NAME: CLAYTON MALLIETT
TITLE: MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS ENGINEER
AT MOLSON COORS SINCE: 2022
When Clayton Malliett, manufacturing systems engineer at Molson Coors’ Golden Brewery, was in high school, his answer to the all-too-common “what do you want to be when you grow up,” question was an easy one for him: criminal justice.
Now, the Wisconsin native works in tech at a brewery in Colorado.
It goes to show that career paths are winding journeys, with so many options to choose from and so many opportunities to expand your horizons.
“I would not have imagined that I would be in a different state, in an important role in technology,” says Malliett. “But I kind of took things as I went and tried my best.”
Out of high school, Malliett followed his initial passion of criminal justice, working various security jobs while enrolled in a criminal justice program. From there, he worked in corrections at a youth correctional facility. After two years in that role, he came to a realization that he wanted something else from his career.
So he looked for a new one.
As he thought about making a big career shift, Malliett leaned toward his ever-present interest in tech. He’d do programs like Code Academy for fun, but lacked any formal training in the subject. While that may seem like a barrier for many, Malliett proved that if you have the desire to learn while taking on new challenges, you can break barriers.
>In 2021, Malliett enrolled in Milwaukee’s i.c. stars, a hands-on, technology-based leadership training program for young adults that supports emerging tech workers from underrepresented backgrounds and helps place them in professional roles. Malliett not only thrived in the program by producing stand-out deliverables in competition-style settings, but he also helped improve the program in the process.
“Clayton did amazing while he was in our program, he never missed a beat,” says Blanca Gonzales, executive director of i.c. stars. “He was our one intern who told us about emphasizing the importance of focusing on work-life balance withing the program. … He helped foster that by bringing plants and seeds into the office and having other interns plant them with him.”
While Malliett was planting seeds that helped liven up the workplace, he was also planting seeds toward a new future while working with i.c. stars, and Molson Coors – a key sponsor of i.c. stars that looks for emerging talent withing the program – took notice.
Through his success in i.c. stars, he connected with Jonah Turner, head of technology innovation at Molson Coors, leading him to join the company’s IT rotational program, where entry-level employees work in different IT functions for two years, giving them exposure to different parts of the business.
“I told Jonah initially that I was looking to transition careers, and that I was looking to find a passion within technology and a company I can establish a successful career within,” says Malliett. “Both of those things happened at Molson Coors. In my first rotation in the Milwaukee brewery, I kind of just fell in love with the environment of the brewery.”
After finishing the program, Malliett knew he found what he wanted to do. Supporting tech for manufacturing systems meant he got to constantly help people when issues arise – a passion he developed during his time in criminal justice – while also furthering his emerging love of technology and broadening his career aspirations.
So when the opportunity arose in Golden, Malliett took it with the support of Turner and Molson Coors’ technology innovation team. He’s starting a new life, with a new career in a new city, but one thing is staying the same: he’s following his passion, and he recommends that everyone – especially those looking to transition to tech like he did – follow theirs as well.
“The main thing I’m a proponent of is finding you passion within technology,” says Malliett. “There’s so many different aspects in technology that you can get into, so in order for you to thrive you have to have a passion for what you’re doing. Don’t settle for things you aren’t passionate about.”