TSTC Automotive Technology students cherish time in shop with instructors

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Texas State Technical College’s Automotive Technology program provides students with something they cannot find in textbooks: first-hand knowledge.

Students Tanner Tankersley and Brady Kennemur said instructors Mike Myers and Gerod Strother bring their knowledge to the lab sessions in a way that helps them prepare for the workforce.

“The best aspect of this program is the hands-on approach taught by Mike and Gerod,” Kennemur said. “They show us how things work and how things are made.”

Tankersley said the instructors are preparing students for a career.

“They are teaching us everything we need to know in order to be ready for our profession,” he said. “You are taught a lot more by people who have experience.”

Automotive work was not the first career choice for Kennemur.

“I wanted to be a computer engineer. That is something I had been learning since I was 15,” he said. “But then I found out there is nothing better than fixing a car. And most cars have computers in them.”

Kennemur toured the TSTC campus while attending Big Spring High School, but the automotive department was closed that day.

“I had a feeling about the program and decided to tour it,” he said. “I came back and enrolled in the program later that day.”

Tankersley, of Rotan, said he always enjoyed working on cars, and taking classes at TSTC will help him in the future.

“I enjoy being around everyone and working together,” he said. “I hope to continue learning things to prepare me for work.”

Both students return home and work on vehicles and with families and friends.

“I can show them some of the certain things I learned in class,” Tankersley said.

Kennemur said people interested in an automotive career should consider TSTC first.

“There is not a friendlier environment than what is here at TSTC,” he said. “If you are planning to go into mechanics, the more hands-on work you get, the better. We get the best hands-on work from the best instructors. They want us to succeed.”

For more information on TSTC, visit tstc.edu.