At Formic, we’re not just making automation easy, accessible, and risk-free for U.S. manufacturers — we’re also helping build the next generation of manufacturing talent. There are 500,000 unfilled manufacturing jobs right now, and robots are key to closing the gap, but we need curious minds ready to take on the creative and complex roles that drive modern manufacturing forward.
Last week, Formic’s Continuous Improvement Engineer, Jonathan Rangel, visited Gompers Junior High School in Joliet, Illinois, to lead multiple Career Day sessions and share how fulfilling and dynamic a career in manufacturing can be. Drawing on his personal journey — from a fascination with robots to earning a mechanical engineering degree, working at Amazon, and ultimately landing at Formic — Rangel emphasized that nobody’s path into the industry looks the same.
“It was very important to show them that everything is possible if you put the hard work and dedication to your passion,” Rangel said.
Rangel also shared that one of the best parts of working as a robotics engineer is that no day looks the same. One day he might be programming an industrial robot, and the next day he might be tackling a unique challenge during a robot deployment. Rangel emphasized that at the core of it all is curiosity and persistence.
“You will struggle with things," he said. "But the struggle will lead you to creative ways of fixing things."
For students interested in a career in robotics, Rangel said it’s important “to keep trying.” He encouraged students to embrace trial and error, not as failure, but as the foundation of innovation.
“Engineering doesn’t necessarily teach you all the engineering skills, but it teaches you how to try, fail, try again, and fail again until you can try to fix things,” he said.
We’re proud to support young innovators like those at Gompers Junior High and will continue participating and investing in programs that spark curiosity, empower students, and build a stronger future for American manufacturing. The Formic Automation Community is another initiative focused on connecting manufacturing professionals to drive productivity, safety, and continuous improvement in U.S. manufacturing.
Learn more about Formic’s Automation Community here.