I just read an article posted by the folks here at Renewableenergyworld.com about heroes in the renewable energy world and it got me to thinking. So far, who have I met that would qualify to be called a hero in renewable energy? Actually, I didn’t have to think long because two people came to my immediate attention, Alan Bailey and Jim Carlin.
Who, you might ask are these guys and why should you consider them to be heroes in renewable energy? Well, as some of you know, I’ve recently left the world of mortgage banking and real estate to join you fine folks in the renewable energy world.
My first step in this journey has been attending Columbia Gorge Community College’s Renewable Energy Technology Program and this is where I met Alan and Jim. They are two of my professors, Jim in Circuit Analysis and Alan in Hydraulics.
I consider them to be heroes because of the work that they do and the sacrifices that they have made to do that work. Both are highly skilled in their fields and could easily work elsewhere and make more money than they do working at a small community college in North Central Oregon.
Yet, they show up every day and take the time and effort to teach a wide assortment of people from vastly different backgrounds (most with little or no experience with hydraulics or electrical engineering) the skills that we are going to need to enter and to hopefully make a difference in powering the world.
I’m a good example of what they have to deal with! While I probably shouldn’t admit it in a public forum, I’m probably the least mechanical person that you’ll ever meet.
When I was at that age when most young men gain their mechanical abilities by working on the old junker they just bought, my Dad was a mechanic. When something went wrong with my first (or second or third…) car, I could have learned how to work on it at my Dad’s elbow or I could have dropped mine off in the morning and got a loaner from Dear Ole Dad.
Well, suffice it to say that there were girls to chase and parties to attend and…well, to tell you the truth; I just wasn’t that crazy about getting my hands dirty! Then came college and a successful career and I never really le
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