How SCC Makerspace Helped Me Realize My Career Dreams Weren’t Out of Reach

By Christian Espinoza

Thinking back to when I was a child, I remember having crazy dreams about becoming an independent artist or designer when I grew up. At the time, it was all I ever wanted — to create things that were unbelievable and out of this world. But as I grew up, those dreams felt more and more unachievable. I thought I could only work a standard job with a fixed pay and maybe benefits, which didn’t sound half bad. I assumed that my days of starting my own business and chasing my dreams were far behind me. That is, until I discovered the Sacramento City College (SCC) Makerspace, which — little did I know — would touch my deepest childhood memories and actually make my dreams become a reality. I believe that makerspaces can do the same for all individuals who have dreams of making their unbelievable creations come to life.

Window into Talents

My knowledge of the makerspace began even before it was established at SCC, at a design tutoring center on campus. I still remember that day like it was yesterday. As an assignment for one of my architecture classes, we were asked to create a functional part in a software called Creo 3.0. I decided to create a super charger for an engine block. I struggled for days on making that part, so as an attempt to get help, I called one of the tutors to give me a hand with the process. They told me that this particular part was almost impossible to make and asked if I was able to go through with it. I impulsively said “yes” and stuck to making the supercharger. In the end, I managed to pull it off after days of intensive headaches. I shocked one of the tutors to the point of offering me a job in design tutoring, but I turned it down due to a restaurant job I was committed to at the time — working fast food at El Pollo Loco.

Months later, that very same design tutor told me about a massive project on campus focused around the fundamentals of design, a makerspace. I asked, “What’s a makerspace?” It sounded too good to be true, featuring 3D printers, CNC machines, laser cutters, and so much more. I knew I wanted to be involved. The first thing I did that day was check out where it was going to be. That’s where I met the project director Tom Cappelletti, one of the nicest and most inspiring people on the planet.

The makerspace consisted of two rooms that, at the time, were completely empty in preparation for a huge remodeling. I started to visualize the space for what it could be. But the end result was way better than I had ever imagined. As the days rolled on, we brought in boxes and more boxes. It was a series of seemingly endless unpacking and set up to get the place going. I had never seen such machines in my life, and I couldn’t even imagine myself behind the wheel of one of them. It was like being in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory for artists, designers, and engineers. Once the wheels were turning, that’s when I had impulsively said “yes” to a leap of faith that had touched my childhood dreams of being an independent designer.

Entrepreneurial by Nature

One day while working in the space, I decided to test my skills in CNC machining and create a simple three-piece table that was about three feet high, made from some cheap plywood. This was the first time I had ever done anything like this, and on that day I met my first client. She was the owner of a hair and nail salon that needed a complete new set of furniture. She saw what I was doing as I assembled the table and asked me if I did furniture design on a professional level. Again I impulsively answered “yes,” not knowing the massive order she was about to put on my table.

As I worked on the order day after day, I had a sudden moment of realization that “Oh my god, this is it,” as I looked back on all those crazy childhood dreams of becoming a designer and having the skills and knowledge of owning my own business. However, working multiple jobs making furniture and attending classes was really taking a toll on me. So I had to make a decision quickly before this workload consumed me.

Working at El Pollo Loco had it perks: Some days were easy, the people were really nice, and the pay was honestly not that bad. It just was not what I was looking for as I was sharpening my skills in furniture design. I remember one Saturday asking the general manager if I could speak to him and handing him my two-weeks notice saying, “This business that I have going on has really helped me grow into the field of design, and I’ve had a great time here with all of you but I think it’s about time that I pursue something that I’m passionate about. Peace out.”

That very decision to quit for the better of my business made me learn an important lesson about growth, but not just as a business but as an individual willing to try and make some of their most unbelievable ideas come to life. That very same manager even requested a piece of furniture for himself, as he believed in me and my crazy ideas.

Had it not been for the makerspace, the CNC machine that I use in my designs, or my ability to say “yes” even when the odds seem difficult, I wouldn’t be where I am today, creating my own original designs and having the world take a look at them. The energy that makerspaces give an individual like myself — to make their wildest dreams or theoretical ideas come to life — is what gives those ideas purpose and a chance to make them something the world can use everyday. This makerspace movement is honestly something that I will hold on to forever.

This article first appeared in the CCC Maker publication titled “Makerspace Impact: Implementation Strategies & Stories of Transformation” (2019).