ahead of me were in the dual enrollment program [at Central Virginia Community College], and they said they really liked it.” When he found out he could take machine shop through the dual enrollment program, he decided to put those lessons to work and follow the lead of those older classmates.

Throughout his junior and senior year, Daniel studied machine shop at CVCC in the mornings, and returned to William Campbell in the afternoon for his academic courses.

“After my senior year, I came back to CVCC, and when I signed up for spring semester, I took all the classes I needed for certification.” Earning that machining certification enabled Daniel to get a job at B&W. “I started out on manual machines, just like I had learned on at CVCC.”

But Daniel’s studies didn’t stop there. “I worked third shift…so I just kept on going to CVCC and got two other degrees.” He has found that the machine tools trade provides solid opportunities for income and employment in Central Virginia. “Around here,” says Daniel, “you see a lot of jobs in the $15 to $20 [per hour] range.”

And just as Daniel followed the lead of older students back in high school, there’s someone who’s about to follow in his own footsteps, as well: “My little brother has decided he’s going to do the dual enrollment program next year, too.”

For students trying to decide on their own careers, Daniel has one piece of advice. “The biggest thing is to think about what the world needs. As along as this world’s still turning, somebody’s going to need a machinist somewhere.”