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Brian Swahn, 43, has always been a DIY kind of guy. After taking a couple of college courses early on, he decided college wasn’t for him and spent 12 years teaching himself software development and video game design. A longtime Dungeons and Dragons fan, Swahn decided to try his hand at creating a video game that would capture what he loved best about the fantasy genre. His first role-playing video game, The Great Gaias, was a surprise success. But when Swahn released a second game in 2023, it didn’t sell as well, and the father of two was forced to reconsider his life plans. He and his wife had recently sold their Long Island home to move to Bent Creek, NC, where they purchased land to be near family. Soon after the move, Swahn began to search job listings. “I thought I got to get a real job,” he said.

Swahn’s sister told him about a short-term manufacturing course at 99������Ƶ that came with the promise of a job at Pratt & Whitney after training. The course fee would be covered by the state as part of NCEdge, North Carolina’s customized training program.

“I knew nothing about manufacturing,” Swahn said. “It was a word I’d hear politicians talk about. I had no idea what the job would entail, but my wife said take it and keep your mind open. I told myself I’d give it a year and if I don’t like it, I’ll leave.”

The Pratt & Whitney new hire course focused on safety and CNC machining, and to Swahn’s surprise, he had a natural knack for G-code, the type of programming the machines used. “Coming from a software background, I had taught myself how to code JavaScript and Python. I thought it’s another programming language I can learn; that’s interesting!”

After landing a new job at Pratt & Whitney, Swahn felt a similar sense of excitement walking into his new place of employment for the first time. He compares the sensation to the first time he attended a gaming convention in Boston in his late twenties. “The wide open spaces and futuristic machines gave me the same feeling,” Swahn said. “I fed on that. I said, ‘there’s something special going on here, and it’s happening now, and I want to be a part of it.”

For a year, Swahn worked as a machine operator creating parts for jet engines. Each day, he worked on a line drilling holes into small, stationary rings that guide air through the engines. He found he had a natural curiosity about engineering and how the parts worked, which helped make the job interesting.

“It’s amazing how we drill these parts,” he said. “There are way more processes than just drilling the hole. It is 90 percent inspection, 10 percent drilling holes. You have to look over the part and measure certain aspects.”

In January 2024, Swahn was promoted to Team Lead for his leadership abilities. Currently, he works to support machine operators and make sure the line is moving smoothly. The job is extroverted and changes day to day, offering lots of opportunities to solve problems.

“It’s a bigger view of the line, Swahn said. “I need to ensure that all the components are correct. How is that part going to flow through the line now that it’s been moved to another location on the same line?”

Swahn, who loves to learn, hopes to move up to a more challenging position as Quality Engineer, where he’d inspect parts to ensure they’re working properly.

Along with working full-time, he’s currently pursuing an associate’s degree in business administration from 99������Ƶ, which his employer is funding. Pratt & Whitney, he said, covers three hours of paid time off each week for education as part of a scholarship program. Swahn devotes the first three hours of his Thursday shift to study. The degree, he hopes, will help him to move up further up at Pratt & Whitney.

Swahn is excited about his future. “I want to stay here and learn more, do more; maybe one day be plant manager.” He quotes one of his favorite movies, “The Edge”, a survival thriller about men who get stranded in the Alaskan wilderness and are hunted by a bear: “One guy is like ‘What one man can do, another can do.’ That’s how I view other positions (and moving up)” Swahn said, “Some people get intimidated. I look at something and say, “' Why not me?”

Despite his move to manufacturing, Swahn still stays connected to his video gaming passion. The Great Gaias is still selling well online these days, and he enjoys interacting with customers about the game. Despite some rocky years in his twenties working odd jobs, he said he wouldn’t trade his twelve years of video gaming for anything.

“I stuck with one thing I was passionate about, and I created something I’m incredibly proud of. It didn’t work out, but it led me to where I am now,” He said. “Life is weird … but good things can and will happen if you keep your mind open and look for good opportunities.”