Worked at IDEAStudio Makerspace as both an instructor and technician — training users on fabrication equipment, maintaining machines, and helping people turn their ideas into physical prototypes.
Trained new users on makerspace equipment including 3D printers, laser cutters, and other fabrication tools. Performed routine maintenance and troubleshooting to keep machines running reliably. Assisted students and community members with design-to-prototype workflows, helping them think through material choices, tolerances, and manufacturing constraints for their specific projects.
Working in a makerspace you see a huge range of skill levels and project types — and explaining the same concept ten different ways until it clicks for someone is a real skill. It also deepened my hands-on understanding of rapid prototyping workflows and how small design decisions (wall thickness, orientation, support structures) have a big impact on whether something actually comes out right off a machine.