Why I Went to College in Murfreesboro, and Stayed

Jeff Adkins

Brendon Cox started his high school studies at Oakland High School in Murfreesboro with plans to pursue its International Baccalaureate program but discovered that he was drawn to mechatronics. For the remainder of high school, he made the field his focus before deciding to go to college in Murfreesboro and pursue a mechatronics engineering major at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in 2018. He graduated in 2023 and already had a job lined up as an applications engineer at Woods Air Movement. 

“I really loved studying mechatronics at MTSU. It’s a great campus and a great course of study,” Cox says. “I enjoyed the hands-on aspect. It wasn’t as much lecture training, where you’re sitting in a room all the time studying – it was more learning the material by doing.” 

Cox loves being in Rutherford County. It’s near enough to Nashville to enjoy the amenities of big city living, but far enough away that owning a few acres is an option. Read on to hear more about why he decided it was the ideal place to call home. 

What made you choose MTSU instead of other universities that may offer a similar course of study? 
There really aren’t that many schools outside of Tennessee that offer mechatronics, and MTSU was close to home. When I started college, I think my options were Motlow State Community College, Texas Tech University, University of Texas and University of Tennessee … I was happy to stay at home where I was. 

How did MTSU help prepare you for the professional world? 
I worked on resume writing in class with a professor at MTSU. There is also a Career Development Center that offers advising and help with internships, so the resources are definitely available. One of the benefits of living in Murfreesboro is that there’s a lot of industry here, so finding a job isn’t difficult. 

MTSU also has a ton of job fairs. I ended up coming across Woods Air Movement in an internet search while taking my last class and started there a couple of weeks later while I was finishing up my degree. 

What opportunities have you had to work with a mentor in your industry or be a mentor to someone else? 
One of the nice things about going to Oakland High School and MTSU and working here in Murfreesboro is that professors or teachers are easy to get in touch with. I can contact any of them if I want to mentor someone who is going down the same path as I am. 

Also, one of Woods Air Movement’s main focuses is to work with the community and get involved. We have a representative who works with us, and at Christmas, we did a food drive with them. We work with the community on building projects, and we also source as many materials and component parts as we can right here in Murfreesboro to try to keep everything within the community and grow the city as a whole. 

Where would you suggest a young professional live in the area? 
It depends on what you’re looking for, but there are great apartments here, like The Banks at West Fork, which has a beautiful overlook of the Stones River. If you’re looking for a house, there really aren’t any bad communities in Murfreesboro. The Barfield area has a lot of nice newer housing – it’s an up-and-coming area. You can also live in a place like Readyville, where I live, and it’s 15 minutes outside of Murfreesboro, but you can essentially live off the grid. It’s a small community, but you don’t have to live around people and you’re close to work. People who want to own horses or cows, or farm a little on the side, have that option here. 

What would you do on your ideal Saturday? 
We’re 45 minutes from Nashville, so there’s tons to do there, from live music to bar hopping to going to the Grand Ole Opry or the Ryman Auditorium. 

Here in Murfreesboro, Barfield Crescent Park is a massive park with disc golf and walking trails. There is a lot of nature around Murfreesboro. 

MJ’s Sports Bar and Grill is a pool hall, and we have movie theaters and bowling alleys. Main Event recently opened. The Avenue is a big outdoor shopping center. Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint is a really good burger restaurant, and the other place I’d recommend is called The Goat (in Murfresboro), which is a higher-end place that is a great date night location.