Worlds of Opportunity

A pair of degrees have helped Shiqin Chen carve out a career in international business — and he's only getting started.

Shiqin Chen's parents moved from China to the United States in 1993 to give their 12–year–old son and his younger sister better opportunities. Thanks to Saint Paul College, Chen now regularly returns to his homeland to create opportunities in the country he left behind.

Chen is a project manager for Blaine–based Advance Tool Inc. (ATi), a position he's held since January 2007. He oversees the tool manufacturing process for many of ATi's clients, ensuring that the tools are designed, built, and tested to the customer's specifications. ATi, a provider of design, engineering, and build services, is in the upper echelon of its niche, both in North America and worldwide. Serving a wide variety of customers in the consumer products, electronics, medical, and industrial industries, the company has established facilities in Asia to deepen its offshore toolilng relationships. It's a perfect fit for Chen. After earning a diploma in Machine Tool Processing–Tool and Die Moldmaking from Saint Paul College in May 2002, he accepted a job at a small tool shop in Stillwater, where he still lives.

He thrived in the job, thanks in part to his training. Students in the Machine Tool Processing–Tool and Die Moldmaking program learn basic manufacturing, computer skills, and communication skills, and are thoroughly prepared to step into cutting–edge work environments. "We teach the basics first," says Dick Wold, an instructor in the College's Machine Tool department. "Before we move students into programming and other more complex tasks, they have to have a good foundation. By the time most students complete the program, they can operate in most high–tech manufacturing environments."

While Chen was pleased with his degree and new job, he quickly saw an opportunity. Noticing all the work that could be done overseas, he made a bold decision. "I realized that I should go back to school and get a degree in international trade," he says. "I?m a hands–on person, so I was interested in tool and die making, but I saw an opportunity to combine the two degrees and build a more fulfilling career."

After consulting with Susan Senger, department chair and instructor in Saint Paul College's International Trade department, Chen returned to school, graduating with an International Trade Specialist AAS degree in December 2006. He was a model student. "Because Shiqin graduated from both programs, he has the hands–on experience as well as excellent perspective on the business side," Senger says. "He's able to see the big picture, so he understands how important globalization is in today's marketplace and can see where companies should be going in the future."

More importantly, Chen now is able to apply that knowledge in real–world business settings. "Shiqin has a very entrepreneurial spirit and is very intelligent," Senger says. "Because of his personality, he's very conscientious, works well with others, and has excellent leadership potential."

The respect is mutual. "Sue Senger is a really good teacher," Chen says. "She told me what I could expect in the job world from her experience working with international trade. She had lots of practical knowledge about things like what kinds of clients I would run into and the problems they would have. I appreciate what I learned from the College. All the teachers took the time to guide me through the courses."

New Challenges

After earning his second Saint Paul College degree, Chen found himself with a handful of job offers. "It gave me a lot of opportunities in the manufacturing field, but I chose ATi because I wanted to specialize in tooling," he says. "I enjoy the challenge of it. There's something different every day."

Chen now visits China at least once a year, splitting his time between facilities in Panyu and Shenzhen. "I help U.S. companies do tooling offshore," he says. "Sometimes our company goes offshore because a customer is demanding it. Sometimes we export tools to Canada or Mexico — wherever the customer wants it to go. The main reason for going offshore is labor costs."

Without his International Trade degree from Saint Paul College, Chen would not be in a position to ensure the quality of his work. "If I didn't have that degree, I would have to rely on other people to do all the paperwork," he says. "Since I have it, I can check on other people and make sure that they're doing my paperwork right."

Indeed, a significant portion of Chen's work is leaping through the logistics hoops that are part and parcel of doing business overseas. "My International Trade degree helped me with the logistics of my job — how to coordinate paperwork, get supplies to people in China, and get the finished product back to the United States," he says.

For instance, after shipping some colored resin to China, it became stuck in customs due to missing paperwork from ATi's customer. "We let the customer know what paperwork they needed to send to us with all the right HTS [Harmonized Tariff Schedule] numbers on it so we could import it into China," Chen says.

With two degrees in hand, Chen foresees a bright future. ?Saint Paul College opened up my mind and taught me what I needed to learn to get tools shipped smoothly from one country to the next," he says. "I hope to get more designing or engineering experience and make a career in this field."

And that is a big part of what a college experience is all about.

Phil Bolsta is a Blaine-based freelance writer.

Learn more about our International Trade program and our Machine Tool Technology program.