Zach Whitley has owned and operated Whitley Carpentry since 2012. He began his practice shortly after graduating from the Building Construction Technology program and said it was his time at Lake Land, as well as help from his grandfather, that has made his practice successful.
“My grandpa helped me get going on my own for the first year or two and helped continue to teach me some things,” Whitley, Laker Nation Class of 2012, said. “Really all of what I learned in the BCT program I use still.”
Having returned to teach a Basic Carpentry class as an adjunct instructor at Lake Land College for three years, Whitley said his own experience at Lake Land was an “extremely positive” one.
“I honestly don’t remember any bad experiences,” Whitley said. “Lake Land was a really good transition for me. I know other students that went on to universities and good positions too, and Lake Land was a great foundation for that. The quality of the instructors and classes I had was just unbeatable, and the BCT program is a really great program.”
Building Construction Technology Instructor and Coordinator Neal Haarman works with the building and construction industry to keep his teaching current, as well as helping his students find jobs while at Lake Land and after they have graduated.
“I care about my students’ futures and their well-being,” Haarman said. “I feel like I’m successful when they’re successful. They need to gain a lot of knowledge while they’re here so they can be successful in their careers. My hope is that I make a positive impact on them, so they can take what they learn and stay motivated.”
Haarman said some of his proudest moments are when students contact him after graduating to share that they are using information they learned in his class.
“I have a few students who have come to me wanting to start their own small carpentry or construction business,” Haarman said. “I encourage students and potential students to do a self-assessment and ask themselves ‘What do I enjoy doing?’ and ‘What am I good at?’ Lake Land is a great place to start with these concepts. We have a huge variety of programs, small class sizes and instructors that truly do care about their students.”
Building ConstructionCET/Advanced Technical StudiesCivil Engineering TechnologyComputer-Aided Design TechnologyGeospatial TechnologyHVAC+RResidential WiringArchitectural & Construction Exploratory Area of Study