Cole learned the art of glassblowing at Goddard College, where he also experimented in painting, metal, wood, blacksmithing, and stained glass. In 1968, living with his wife in an 1850s homestead, he converted their barn into a glass studio and ironwork shop. After much experimentation, he attended Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina, to study with Mark Peiser, a key figure in the American Studio Art Glass Movement. In 1973, Cole received a Ford Foundation Fellowship, which was granted to a select amount of rural New England educators/mentors to bring enrichment to local communities. Cole observed glass studios and factories, cataloged their techniques and aesthetics, and studied the structure of glass furnaces and equipment. He was accepted to study glass blowing at the Orrefors Glass Factory in Sweden for six months, where he learned the solid, basic techniques of glassblowing.

After getting a master's degree from Goddard, Chet began reorganizing and enlarging his homestead studio, building his own furnaces, annealing ovens, tools and other essentials. This small, low-tech studio setting was in great contrast to the large glass factories that had become the norm around the world. Also unconventional was his use of recycled glass, which marked him as a pioneer in the American Studio Art Glass Movement. Designing for the unpredictable nature of recycled glass was a challenge for creativity, and required careful observation, manipulation and adjustment for each formula and color. Chet understood by seeing and feeling when the glass was ready for use.