Editor's Note: This is the first in a three-part Sunday series exploring advanced manufacturing, a field that has remained resilient throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
Isabelle McKeon was 23 years old when she joined the Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative at Three Rivers Community College in Norwich.
It's been nearly 3 years since she made the decision - changing careers from the massage therapy business because it wasn't satisfying. Her mother, an employee at General Dynamics Electric Boat, told McKeon about MPI.
"I wanted something more consistent," McKeon said.
McKeon took a 10-week drafting class in 2018. After graduating from the program later that year, she landed a job at Collins & Jewell Company in Februrary 2019, where she is a junior quality assurance engineer.