Reving Up His Job Skills in the Motorcycle & Power Equipment Program
For many senior high school students in Lawrence County and across Western Pennsylvania, the path after graduation feels unclear. Aaron Dilling knows that uncertainty firsthand. As a student of Mohawk High School in New Castle, PA, Aaron knew sitting in a classroom wasn’t leading him into the future. “I just couldn’t connect,” he said. “I never liked the traditional school setting.”
He studied welding from 10th to 12th grade, and while the more technical nature of the work was interesting and fun, he knew something was still missing. He found his passion in motorcycles. More specifically, the Motorcycle & Power Equipment Technology program at NCST, where Aaron looks to find a job as a motorcycle mechanic. “I found my calling,” Aaron said. Aaron enjoyed working on motorcycles and found the industry’s stability and high job demand (without the crushing debt of a four-year degree) a great start to a promising future.
We sat down with Aaron to discuss his experience, what motorcycle and small-engine repair school is really like, and how this career works with being a parent.
Watch: Training for a Career as a Motorcycle Mechanic
Student Perspective: Inside NCST’s Motorcycle Mechanic Training
Q: How did you decide on NCST’s Motorcycle Program?
Aaron: When I was going through high school, trade schools and big colleges kind of scared me. I didn’t want to repeat the high school experience. I was worried it would be the same thing, just sitting in classrooms, staring at screens, feeling lost. But I found motorcycles to be a passion in my life. I love working on them. I wanted to know more, how to tear down a motor, do all the fun stuff that people do. When I saw that New Castle School of Trades had a motorcycle mechanic program, I jumped in as fast as I could.
Q: What is the time commitment, and what kind of credentials do you earn?
Aaron: The Motorcycle and Power Equipment Technology program at NCST is a 15-month program that gives you an associate’s degree. Most people don’t realize that it gives you an actual college degree. When I first got in here, I knew it was going to be hands-on because you can only teach so much with motorcycles from a book. But it’s more of actually doing it—that’s when you really learn it. If you come in here and you don’t learn anything, you’ve wasted the day. You’re paying for it, so why waste it?
Q: Why is trade school Plan A for your future?
Aaron: People think it’s a Plan B or Plan C because society tells them, ‘Oh, go get a $100,000 degree.’ But I’m not here for the money. I’m here because I love it. It’s always been Plan A. Is it a good career path where you can make money? Absolutely. But if motorcycle and power equipment are going to be a good career for you, you need to have the passion to make it a good career.
Q: What’s the student culture like at NCST? Is it competitive or collaborative?
Aaron: The students in the motorcycle program and the other programs at NCST are usually willing to help you if you need it. They are absolutely there, jumping in and helping you, or they’re asking you for help, and you’re going over there supporting them. The students are also teachers, because I might understand something that somebody else does not. That kind of teamwork really makes a difference. Everyone is supporting each other to succeed.
Q: What does the hands-on training involve, and what skills do you learn?
Aaron: In the motorcycle program, there are three main instructors who handle different aspects of the training. In the first quarter, you go through an electrical course, which is completely different from just motorcycles. It’s super hands-on, but there are also PowerPoint presentations. You just have to know this stuff. The electrical course is the make-or-break point when coming into the motorcycle program. Once you get into the motorcycle section, it’s extremely hands-on. It’s just busy, and you’re learning constantly. The instructors are there to guide you, but a lot of the learning happens by doing.
Q: Besides fixing bikes, how does NCST prepare students for a career?
Aaron: NCST sets you up for success no matter what you do. They work with you. Most people don’t have a resume or don’t know how to properly do the things in their program. And here’s the thing: I’m in a motorcycle program, and since I understand the basics of a motor, I can fix it. Something breaks? I don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on somebody else. I can do it.
Q: How has attending NCST changed your future outlook?
Aaron: Before I got to New Castle School of Trades, I was struggling. I felt like I hit rock bottom. I was somewhere I knew I shouldn’t have been, and I said, ‘You know what? I need to make a change.’ When NCST was like, ‘Hey, motorcycle program,’ I was all in. I see a better future every day. I’ve already got a client base building. It’s as much as I put into it is what I get out of it. I have the skills now. You can’t take that away from me.
Q: What does having a secure career mean for your family?
Aaron: My family is everything. My daughter is important to me. Being here in the motorcycle program, I feel like I don’t have to go work somewhere far away or be gone all the time. I can work at home, I can stay with my kid, and I can spend more quality time with her instead of paying for babysitters. Quality time with my daughter is something I strive for. Even when I have to go somewhere to fix something, I’m taking the kiddo along. She’s over there playing in their yard while I’m fixing their bike, their quad, their side-by-side. That matters.
Q: What was it like to finally find where you belong?
Aaron: Before I found NCST, I felt like there was something missing. I was lost. I was confused. I didn’t know where I was going, what I was doing. Then I came here, and I just knew it was right. I didn’t know if this place was going to work out, or if I’d be here for a little bit and then go somewhere else. But I just graduated. That feeling of knowing you’re on the right path? It changes everything.
Q: What would you say to high school students around here, in the Western Pennsylvania and Youngstown, Ohio areas, who are unsure about their next steps?
Aaron: If you’re graduating high school and you’re struggling to figure out what you want to do, trade school is always an option because it’s not going anywhere. You will always have work everywhere. The trades always need workers. I would recommend NCST because it takes you from where you are at Point A to Point B: a better future.
A Future in the Trades Starts Here
Success doesn’t always follow a traditional path. For high school students in New Castle, Lawrence County, and throughout Western Pennsylvania, trade school offers a rewarding alternative to four-year colleges. A trade school program can lead to a stable career with good pay with work you can be passionate about.
Don’t wait to discover where you belong. Start building your new skilled trades path today.