career connection
ford asset program
EARN WHILE YOU LEARN
Will Reyes may only be 19 years old, but he
is already well on his way to fulfilling the big
plans he has for his future: to become a master
at automotive diagnostics and repair and be a
respected technician in his field.
Growing up in Rainseville, Alabama, Will had always been
drawn to the profession; the love for cars runs in the family. Will
says, “Many of my fellow technicians at my school and in deal-
erships went into this career path because their fathers or other
family figures were mechanics. We were exposed to car repair at
an early age and grew to love it. I personally know I did because
my dad was a mechanic and so was his dad.”
“It came to me once we had to think about careers in high
school. I already did some work on my own cars then and I
figured I liked it so much, why not do it professionally?”
Once Will knew what he wanted to do, he did his research and
decided to attend Lawson State Community College to obtain his
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Fall 2017
Associate in Automotive Technology in the Ford Asset program.
Will is taking advantage of one of the program’s best features-the
ability to do real hands-on work in his chosen field while attend-
ing classes. He says, “I work with a technician at my dealership
who teaches me a lot of in-depth diagnostics and repair. I also
do other smaller tasks around the dealership that my service
manager wants, such as oil changes and simple repairs.” Once he
graduates, he will continue to work in that same dealership and
continue to learn and hone his skills as he advances in his career.
“I wouldn’t exactly recommend this field to just anybody.
You have to love cars and motors along with some physically
demanding work,” Will says. “It’s not a career you can think to
yourself and say Hmm, Technicians make good money, I’ll go
this route. What I’m trying to say is, you will know if you want
to be an automotive technician.” But when you love the work
like Will does, it shows. When asked what he loves best about his
career choice he says, “Just the work, no matter how difficult, and
knowing you fixed a car that was not working properly fast and
efficiently for someone.”
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