(WACO, Texas) – For Jason Solomon of Waco, waking up each day and getting ready to learn is a privilege.
“My outlook is I have a new lease on life,” he said. “I have realized because of my actions how many people I have hurt and how bad I hurt myself because of my actions. I don’t ever want to go back to that again. I feel free about it.”
Solomon began, in January, a seven-week Industrial Automation and Manufacturing Systems course at Texas State Technical College’s The WorkSITE (Skills, Innovation, Training and Education) on Wycon Drive in Waco. The course will wrap up later this month.
“It’s basically like jumping off a cliff into deep waters and not knowing how to swim,” Solomon said. “They throw you a little bit of a life raft to help you along, but you have to learn fast.”
Some of what Solomon has learned includes ladder logic, motor controls and variable frequency drive systems.
“It has not been easy,” he said. “There is mental dedication to it. If you are not fully engaged with what you are learning in the class and with your thought process and learning ability, you will not get it.”
Solomon said one challenge in the course was learning computer terminology for programmable logic controllers. He said wiring has been one of his favorite new skills.
“You are getting close to a real-world situation in a controlled environment,” Solomon said. “You have instructors that have real-life experience, and so they are passing that on to you. This is geared to get the foot in the door.”
Jose Terrazas, of Waco, is a classmate of Solomon’s. Terrazas said he admires Solomon’s ability to absorb information.
“If I could pick anyone in the class that could be a manager in the field, he could definitely be that,” Terrazas said. “He is coming up with solutions with our trainers. He figures out what is wrong, especially in hard wiring.”
Solomon grew up in California and attended college for a brief time. He was a truck driver for several years.
“I made some really bad decisions,” he said. “I went to prison. I came out of prison and I have pretty much lost everything because of the decisions I have made. I have been really fortunate that I have had support in the sense that my mom, she took over some of my finances and helped me out, and that increased my ability when I got out to start getting on my feet.”
Solomon learned about The WorkSITE and the course from a fellow member of Zeo Church in Waco. That contact was Teresa Collins, chamber administrator at the Cen-Tea African American Chamber of Commerce in Waco.
“I recommended The WorkSITE to him because I saw the potential in his drive and willingness to learn,” she said. “Since starting, he has shared with me how engaged he is with the curriculum and how excited he is about the teachers and the opportunities the program provides. He would also tell me about his excitement when he passed his tests each week, which shows how committed he is.”
Solomon has been studying companies and submitting work applications.
“Don’t be afraid to face challenges that will better yourself,” he said. “If you see something that is going to be better for your life and it will be a challenge, don’t be afraid to do it. In the end, the outlook will be better. You will have a sense of accomplishment that you may not have had in the past.”
The WorkSITE is an extension of TSTC’s existing Waco campus. For more information on The WorkSITE, go to worksite.org.