Manufacturing Engineer III
West Plains, Missouri
AA, General Studies; AAS, General Technology; AAS, Industrial Technology-Mechanical Drafting; BAS, Technology Management, Missouri State University
Hometown: West Plains and Caulfield, Missouri
“I am currently in a position I thought was unattainable.”
Chrisy Barnes, Pomona, never expected to reach her career goals, but Missouri State University-West Plains not only gave her the education she needed, but also the experiences and life skills to rise to the challenge.
Barnes, who is a Manufacturing Engineer III at Regal-Beloit in West Plains, said, “I am currently in a position—engineering lead—that I thought was unattainable. Careers take on some of the same characteristics as college. Apply yourself, be persistent, always be willing to learn new things, be willing to work with all you encounter and overcome challenges. As you become successful in each of these areas, you will grow as a person and as an employee. They will be rewarded.”
She chose Missouri State-West Plains for three reasons: Cost, and with it the ability to use her A+ scholarship to help pay for her education; proximity to home, as she had decided to stay in the West Plains area after graduating high school and an interest in drafting she had pursued since eighth grade. Later on, after earning her Associate of Applied Science degrees in Industrial Technology-Mechanical Drafting and General Technology, she utilized Missouri State Outreach to complete her bachelor’s degree in Technology Management, a degree she has great pride in.
“It is a great mixture of technology, engineering, business and management,” Barnes said. “It reminds me of the phrase ‘jack of all trades, master of none,’ but this degree allows you to be a master of whatever you choose from all of these different fields but still be able to know some of the others.”
Overcoming Doubt
“I had given up at one point in my education,” Barnes said. “I knew what I wanted, but it seemed impossible to achieve with (what I thought at the time was) my lack of talents. After talking with my advisor, Cathy Proffitt-Boys, I was able to redirect my attention from the lack of talents to what talents I do have and how to apply them to a degree that suited me, not vice-versa. Missouri State-West Plains has the resources to help you become a successful student and have a successful career, but you have to be willing to use these resources—all of them.”
To prospective students, Barnes suggests: “Win. Respect. Learn. All careers have obstacles. Your job is not only to overcome these challenges, but to do it with respect to all and to learn from every experience.”