Technical education pays off

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

Jared Wagner's hands are black with grease; his work clothes look like an advertisement for Tide, and he has a few bandages on his fingers. But, when he's on the job at Diesel Services of Northern Colorado, he's generally smiling.

That could be because he's doing something he enjoys and finds challenging. It could be because, at age 23, he already has a well-paid job. It could be that job security isn't an issue for him. His job can't be outsourced to India, and diesel mechanics are in such short supply that his services are in high demand.

In fact, according to Marybeth Snyder, partner and business manager at Diesel Services, pay for diesel mechanics is increasing all the time and will probably go up 50 percent in the next 10 years. "Sooner or later, we are going to have a crisis in the number of truck mechanics, just as we have with nurses," she said. Even now, experienced mechanics are hard to find.

Wagner is a poster boy for the value of technical education. When young people start thinking about careers that can support a family, the trades are often overlooked, but there are many opportunities out there that are interesting and pay good money. At Diesel Services, for example, wages range from $10.26 per hour for an apprentice with no experience to $28 per hour.

Wagner grew up on a farm outside Holly, a small community in southeast Colorado. He started tinkering with irrigation engines when he was about 6 and gradually learned to repair trucks, tractors and other farm equipment. By the time he was in high school, he was spending his free time in the bus barn, helping the school bus mechanics keep their vehicles running. He acquired cars for himself by fixing other people's discards.

There was no class in mechanics at Holly High School, but Wagner's skill level was already beyond most high school classes, anyway.

From an early age, Wagner knew he wanted to work in a technical field. He decided on diesel mechanics for the same reason many of his colleagues did: with his large hands, it's easier to access the engine parts on a big truck than on a small import car.

Wagner also fits the mold of modern-day technicians in another important way: he figured out that he needed training beyond high school to acquire the skills to land a good job. "It used to be that if you grew up on a farm, you'd have the basic skills to work here," Snyder said. Not anymore, since trucks are run by computers and require more than mechanical know-how.

Wagner chose Wyoming Technical Institute in Laramie because it was considered the top technical school in the area. Young people from all over the United States came for the same reason, and students from Saudi Arabia were there as well, sharpening their skills for working in the oil fields.

The nine-month course in diesel mechanics was intense, Wagner said, with all-day classes and plenty of discipline. Students were required to clean the shop every night before quitting and the instructors were sticklers for keeping track of tools. This experience with a positive work ethic is valuable to employers, Snyder noted.

Truck mechanics is hard physical work, with lots of heavy lifting. Nonetheless, Wagner gets a lot of satisfaction from his job. He enjoys completing projects, and he gets to use his reasoning skills, patience and a good sense of humor. Creativity is also involved, especially when the mechanics have to fabricate their own parts.

Although the prospect is still far away, Wagner knows that his body may not be able to handle the heavy work for another 40 years. When that's no longer possible, he'll still have several options, including teaching, owning his own business, being a fleet manager for a large company or doing vehicle diagnostics.

For Wagner, there were several advantages to getting trained at a technical school rather than a four-year college. He was able to get a job quickly, compared to many liberal arts graduates, because diesel mechanics are in demand.

"In this industry we're competing for the good kids," Snyder stated.

Tech school was also more focused on the career after the training, Wagner said. The faculty, with plenty of personal experience in the field, were very interested in their students' success. Officials at Wyoming Tech help students with the job search, and they boast an 89 percent placement rate for their graduates.

Tuition cost is not an advantage at most technical schools, because hands-on education costs more to deliver than lecture classes. Wyoming Tech now charges about $23,000 in tuition for the nine-month diesel mechanic program, while full-time tuition at Colorado State runs about $3,500 per year for a resident undergraduate who applies for a state voucher. However, since the training time is shorter at a tech school, living expenses are considerably less.

Wagner recommends technical training for those who have an interest in one of the many fields available. "If that's what you want to do, go for it," he said.

Snyder, always on the lookout for diesel mechanics of the future, offers tours of Diesel Services to high school classes or individuals as a way of exposing more young people to careers in diesel mechanics. She noted that other careers are also possible there, including work as service consultants or drivers and shop assistants.

"Not everyone can sit in an office in front of a computer," said Snyder. "Almost everything we buy is on a truck at some time, and someone's got to fix the truck that brings that computer."