A Black Man with no Diploma Built a Jet Engine Afterburner
By: Jennifer Wilson Davis
Tags: Education Technology, Engineering, Regret, Technology, Science

Do we need a college degree at all to succeed, be happy, or make a living as African Americans? My boyfriend Joe has no high school diploma yet fabricated a jet engine out of a juice can, to my astonishment. I watched as he 3D printed a BattleBot and used his Dremel, industrial hot glue, soldering iron, and table saw to make it a functioning robot. BattleBots is an American robot combat television series that only a few select niche of humans enjoy watching. I am one of the outliers. The robot specifications to submit to be on the program include, dressing spiffy and having a unique looking build that can be branded. That seems simple enough. The component of the robot hand builds he does include the radio controller, wheels, batteries, and more. He was self-taught in the operations of finding g-code (Geometric Code) and then using the software to 3D print the things he deemed worthy (phonographs and unidentified flying objects(?)).

One day as we discussed our son’s future within the public school system as a young African American child, we came to a realization that we both wanted him in a S.T.E.M. focused program before Kindergarten even begins (science, technology, engineering, and math). The realization came when we assessed Joe’s hobbies. Joe wants his son to mirror some of the interests that he has.

“You mean S.T.E.M. hobbies”, I asked. “What is S.T.E.M.?” he said.

The list of his hobbies ranges from:

· Building functioning scale model train tables

· Building BattleBots from scratch for the past 20 years

· Building RC (radio controlled) cars for the past 20 years

· 3D printing for the last six months

· Building a BattleBot Arena Table with Alexa controlled (Fairy App) LED (light-emitting diode) addressable lights

· Installing a very loud sound system in his vehicle with little assistance

· Installing LED (light-emitting diode) addressable lights on his vehicles

· Installing LED (light-emitting diode) addressable lights on his wheel rims alone

· Building Airsoft components (everything used on the field)

· Repairing CB (Citizens Band) radios

· Welding, sawing, and drilling all his own projects and inventions (fabrication)

· Building Cryptocurrency mining rigs

· Building Hydroponics and Aquaponics set ups

· Computerized Telescopes

· Astrophotography

· Raspberry Pi set up

· Building an arcade cabinet with functioning buttons and joysticks from scratch with no blueprints

· Music production and navigating music production software

· Building a fan for a grill (attachment)

· A Colin Furze electric bike build

· Extensive knowledge on any new technology

· General extensive knowledge within the S.T.E.M. field

· A souped-up cane for the elderly

I decided on my own to assist him with building a video catalog and let our son observe the process (from a safe distance) to pique our son’s interest in the S.T.E.M. field. I conducted research on similar people to Joe. Within each of the hobbies I could find no other uneducated African American participants or content creator. I felt very defeated and completely out of my league by even presenting his hobby content to the public. The deeper I dove into the market audience that participated in these types of hobbies the more I found PhD’s and rocket scientists. My heart dropped and I tried to understand why he was not like his peers.

“Why do you like doing this stuff?”, I asked. “I have liked it since I was a kid and watched Mr. Wizard”, he said.

I have never seen the show.

Aha moment! This could pay off for our son even though the tasks are only hobbies to Joe. I propose that early childhood observational learning combined with a mandatory college degree will result in a successful life for our black son. I immediately sat my son in a corner of the mancave as Joe searched the internet for free G Code and constructed BattleBots every weekend. After about three minutes our son gets antsy and runs off into the playroom, leaving me to inhale the smoke from the soldering iron hitting the filament and wires.

I have a General Education Diploma (G.E.D.) and a Master’s degree in Adult Education and was taught that learning styles do not exist. I have observed firsthand that YouTube does assist those who learn visually. I understand that focused educational observational learning can be important for young children to steer them in the right direction career wise. The age of the child does not matter as to when you begin to introduce S.T.E.M. terminology. Reading technology focused books and consistently discussing build components will build language and knowledge skills in your child. We want to be a positive example of the need for technical language building in children.

In high paying technology careers, it is always important to build fun activities into lessons. Early lessons in tool recognition, tool safety, fabrication, modification, modeling, and creation can open a world of opportunities. Local technical colleges offer basic Computer Science & Digital Media programs and Technical & Industrial programs that can all lead to successful career or business owner pathways. This is especially true dealing with inventions, innovations, and health improvement. Obtaining a degree within the S.T.E.M. field is advantageous for global unity and problem solving.

Let us circle back to the opening question. “Do we need a college degree at all to succeed, be happy, or make a living as African Americans?” Joe has no time to invest in his hobbies because he is stuck out on the road all day as a truck driver. He is an essential worker, but because he lacks a high school diploma and subsequent college education, he cannot fulfill his passion. This is evidenced by his first YouTube video “Homemade Jet Engine Afterburner” in 2009. Twelve years later he started over again by building an arcade cabinet with retro games for his son. Studies will always show that African Americans are disproportionally affected negatively in career areas. When you do not fulfill your passion in life you are not happy. He feels successful some of the time but not 100% of the time. He is interested in the technology field of employment, but as a man who is almost 50 years old and has no hope of obtaining a degree the only way, he can share his talent is through a video sharing platform. I am determined not to make the same mistakes with our son that he made by not finishing school.