June 10, 2022, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Chris Schell loves helping students learn new things in electronics classes for their HVAC, industrial maintenance, mechatronics, and electronics degrees and certificates at GRCC.
“I started out in industry as an electrical engineer at GE Aviation, and switched to full-time education at GRCC in 2020, after a year of being an adjunct,” he said.
Schell holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Mexico. He teaches EL106 Technical Electricity, EL 107 Technical Electronics, EL 144 Basic Electricity and Electronics, EL 150 Electrical Schematics, and EL 163 Electrical Troubleshooting.
“You will find a low student-to-faculty ratio in these classes,” Schell said. “The instructors are all experienced and love to teach, and our placement rate is great.”
Along with hands-on skills for an in-demand field, Schell’s students learn critical thinking skills.
“Problems are never as big as they seem to be,” he said. “And there will always be challenges with anything worth doing. If it was easy, then I wouldn't really be needed.”
He also shares that a certificate or degree is more than a credential, it’s a life changing experience.
“Education is so much more than just regurgitating information,” Schell said. “I had a professor who once told me to ‘learn something in spite of your classes,’ and it took me a while to figure out what he meant. Long after I graduated from college, it dawned on me that, though valuable, it wasn't just the engineering degree that was important--it was the experience of learning. I developed a thought process on ‘how to learn’ and that has been invaluable to me.”