After David Fisher spent most of high school days just getting by to stay eligible for sports, he didn’t have much desire to go to college.
But his parents encouraged him to give it a try.
Thankfully, he did.
And choosing an engineering pathway was an obvious choice.
“My mom and dad said I always took apart every toy I have had,” Fisher says.
Two years later in 1970, he earned an associate degree in mechanical engineering from Lorain County Community College.
In 1985, Fisher came back for a second degree in electrical engineering.
And he’s held a state electrical contractors license for nearly 40 years.
“When I was in high school in machine shop class, we had a teacher that made you learn every part of the machine before you could even start it up,” Fisher says. “And then I remember coming to LCCC.
“It was all hands-on. And to me, that’s the best way to learn.”
Engineering employers tend to agree — and Fisher’s career is proof of that.
Today, Fisher credits LCCC and its hands-on approach to learning for paving the way for his successful electrical engineering career that included positions with prominent Lorain County companies, like Ridge Tool Co.
“I was Ridge Tool’s first electronic electrician,” he says. “They were getting more into the CNC equipment and eventually they made me an electrical foreman over the whole plant.”
Fisher’s last role was as a senior electrical engineer at Forest City Technologies Inc. in Wellington.
He spent nearly 30 years with the company.
“Back when I started, they had about 60 people, and they really didn’t have anybody doing electrical work,” Fisher recalls. “It ended up as one of the best moves I’ve made.
“They designed and built their own production equipment. I saw a lot of things happen there.”
In his decades-long career, Fisher has come across many brilliant minds, who often trained at prestigious universities.
And he says the hands on LCCC education he received holds firm among others’ education.
And sometimes, inches out just above.
“I’ve had some colleagues, and even bosses who’ve said I taught them more than their education did, in certain aspects, because with me it was all hands on,” Fisher says.
Fisher visited the LCCC campus in 2023, as the college celebrated its 60th anniversary.
And as he sat in the new automation lab, which served as the drafting room in the late 1960s, he marveled at the college’s ability to keep pace with industry and keep its education experience based.
“I feel very fortunate that I came to LCCC,” Fisher says. “I’m able to design and build things, and make them work.
“And it’s a great opportunity for young people today. And it’s right here for everyone.”
