JORDAN BARNER |
"My career in the industry got started with some luck. My AP Physics class made a trip to a Great Coasters International. At the end of the shop tour, Chris Gray invited me to come back and talk with him, where he inevitably offered me a job to sweep floors and count inventory. This eventually evolved into building lap bar cans, brakes, and Millennium Flyer trains - my first real hands on mechanical experiences.
The following summer, wanting another job in the industry, I took a job as an Operations Supervisor at Morey's Piers. With just a one year of college under my belt my options were limited to mostly operations roles. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as my experiences earned me a spot as an IAAPA Show Ambassador, a program that has given me so many great experiences and friends. One thing I cannot stress enough is how important networking is. Go to every event. Meet people. Talk to them. You never know who is going to help you out later down the road. Working the IAAPA show is great for this as every attractions manufacturer is right there. The other ambassadors also have a wealth of knowledge and are quite successful themselves, with many of them now holding upper level jobs at their respective parks. Having these kind of connections cannot be undersold.
TPEG was the final instrumental player in getting me to where I am now. Still in its formative years, we decided to take TEPG to an ASTM F24 conference. We were received with open arms and after talking with some engineers from Universal Orlando were offered internships in engineering.
During my senior year I had some friends contact me from Premier Rides telling me that they were looking to hire an engineer. After two interviews I was offered a full time job as a Project Engineer. It's worth stating that these friendship were developed through work relationships (fellow GCI intern), TPEG (TPEG alumni), and time at ASTM and IAAPA. Connections truly make the difference."
The following summer, wanting another job in the industry, I took a job as an Operations Supervisor at Morey's Piers. With just a one year of college under my belt my options were limited to mostly operations roles. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as my experiences earned me a spot as an IAAPA Show Ambassador, a program that has given me so many great experiences and friends. One thing I cannot stress enough is how important networking is. Go to every event. Meet people. Talk to them. You never know who is going to help you out later down the road. Working the IAAPA show is great for this as every attractions manufacturer is right there. The other ambassadors also have a wealth of knowledge and are quite successful themselves, with many of them now holding upper level jobs at their respective parks. Having these kind of connections cannot be undersold.
TPEG was the final instrumental player in getting me to where I am now. Still in its formative years, we decided to take TEPG to an ASTM F24 conference. We were received with open arms and after talking with some engineers from Universal Orlando were offered internships in engineering.
During my senior year I had some friends contact me from Premier Rides telling me that they were looking to hire an engineer. After two interviews I was offered a full time job as a Project Engineer. It's worth stating that these friendship were developed through work relationships (fellow GCI intern), TPEG (TPEG alumni), and time at ASTM and IAAPA. Connections truly make the difference."