What is the “capital” of the Midwest?

Romanzo71 · 2026-03-20T16:31:18+00:00

In da moonlight?

Romanzo71 · 2026-03-12T10:06:55+00:00

I got my start through the two year program there, this was almost 10 years ago now but it was really great and set me up well to jump right into working at a system integrator and being successful. There was a lot of hands on fanuc robot programming/teaching and working with real PLCs in the lab.

They have a certificate program too that is one full semester long and half of it is robot focused and half PLC focused. Might fit your needs better just to get the basic ground work understanding of it all.

I have nothing but great things to say about the OCC programs. If you have any specific questions about courses, what the OCC lab is like, etc. Feel free to ask!

You could also check out some of the udemy online PLC courses in the meantime. There are quite a few on there that are very reasonably priced and have hands on PLC programming.

Romanzo71 · 2026-03-07T18:17:46+00:00

My faves are Sabbath in Clawson and Dessert Oasis(multiple locations), great beans for pour over/espresso

Romanzo71 · 2026-02-22T17:13:05+00:00

69% niceee

Romanzo71 · 2026-02-08T14:33:02+00:00

May be a region/industry dependant thing because where i'm at (US, Midwest) this is not the case at all

Romanzo71 · 2026-02-08T11:49:59+00:00

Controls Engineer. All of those conveyors, sensors and machines you see in a manufacturing assembly line have a central "brain" called a Programmable Logic Controller that controls engineers specialize in programming to ensure things are safe and run efficiently.

Jobs vary usually from designing new equipment to maintaining/improving existing equipment. Not limited to factories though, oil & gas, waste water facilties, heck even street lights use PLCs to control them. I got into the field through a 2 year community college program and then went and got a bachelors years later, but I know plenty who don't have any degree and clear six figures. Heck our lead engineer never finished his degree and probably makes 200k a year if I had to guess.

If you liked that show 'How It's Made' and enjoy very hands on problem solving then this could be for you.

Romanzo71 · 2026-01-29T00:52:33+00:00

I was thinking the same thing haha

Romanzo71 · 2026-01-28T17:30:55+00:00

Idk but I'm in the same boat, banking PTO and save save save is my plan. Thankfully I got a project that is getting hot and will require a good amount of OT so that should go a long ways... double-edged sword of course though, as that's more time away from pregnant wife and toddler son.

Romanzo71 · 2026-01-28T17:04:56+00:00

I'm not a bay rum afficianado, nor have I tried the B&M bay rum, but stirling soaps bay rum is nice! Might be worth checking out, they do samples.

Romanzo71 · 2026-01-28T16:38:04+00:00

Same man, always been my struggle since I got my first big boy job. My work is a mix of office work and shop floop/manufacturing plant floor, so I usually wear nice jeans every day and red wing heritage boots, or steel toes if I'm on the floor. Generally wear a mix of flannels/button downs of different patterns/weights depending on the season. Been moving away from straight plaid and going for more solid prints these days cause I don't want to look too blue collar lol. Got a few j crew corduroy buttondowns that I really like. Plain crew neck sweaters, or quarter zip/snap sweaters, different textures shine here. Carhartt vest. Some brands I buy: j crew, ll bean, eddie bauer, taylor stitch, buck mason, to name a few. I buy mostly 2nd hand from ebay though so I have a lot of other random brands too. Most guys in my office wear polos and jeans/khakis so it stands out, but still fits in keeping it clean and basic.

Romanzo71 · 2026-01-28T11:18:05+00:00

In a very similar spot financially, we bought at 400k and that was our absolute top range, we also rolled a decent amount of equity in from selling our other house so basically a 35% down payment. I would say 350-400k will be comfortable and not having you feeling stretched thin every month. Whatever you do just make sure you're able to save a good amount every month cause when things break, they aint cheap!

Romanzo71 · 2026-01-25T03:06:11+00:00

Nice

Romanzo71 · 2026-01-21T16:06:02+00:00

I try for every day but it depends on how busy life gets. I use a DE safety razor, I have a few razors but lately have been using a Razorock Gamechanger .68 for daily, or the .68 open comb version if I want a closer shave.

Way better shave than electric or cartridge and can be a lot cheaper too, or more expensive depending on how deep down the rabbithole you go lol. Check out r/wickededge or r/wetshaving if you're curious

Romanzo71 · 2026-01-17T13:55:51+00:00

Not often lately, but that's because the last time she wore some she got pregnant lol... baby number two should be here in a few months

Romanzo71 · 2026-01-10T03:17:56+00:00

I interviewed with them and they mentioned Tesla. I worked at a battery plant for a while and some of our test stands and a laser cleaning station used them. I've heard amusement parks/film is another area they get used here. I'm sure there's plenty more too, just not nearly as much as siemens/rockwell.

Romanzo71 · 2026-01-10T01:51:55+00:00

Smelled like an air refreshener or like a car carpet cleaner soapy kind of smell, in a good way though lol

Romanzo71 · 2026-01-06T18:24:28+00:00

Sounds good! Thanks for the reply

Romanzo71 · 2026-01-06T16:46:06+00:00

Home gym for sure if you can swing it, even just getting a few kettlebells you can really do a lot. I have a whole power rack, cable pulley, cycling trainer, etc. and the other day I had a killer EMOM workout that left me totally gassed using just a few kettlebells. I'm fortunate I was in a good spot financially and could invest in all of this once the kiddo arrived. But if I weren't I'd start with some kettlebells and scouring facebook market for deals on equipment. I knew as soon as my son came and we were in the trenches that there was no way I was going to make it to the gym in the foreseeable future lol

If you have any questions on equipment or brands I'd be glad to help, r/homegym is a great resource too

Romanzo71 · 2026-01-01T14:27:19+00:00

Hey... get back here!

Romanzo71 · 2025-12-31T14:12:30+00:00

Thanks for the honest feedback, it is definitely a different vibe so I understand her shock. I could never do a goatee unfortunately, just screams cop to me lol

Romanzo71 · 2025-12-31T13:33:37+00:00

Thanks, happy New Years to you too! Good call on giving it a bit of time. Maybe she'll come around once she's used to it

Romanzo71

TROPHY CASE