From Uncertainty to Building a Legacy: Degree in Automated Industrial Tech Provides Financial Security

By Anne Denogean, External Relations

When Ariane Davaul began studying Automated Industrial Technology (AIT) at Pima Community College in January 2020, she didn’t have a clear career goal. What began as an exploratory path turned into a life-changing journey that now sees her employed at Texas Instruments, earning more than double her previous wages.

Before finding her calling in AIT, Ariane worked in various fields, making no more than $12 an hour despite the personal satisfaction those positions offered. A mentor at Pima County One-Stop, Bonnie Bazata, encouraged her to consider Advanced Industrial Technology, describing it as a growing field with significant potential. Intrigued, Ariane took the plunge.

“I didn't know if I was going to do anything with it, or even what kind of job I could get with it,” Ariane said. “But the electronics, the mechanical and robotics seemed super cool to me. Once I got into it, I fell in love with the hands-on aspect of it. I found studying electricity and how electronics work just fascinating.”

Today, after earning two certificates and completing her Associate of Applied Science degree in AIT in December 2022, Ariane now makes a solid, livable wage as a lead lab technician in a research and development lab for electronics at Texas Instruments. She could become a lab manager and nearly double her earnings upon completion of a bachelor’s degree. She plans to enroll at Northern Arizona University in 2025 and pursue a bachelor’s degree of science in Engineering Technology

“It’s empowering to have a plan after having struggled and overcome so much,” said Ariane, single mother to a teenage daughter. “I definitely feel I'm setting a good example to my daughter about valuing education and bettering yourself financially and career wise.”

Ariane was born in Glendale, Arizona into a military family. Her family moved around the globe, from Greece and Germany, back to the United States. She graduated from high school in Abilene, Texas, and considers it her hometown.

Ariane had her daughter in Michigan in 2008 and moved shortly afterwards to Tucson, a city where her dad once served and where her parents met. Ariane worked in a variety of different medical-related careers for the next decade or so, always in survival mode and seeking ways to improve her outlook. She met Bonnie while taking a financial literacy program called Getting Ahead.

“Every time I turned around this lady was feeding me little nuggets of wisdom,” Ariane said.

Ariane was considering returning to school for a psychology degree when Bonnie encouraged her to consider AIT at Pima, a field then known as mechatronics. That eventually led Ariane to Stephanie Dennison, Pima director of student experience and enrollment, who, like Bonnie, counseled Ariane to focus on a career with a “thriving wage.” The advice struck a chord with Ariane, who was tired of the financial struggles.

The AIT program was challenging, especially as Ariane stepped into what is traditionally a male-dominated field. But she found support from faculty and mentors.

“Applied Technology Dean Greg Wilson always cheered me on, telling me I could do this,” Ariane recalled. AIT lab specialist Sara Lopez encouraged her as well. “People think of this as ‘boys’ stuff,’” Ariane said, “but Sara would always remind me, ‘We girls stick together. You can do anything the guys can do.’”

Thanks to Pell Grants, other scholarships and her eventual hiring as an AIT tutor, Ariane was able to complete her degree without accumulating a penny of student debt. Her role as a tutor also opened doors, leading to an internship with Texas Instruments, one of the top 10 semiconductor companies worldwide based on sales volume. They hired her as a paid intern at considerably more than Tucson’s minimum wage.

After six months, she was offered the full-time lab position with another sizable pay increase. Looking back, Ariane is stunned at how drastically her life has improved since she first enrolled at Pima.

“The classes were intimidating at first, but once I got into it, I liked it so much that it didn’t feel like work. There are so many options in AIT, from robotics to automation to maintenance, and all of them are rewarding. I became an engineering technician, but there's so many other things you can do with a career in AIT. You don't have to stick with one career path, but they're all lucrative” Ariane said.