Like a lot of young adults, 23-year-old Justin Attenweiler thought he knew a thing or two about beer – but he decided to enroll in Wake Tech’s craft beer brewing class to learn more about the industry. Today, he’s cellarman at Big Boss Brewing Company in Raleigh! He’s in charge of a variety of tasks, including carbonating beer, labeling bottles, cleaning kegs, and handling orders from distributors.

Justin’s new career began just a few months ago, right after he completed the class in craft beer brewing, offered through Wake Tech’s Continuing Education Division. It’s taught at Wake Tech’s Northern Wake Campus – and on site at Big Boss. Justin enrolled out of interest, but to his delight, he was quickly hired part time by the brewing company and promoted to full time within a few weeks.

He says Wake Tech made his new career possible: “I didn’t have any experience in the industry, and now look where I am! The hands-on training made it possible for me to really see how things work rather than just reading about it in a book.” 

Justin is excited about his future! He says there are ample opportunities for advancement in the industry, and he hopes to brew beer himself one day. “In my old jobs I was just going through the motions,” Justin says. “Now, I’m making good money doing something I enjoy. I have Wake Tech to thank for that!”