Laramie County Community College Alumni Interview

Jamie Gooch

Laramie County Community College Alumni from the Wind Energy Technology Program

You might not expect a history major with an emphasis on 19th century coal mining to end up with a career working as a wind technician. But if you thought that about Jamie Gooch – who, in fact fits the description – you’d be wrong! Because of his educational background in the history of fossil fuels, Jamie says he was always intrigued by wind turbines. So when a friend of his enrolled in the Wind Technology program at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, he thought, why not join him?

Jamie graduated from the LCCC Wind Energy Technology Program in May 2019, and despite having to weather the heat working through the Texas summer, he has been loving his job as a traveling wind technician for Duke Energy Renewables. Jamie says that his education at Laramie prepared him well for the intensive field experience of his current position. His key advice to those considering a career in the field is to, “soak up as much as you can of the basics and never stop learning.”

“From the moment that we went up our first tower in school to get our climbing certifications, I looked out around and thought, ‘Oh yeah! This is something I want to do for the rest of my career,'” Jamie reminisces. “I want to stay in wind. I want to climb as much as possible. And I want to go further.” For this history major turned wind technician, it would appear that the sky is the limit.

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