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Student Success Story

Jonathan Thiranop

Certificates: Cabinet Making
CNC Woodworking
Woodworking

When did you decide to come to Cerritos College? Why?
I decided to enroll in 2019. I had recently retired from DJing after about 10 years and wanted to pick up a new hobby that would provide me a creative outlet. I read a lot of great things about Cerritos College and specifically the woodworking program. They offered night and Saturday classes which worked out perfectly around my 9-5 job schedule.

Have any faculty/staff members helped you in particular?
Peter Krause, John Wood, & Carlos Sanchez were all excellent instructors, very knowledgeable, and made a positive impact on my journey. I would highly recommend all of these instructors. Pete has a great way of teaching students how to view their projects as if they were business owners and putting them in the mindset of how to navigate their processes accordingly. John has an immense wealth of knowledge and is not one to hold back on sharing it. Carlos’ 101 class is a must take. His knowledge and positive encouragement helped me confirm that I was on the correct path.

What about your program has helped you succeed?
The program offered a perfect balance of structure and freedom of creativity. The fundamentals taught from the beginning in WMT 101 up through the advanced classes trained me how to work safely and effectively, alone with showing me many tips and tricks that help me in the workplace to this day. 

What are/were your plans after college?
As soon as I completed the CNC program I was recruited by the company I currently work for, Lab 57. The shop manager had a good relationship with our program’s director who posted a listing on the The Woodworking Manufacturing Technologies job wall. I plan to work here for the foreseeable future as I am learning so much in the CNC and CAD (computer-aided design) field turning measurements into drawings, programming/cutting them on the computer and CNC then finally assembling them into completed cabinet-related structures. The owner is also a great person to work for. Morris has every technology forward approach to his structure and has a massive amount of knowledge with anything cabinet related. He works closely with our team to ensure we all reach our goals but also gives us freedom to grow and learn on our own. 

Can you tell us how you would sum up how college has made a difference in your career and/or how it has helped you achieve your career or employment goals?
Cerritos College is a great place to further your skills and education. For me, it’s hard to beat the hands-on learning environment WMT (Woodworking Manufacturing Technologies) has to offer. Not to mention the awesome community and culture surrounding the program and CSAW (Cerritos Student Association of Woodworkers), the club that is open to all students in the WMT program. There is also an opportunity for financial assistance that will waive your enrollment fees if you maintain a 2.0 GPA or higher. If you want to learn woodworking, the program here is game-changer. There are also other really solid programs/fields such as welding, automotive, medical, business, and engineering to name a few!

Is there any advice you would like to give to a new student considering and/or entering the same field as you?
Trust the process, take your time, and stay humble. Be open to advice and criticism from your instructors and fellow peers, even if you think you know it already. You never know what things you can learn today that can help out out in the future. 

Certificate Requirement Courses 

Cabinetmaking 
WMT 101 Introduction to Woodworking
WMT 151 Introduction to Face-frame Cabinetmaking or WMT 153 Introduction to Frameless Cabinetmaking
WMT 154 Introduction to Cabinet Installation or WMT 155 Architectural Millwork
WMT 181 Introduction to Cabinet Vision or WMT 182 Alphacam and the CNC Router
WMT 201 Woodworking with Hand Tools
WMT 251 Intermediate Cabinetmaking 

CNC Woodworking 
WMT 151 Introduction to Face-frame Cabinetmaking or WMT 153 Introduction to Frameless Cabinetmaking
WMT 181 Introduction to Cabinet Vision
WMT 182 Alphacam and the CNC Router 
WMT 184 Introduction to Digital fabrication
WMT 282 Intermediate Alphacam and CNC Router 

Woodworking 
WMT 101 Introduction to Woodworking 
WMT 102 Introduction to Solid Wood Casegoods 
WMT 103 Introduction to Tales
WMT 107 Wood Finishing 
WMT 118 Introduction to Woodturning 
WMT 151 Introduction to Face-frame Cabinetmaking or WMT 153 Introduction to Frameless Cabinetmaking
WMT 154 Introduction to Cabinet Installation or WMT 155 Architectural Millwork