Blue Hills grad Dave Rinaldi succeeds in Japan

Alumni of Blue Hills Regional Technical School in Canton use their education in countless ways. Some continue in the career field they studied at the school; others branch out in a totally new direction. A few leave these shores to journey to foreign lands where they use their technical knowledge very creatively.

Canton native Dave Rinaldi

Dave Rinaldi is one of those enterprising people. Rinaldi, 40, a native of Canton who is now based in Japan, studied electronics at Blue Hills and graduated in 1988. His older brother Michael blazed a similar path, graduating eight years earlier from Blue Hills. Both brothers served in the U.S. Navy.

“Learning electronics at Blue Hills gave me a great foundation to reach the place I am at today,” Rinaldi wrote in an email. “I had a lot of hands-on [experience] at Blue Hills, and the basic troubleshooting skills I learned there have been invaluable as well. One other point was the freedom we had. The teachers didn’t try to micromanage us and let us work on our own and in teams, much like a normal working environment. The experience gave me a head start when I entered the workforce.”

“After graduating from Blue Hills in electronics, I joined the U.S. Navy and studied electronics [there] as well,” Rinaldi added. “I then got out of the Navy and went to technical school in California (graduating with a bachelor’s degree in electronics). Upon graduation, I got hired by a Japanese electron optics company, and that paved the way for me to come to Japan and work.”

Rinaldi, who has lived in Japan for ten years, is a service engineer for an electron optics company.

“I do repairs and give training on electron optical devices,” he explained. “The repairs involve repairs on electronic equipment.”

“I love my current job because it is challenging,” Rinaldi pointed out. “I make my own schedule, and I am responsible for all of the customers in Japan. I have a lot of freedom in how I do my work, and a lot of people depend on me. I work at research facilities and universities and meet a lot of interesting people. My job is difficult, but I do enjoy that aspect of it. I work in a field that utilizes cutting-edge technology, and that keeps my job interesting.”

Rinaldi wrote enthusiastically about the advantages of a Blue Hills education: “I think that going to Blue Hills is a good choice because it gives students a lot more opportunities after graduation than a regular high school would. I don’t think that where you go to college makes a huge difference, but more so the diversity of things you have learned and experienced. I think Blue Hills gives students the choice to go to college or enter the workforce directly after graduation. The diversity of a Blue Hills education will stand out to employers looking for unique and interesting individuals.”

As for what he would tell students about choosing a career, Rinaldi put his advice succinctly and emphatically: “You do not have to do what everyone else does. Do something that makes you happy so you want to wake up every day and go to work.”

Submitted by Judy Bass

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=8644

Posted by Canton Citizen on Sep 28 2011. Filed under Features. Both comments and pings are currently closed.