Major: Automotive Service Technology
When it came time for college, Sam Marshall’s friends recommended College of DuPage.
They said it was a great choice, offering everything a big university had while being more affordable and closer to home. Marshall enrolled and found a way to build on his love of cars—which started with his father—through the Automotive Service Technology program.
“COD helped me better understand how I could turn my interest into a career,” he said. “They offered me the tools I needed to excel in my industry and opened my eyes to all the different opportunities that were available to me. While I didn’t take the diesel courses available in the program, the skills I learned while obtaining my degree allowed me to transition into a position in the industrial equipment setting.”
After earning an associate degree in Automotive Service Technology, Marshall began working at Alexander Equipment Company in Lisle. The company specializes in selling and repairing industrial tree care equipment, and Marshall received dealer training for multiple product lines including the newest acquisition, CMC Aerial Lifts.
COD helped me better understand how I could turn my interest into a career.
Sam Marshall
“I have been at the forefront of this product offering by aiding in sales, support and repairs of all new and used aerial lifts,” he said. “Being with a small company has given me the ability to acquire skills in multiple fields. Some days I’m in the office writing bids for municipal contracts, and on other days I’m in the shop diagnosing a can bus issue on an encoder for one of our machines. It is very rewarding and keeps things interesting.”
Marshall is glad he selected COD, which provided not only an opportunity to turn his passion into a career but also provided new opportunities, such as taking welding and a jewelry/metalsmithing class with instructor Aleksandra Valisheva.
“While on campus, if I wasn’t in the auto lab, I was probably in the jewelry studio,” he said. “She was an amazing instructor and showed me the creativity I had which I never knew existed. I think that in the near future I will take her class again because I enjoyed it so much."
Learn more about the Automotive Service Technology program at College of DuPage