The Grind: Jack of All Trades

Jack of All Trades: IMT Students Find Confidence, Skills, and Community at Manhattan Tech 

At Manhattan Tech, learning is not something you watch, it’s something you do. In the Industrial Machine Technology (IMT) program, students step into real systems from day one. 

For students like Gavin, Alec, and Nathan, that approach is what made the difference. 

Alec had already spent time working on a pipeline and understood the field and what it could offer. 

“I just wanted a degree to get paid more,” he said. “This program came along and I thought it was interesting.” 

Gavin was drawn to the range of skills the program offers. Instead of choosing one path, IMT gave him exposure to multiple areas. 

“It teaches you a little bit of everything,” he said. “It’s kind of like a jack-of-all-trades program.” 

Nathan found the program after working in manufacturing and paying attention to the people maintaining operations. 

“I liked what the maintenance people were doing,” he said. “I knew I would rather do that than be on the line.” 

Building Real Skills 

Each day in the program looks different. Students move between electrical systems, mechanical builds, and automation, learning how each piece connects. 

“Learning ladder logic is really interesting,” Gavin said. “You’re not just reading about it. You’re doing it, and I have to see it to understand it.” 

Troubleshooting is a core part of that process. 

“We’ve built control boxes and then had to figure out what was wrong with them,” Alec said. “Reading wiring diagrams is huge. That carries into everything.” 

Some projects are more open-ended, requiring students to think through problems without a set path. 

“Sometimes it’s just, build a system,” Nathan said. “You have motors, belts, and gears. You figure it out.” 

This kind of learning reflects the reality of the job, where problems are not packaged. The only way to solve them is to work through them. 

An Environment Built on Support 

The technical training is only part of the experience. The environment inside the IMT program plays a major role in how students grow. 

“It’s like a big family,” Alec said. “Everyone helps each other.” 

That support carries into instruction as well. Students are expected to put in the work, but they are not doing it alone.  

“Our instructor, Matthew, actually wants you to learn it,” Nathan said. “You don’t leave without understanding it.” 

As students build skills, they also build confidence in what they can handle. 

“I’m way more confident working around live power,” Gavin said. 

For Nathan, the change shows up in how he understands the systems around him. 

“Now I can look at a machine and understand the system,” he said. “That’s a big change.” 

As Alec put it, “hands on makes all the difference.” 

Future Pathways 

For some students, IMT leads directly into a career. For others, it serves as a foundation for more specialized training. Either way, it opens doors. 

“If you don’t know exactly where you fit yet, this gives you options,” Nathan said. “You can always narrow it down later.” 

“It’s one year for a certificate, and two years for an associate degree,” Gavin said. “Try it.” 

“If you don’t want to do the same thing every day, this is it,” Alec added. 

If you are looking for a path that keeps you moving, challenges you to think, and prepares you to step into real work, IMT is a place to start. You will not just learn how systems work, you will learn how to work on them. 

To learn more about the IMT program, visit: https://manhattantech.edu/imt