Credit a bad breakup, a lot of emailing and an enthusiastic Wake Tech instructor for helping Josh Cloud get to where he is today.

Cloud, a shift supervisor at CSL Seqirus' vaccine plant in Holly Springs, was a chef a decade ago. His then-fiancée challenged him to find something more fulfilling.

"Women make you do crazy things," he recently said with a laugh, noting that, after the engagement ended, he was driven to prove her wrong.

There was a slight hitch, though: He had no clue as to what he should do.

Cloud's degree and all of his job experience was in the restaurant industry, but he didn't want to stay there. "Chef work is not as glamorous as TV makes it look," he said.

So, he began emailing the directors of various Wake Tech programs that sounded interesting, from Welding Technology to Electronics Engineering Technology, to get a better feel for each program and what was involved. Clif Hinton, who headed the college's Biopharmaceutical Technology program at the time, quickly responded, and Cloud says he went with that program because of Hinton's enthusiasm.

"I felt like it had a great opportunity for growth," he said. "I knew I could do something more fulfilling than what I was doing. All I needed was the experience and the knowledge."

The Biopharmaceutical Technology program gave him the necessary knowledge, and Career Services helped him get the experience by bringing companies like Seqirus to campus for recruiting and networking events.

Cloud started at Seqirus as a contractor as he was finishing his Associate in Applied Science degree at Wake Tech and then was hired full time in 2018 as he continued his education. Through Wake Tech's partnership with East Carolina University, his degree credits transferred, and he was able to complete a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology online.

After working on the vaccine packaging line, he was promoted to formulation associate, then shift lead. He is now a supervisor at the plant, the senior on-floor position, and says he tries to help others grow in their careers as he has in his.

"You never know when an interaction with someone on the floor can create an opportunity for learning," he said.

Cloud also tries to help Wake Tech students get started on their careers. He has spoken to a Biopharmaceutical Technology class and helped recruit new employees for Seqirus at a career fair.

"We love when Wake Tech alumni come back to recruit our students. It feels full circle and gives students a chance to see a clear, accessible path to their future career," Dean of Career Services Korrie Blanchard Smith said.

Alumni offer students a sense of familiarity that builds confidence, Blanchard Smith says.

"If we have a student who is nervous or unsure about talking to companies at the fair, when we introduce them to an alum, even if not directly related to their major, you'll see them relax a little and smile," she said. "We believe it creates this instant camaraderie and allows the student to seek out the information they need."

Cloud says the Wake Tech students he's met through these interactions show promise, and he sees a bit of himself in them.

"I believe you can learn anything, but you need the desire to succeed in a job," he said. "A little bit of work and the right attitude, and you can do whatever you want."