Victor Valley College student goes from pizza delivery to drafting

Victor Valley College student Daniel Kruger set to graduate this summer with associate degree
 
June 4, 2012 - PRLog -- Victorville, Calif. — After graduating in 2003 from the Academy for Academic Excellence at the Lewis Center for Educational Research in Apple Valley, Daniel Kruger split his time delivering pizzas and taking classes at Victor Valley College. As years passed, work began to take precedence.

That changed in 2010. Married and with a child, Kruger decided school needed to be his focus. He returned to Victor Valley and, on the suggestion of a friend, enrolled in a computer aided design class. He liked it right away.

He also excelled, according to his instructor, Claude Oliver. So, earlier this year, when Fiber Care Baths Inc., an Adelanto company that makes showers and bathtubs, came to the college looking for someone with computer drafting and design skills, Oliver recommended Kruger.

He got the job. In February, while still taking classes, Kruger started the part-time job. His main duties have been to update schematic drawings of the bathtub and shower designs and to create a promotional video the company will use at trade shows.  His job duties have expanded because of his knowledge of software program, such as AutoCAD, Inventor, Revit, 3ds Max, and Photoshop, that he learned at Victor Valley.

“I was really surprised how quickly I was able to take classes in this area without a background in it and a few semesters later have enough valuable skills to be needed in the workforce,” Kruger said. “That was really cool. That was what I was hoping for, but it occurred faster than I thought.”

Oliver, the chair of the computer integrated design and graphics and Media Arts department at Victor Valley, said he was impressed with Kruger’s patient, easy-going personality and how quickly he picked up software programs. That led Oliver to hire Kruger to be a student tutor.

Oliver recalled the time when Kruger asked to borrow the books for an architectural drafting and design class. He had the books for two weeks before taking the class in the fall.

“In those two weeks, he learned the software,” Oliver said. “It was incredible.”

Kruger, 25, who lives in Victorville, said he was always interested in computers but didn’t grasp all the career possibilities involving them.  Taking the computer aided design classes changed that.

“Something just clicked when I was doing the modeling,” Kruger said. “Drawing stuff in 3-D was just fun to do and it was something very useful and widely used in industry.”

Kruger has one more class to take this summer to earn his associate degree. He has also taken the needed classes to earn certificates in computer aided drawing and design, architectural design and digital animation.

He credits Oliver and Jeff Stalians, another one of his instructors, as really making a difference in his life.

“They are really dedicated to their students’ success,” Kruger said. “And, personally, I truly value their mentorship.”

About the Desert Regional Consortium of Community Colleges: The Desert Regional Consortium consists of 13 community colleges and two community college districts in Riverside, San Bernardino and Kern counties. The consortium assists colleges in providing professional development opportunities and designing programs to improve workforce training and technical education. The consortium was formed to address the economic development needs of industry, government and the community.

More information about the Consortium: www.desertcolleges.org

Consortium members: Barstow College, Cerro Coso Community College, Chaffey College, College of the Desert, Copper Mountain College, Crafton Hills College, Mt. San Jacinto College, Moreno Valley College, Norco College, Palo Verde College, Riverside City College, Riverside Community College District, San Bernardino Community College District, San Bernardino Valley College, Victor Valley College
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Location:Victorville - California - United States
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